Bariflo Secures Rs 2 Crore Funding

Bariflo Cybernetics, an Odisha-based startup, has secured Rs 2 crore in milestone-linked funding from energy innovation platform MC² Plus. The company uses AI to help factories treat wastewater and is preparing for a pilot with Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL).

The funding comes as Bariflo moves from developing and testing its technology towards commercial deployments. Founded in 2018, Bariflo initially focused on monitoring and cleaning municipal waterbodies, before exploring aquaculture and eventually concentrating on industrial wastewater treatment and reuse.

Bariflo aims to reduce energy and chemicals needed for wastewater treatment by upgrading existing effluent treatment plants. The company identifies Ion Exchange and VA Tech WABAG as indirect competitors in the market. India’s industrial water and wastewater infrastructure market is projected to reach $4.65 billion by 2030 at a compound annual growth rate of 8.3%, with the market valued at $2.87 billion in 2024.

## Why it matters The growth of India's industrial water and wastewater infrastructure market presents a significant opportunity for companies like Bariflo. As industries face difficulties in accessing freshwater and groundwater, they are being pushed to use water more carefully and recycle more of it. Bariflo is targeting this need by making existing treatment infrastructure smarter and more efficient.

With the pilot with BPCL on the horizon, Bariflo is poised to demonstrate the effectiveness of its AI-powered wastewater treatment technology. The company's approach of upgrading existing effluent treatment plants rather than asking customers to build new ones could provide a cost-effective solution for industries looking to reduce their environmental impact.

As the Indian industrial water and wastewater infrastructure market continues to grow, companies like Bariflo are likely to play a key role in helping industries adopt more sustainable practices. With the support of initiatives like MC² Plus, which is led by the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, Bariflo is well-positioned to make a significant impact in the market.