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We are spotlighting Nyad, and its co-founder and CEO, Virginia Szepietowski. Nyad is on a mission to improve wastewater treatment and the quality of water across the world.
What led you to become a founder?
My path wasn’t a straight line. I started out as an attorney in London, then pivoted into innovation strategy with Founders Intelligence, which was later acquired by Accenture.
In 2020, my co-founder, Chris, and I started a COVID-diagnostics startup, where I sold half a million dollars' worth of contracts into the construction industry in just the first 12 weeks. That experience taught us how to move fast, solve real problems, and build something from scratch.
The seed for Nyad was planted while we were training for triathlons and open-water swimming in the UK. We became acutely aware of the water quality issues firsthand. Eventually, I quit my job to join a venture-backed research program, where I researched water as a core planetary health issue, and industrial wastewater emerged as a major, underserved challenge. Everybody else started to take notice during the Paris Olympics!
What was your “Aha” moment that sparked the idea for Nyad?
While researching water as part of that program, I found that the tools used in wastewater treatment have barely changed since the 1970s. Despite being mission-critical infrastructure, the process remains incredibly analog and underserved by modern tech.
I realized wastewater treatment is a global issue hiding in plain sight.
Nyad’s mission is to create a world of abundant clean water. By building state-of-the-art technology tools for the frontline operators who manage it every day.
Our first product is an AI co-pilot leveraging computer vision and machine learning to allow operators to drastically cut their costs, maintain compliance, and run tighter, more efficient treatment processes.
How has Nyad grown since starting?
We only started Nyad a year ago, and it’s been a very fast-paced journey! We landed in Alabama as part of the Techstars Founder Catalyst Program in collaboration with the University of Alabama and Tuscaloosa County Economic Development Authority.
We found a thriving startup ecosystem and a strong customer base in Alabama, which is fast becoming the ‘Silicon Valley of Water’, and later graduated into the full Techstars Accelerator this Spring.
We applied for and were selected for Bronze Valley’s Investment Accelerator powered by gener8tor in Alabama for the Spring Cohort, which wrapped up in July. The experience catapulted our progress in Alabama and deepened our roots in the state. We could not be prouder to have been a part of their portfolio.
What’s ahead for the company in 2025 & beyond?
In just one year, we have raised over $250,000, hired our first full-time team member to lead AI research, and started projects with two wastewater facilities.
Building on this momentum, we’re gearing up to raise our pre-seed round this fall and beginning conversations with VCs who share our vision.
We are laser-focused on developing the AI co-pilot, deepening our technical moat, and getting Nyad into the hands of more operators, starting with US oil & gas and petrochem facilities.
Wastewater is a growing global challenge. We plan to equip all front-line operators with the tools they need to not only improve treatment processes, but to protect the rivers, lakes, and ecosystems downstream from every treatment plant.
Founder to founder: What’s your advice to other entrepreneurs?
Act with urgency. Build, test, and grow like your hair is on fire. Try every single AI tool you can get your hands on to work faster and smarter.
Every week, send one “risky” email. Reach out to someone who you think is too busy, too senior, or too important, ask for a meeting, pitch a partnership, or share your perspective on their substack. Most won’t reply. Some will. And one or two could have an outsized impact on your entire business.
I started doing this consistently, and it rewired my brain to believe that nothing is impossible.
Thank you, Virginia, for sharing your story about Nyad and for the helpful advice for new founders! We look forward to your progress in the year ahead.
