MBA grad builds startup success by protecting Alberta’s drinking water
Everyone has a right to access clean water. But have you thought about what goes into the process to ensure that what you’re drinking is safe?
With her business 2S Water, Anthea Sargeaunt (Master of Business Administration ’13) is on a mission to work with industry and communities in Alberta to protect our most important resource.
“It’s so easy for us in Canada to forget that so much of the world doesn’t have easily potable water out of the tap. It’s a huge issue,” said Sargeaunt, president and CEO of 2S Water in Edmonton.
2S Water is a water monitoring company that uses data to ensure drinking water is safe and free of toxic metals. They work with the oil and gas, pulp and paper, and municipal sectors, but their main area of focus is in mining.
Sargeaunt co-founded 2S Water in 2017 with business partner Anthony Nelson, the company’s chief science officer. In doing so, Sargeaunt has combined her education and passion for both science and entrepreneurship.
In 2019, she was named most promising startup entrepreneur of the year by Startup Alberta. The award recognized not only her hard work and expertise in business, but also highlighted the importance of the company’s work.
“It’s a human rights issue to address water safety. We're very excited to be doing just a small part of that—a needed work.”
– Anthea Sargeaunt (Master of Business Administration ’13)
Using real-time sensors to protect water
2S Water, which stands for “safe” and “secure,” uses its own sensors to detect metals in water in real time. Most metals are toxic at high enough concentrations, while others like calcium cause hardness, which can be tough on machinery. Mercury levels in particular have increased by 10% in the past two decades.
“It’s vital that we control them with real-time data,” said Sargeaunt.
The company developed a sensor called AquaValid, which is the only system of its kind that can detect multiple metals in real time, even at low concentrations.
Fast, efficient water monitoring
2S Water can help industrial clients analyze water quality immediately instead of sending samples to a laboratory for analysis—a process that could take two weeks in North America.
The real-time capabilities are a particular benefit to the mining industry, where changes in water quality can happen quickly, with severe consequences for the environment, Sargeaunt said.
Within an industrial water treatment facility, AquaValid helps ensure water is safe before it is released into a local river or stream, or makes its way to a community’s tap.
“It’s an immediate process producing results that water treatment facilities can use right away to correct a situation,” she said.
Building a startup success
Working with industry comes naturally to Sargeaunt, who has spent her entire career in the heavy industry and science realm working for the family business in oil and gas. She continued to work while pursuing her MBA at AU.
“I’m a big supporter of the AU. I’m always telling people how great the MBA program was because I got to keep working and apply what I learned to the businesses I was working with,” she said.
“I’m a big supporter of the AU. I’m always telling people how great the MBA program was because I got to keep working and apply what I learned to the businesses I was working with.”
– Anthea Sargeaunt
Building a startup success
Sargeaunt is a seventh-generation Edmontonian and decided to base her company in Alberta’s capital to contribute to the provincial economy.
“I’d like to raise my kids here, and to contribute to the diversification of our economy.”
Earning industry accolades
2S Water has continued to earn recognition as a startup success. Two years after winning the award from Startup Edmonton, Sargeaunt earned a Clean50 Research and Development award, which recognizes leadership in sustainability projects in Canada.
More recently, Sargeaunt won Best Startup Pitch at Watervent in Cincinnati, Ohio. The event brought together people from across the water industry—including entrepreneurs, investors, incubators, and water innovation enthusiasts. It’s the kind of honour that keeps Sargeaunt feeling motivated to continue to help her company grow and help protect water.
“It’s one thing to be acknowledged as a startup, but another when a group of people who really understand the industry and understand the product and the challenges, acknowledge you,” she said. “It has a special meaning that we’re deeply grateful for.”
