I wanted to talk to him because his path is a perfect example of what it means to be a modern water professional. He is an engineer with an MBA, an entrepreneur, and a storyteller.
Last year I had the chance to sit down with Ravi Kurani. If you follow the water sector, you might know him as the founder of Sutro or the host of the Liquid Assets podcast.
We often look at the water sector as a collection of massive infrastructure projects or rigid utilities.
Ravi represents a different side: the intersection of high-tech startups and the essential, everyday reality of water.
Growing up as a pool boy
Ravi didn’t enter the water industry because of a corporate recruiter; he was born into it.
His family ran pool and spa supply stores, and he spent his early years as a pool boy, learning the basics of water chemistry in backyards.
He eventually took those early lessons and combined them with a background in mechanical engineering and impact investing.
It struck me how he treats his unconventional start—swimming pools—with the same respect as large-scale water treatment.
It’s a good reminder that expertise often starts in small places before it moves to a global stage.
The hard work of clear communication
One of the highlights of our talk was his experience giving a TED Talk.
He explained that the most important part of the process happens before you ever step on stage.
Writing and practicing the speech is what helps you understand your own thoughts.
Most of us only see the final performance, but the value is in the work that happens during the weeks of preparation. The process of writing forces you to realize when your ideas do not make sense.
It’s a lesson in clarity: if you cannot explain your water project simply, you probably need to spend more time organizing your thoughts.
That’s a lesson you can apply to yourself in your daily basis.
Tools are just tools, whether it’s IoT or AI
We discussed the noise around new technology.
A few years ago, everyone was talking about the Internet of Things; today, it is AI. Ravi views these as just tools to help us do our jobs better.
In the water sector, we face a big problem: older workers are retiring and there are not enough young people to replace them.
Technology like AI is not meant to replace humans but to support them.
The real challenge is not the technology itself, but the slow rules and sales cycles in water that make it hard for these tools to move as fast as they do in other industries.
Look for inspiration
Ravi’s journey shows that passion is what carries you through both the easy and the hard days.
He left me thinking about where we look for inspiration.
He mentioned finding it everywhere, from fellow founders to an artist he met in New York…
In a sector as vital as ours, it is easy to get stuck in the technical details of pumps and pipes. But perhaps we should be looking outside our own circle more often.
Where do you look for inspiration when the challenges in the water sector feel too slow or too heavy?
Thanks for reading, watching and engaging!
