The dynamics of water innovation.
I don't want to get left behind. How a documentary and a book changed my view on water innovation. When Hollywood meets water. Why water innovation takes time.
Today, I feel genuinely lucky to have someone like Paul Ocallagan featured in The Water MBA.
A journey that started with a movie
Let me tell you how I first came across his name.
About a year ago, we recorded Episode #2 with Alex Locopoulos from Sciens Water.
In our conversation, we learned that water actually had a documentary film, narrated by none other than Liam Neeson (fun fact: my wife's favorite actor).
Curious, I looked it up on Netflix (my go-to streaming platform), and along the way, I also discovered Water.org, co-founded by Matt Damon, my favorite actor. So you can imagine my excitement.
The documentary? Produced by Bluetech Research, founded by none other than Paul, today’s guest, and Sciens Water supported the second film (details at the end of this article)
Full circle.
So I watched it. You should too.
From EPC to innovation, why I needed this conversation
As I’ve shared before, I come from the EPC and Business Development side of the water industry.
My role has often been about making things real, selecting vendors, satisfying utility demands, delivering reliable infrastructure, managing projects, etc…
That world is full of approved vendor lists and track records. But every tech that makes it onto those lists?
It started somewhere—maybe in a lab, in a garage, or in the mind of a single visionary.
So I wanted to go deeper:
How do water innovations go from idea to real-world impact?
How do they survive the journey from pitch deck to pipeline?
And that’s why Paul was the perfect guest.
What we talked about
In our conversation with Paul, we explored:
How he founded Bluetech Research and his vision for connecting startups, investors, and utilities
Why and how he decided to make a movie about water
Which emerging technologies he believes will define the next 5–15 years in the sector
How can you be surprised if you’ve been working in the sector for the last 20-25 years?
A book, a second film, and a whole new perspective
Did you know there’s a second water documentary?
It’s not public like the first one—only shown at special and agreed events, like Aquatech Amsterdam.
During that same event, I purchased a copy of Paul’s newly released book. You can get one in this link. I devoured it a few days ago.
I actually passed it on to Elena de la Vieja, another brilliant professional who I’m sure will be one of our guests in the near future.
What struck me most in the book was how Paul traces the evolution of water technologies, how some of today’s mainstream tools began as risky, misunderstood ideas.
The difference between crisis-driven innovation vs. value-driven innovation, a subtle insight that stuck with me.
It gave me a new lens, not just on innovation, but on the timescales and patience it takes to turn ideas into infrastructure or any other kind of reality, like The Water MBA for instance :)
Ultrafiltration membranes
For instance, this is just a surface-level analysis of something that came to mind. I started working in the business in 2012.
By then, ultrafiltration membranes were something I took for granted.
Like, I don’t know,it was just so obvious how much value they bring.
But 20–30 years earlier, when my father was starting out, they didn’t even exist.
How did they come to life? Well, these are the kinds of things you learn from the book.
In this case, it was related to Cryptosporidium,so it was a crisis-driven need.
Everything aligned to implement this technology and scale it commercially worldwide.
(Quick context: the Cryptosporidium outbreak in Milwaukee in 1993 affected over 400,000 people due to contamination in the drinking water. It exposed major gaps in conventional filtration, especially in removing microscopic pathogens. This led to a push for more advanced technologies, like ultrafiltration membranes, which can physically block such organisms. That outbreak became a turning point in water treatment history, triggering innovation and adoption on a global scale.)
My fav events coming up soon
I’m excited because the two events I enjoyed most attending online last year are now open for registration.
This is a fantastic opportunity for anyone, completely online, free of charge, and genuinely high-quality events.
Rethinking Water, 25th September 2025.
The promo video has already been released. Water is a complex puzzle, and this event is becoming a global landmark for bringing all the pieces together.
Rethinking Water Conference 2025 promo video - YouTube
I recommend you watching John Rigas opening speech from 2024, it’s already included in our suggested list of videos at our Youtube Channel.
The event is streamed online on the Main Stage, but that’s just a small part of its dynamic setup,there’s much more happening behind the scenes.
World Water Week
The experience in 2024 was really good. There were many talks happening at the same time, but the platform's interface allowed you to move in and out of different rooms—so you could easily switch if a session wasn’t what you expected or if you wanted to explore other topics.
By registering, you’ll also get a sense of the topics being covered, as shown in the next item list.
A little anecdote: I was so focused on watching the talks last year that I had to leave an Airbnb after a vacation, and I forgot four shirts on the table. I lost them. So even though the event was free, I still paid a price!
Another anecdote, may you find The Water MBA logo inside WWW logo? Did you realise that represents basically gathering of little drops like you exchanging knowledge and connecting? :)
Water.org
I said at the beginning full circle. But I have still pending to have the chance to talk to Matt Damon and get to know how a hollywood star has the willingness of making water part of his live purpose.
By the way, Water.org was awarded in 2025 Global Water Awards as Company of the Year.
I sum up below the description so you may understand better what’s all about.
What I learned, and what you might too
Reading Paul’s book right after our conversation felt like perfect timing. The dots connected.
The history, the tech, the people…all part of a broader narrative I hadn’t fully seen before.
If you take the time to listen to the episode, and maybe even read the book, I’m confident you’ll come away with the same clarity I did.
Water is an ecosystem of ideas, decisions, and timing.
Thanks for reading.
Let’s keep learning and sharing.
Reminder
July and August will be our preparation period (phone calls, reading, research, time for “brain valorisation…”, etc) for the upcoming season starting in September/October 2025.
During these 2 months, you’ll receive special articles covering some of our TOP episodes from 2024 that didn’t originally have dedicated write-ups.
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