Ilion Water Technologies

Ilion Water Technologies, incorporated in February 2025, is a deeptech startup that emerged from the Physics Laboratory at the École Normale Supérieure (ENS-PSL) in Paris. The company was founded by a team with expertise in water treatment, engineering, and physics: Dr. Lucie Ries (CEO), an expert in water treatment; Zacharie Pilo (CTO), an ocean engineer; and Professor Lydéric Bocquet, a pioneer in nanofluidics who was awarded the CNRS Innovation Medal in 2024.

The firm is developing a patented, pressure-free desalination technology to address the global water crisis. Traditional desalination methods, such as reverse osmosis (RO), are energy-intensive and costly due to their reliance on high-pressure systems. Ilion's proprietary technology, known as Voltage Induced Reverse Osmosis (VIRO), utilizes a highly charged membrane controlled by a low-voltage electrical panel to drive water through standard reverse-osmosis filters. This electro-membrane pump operates at atmospheric pressure using just a few volts, which eliminates the need for bulky, high-pressure equipment and significantly reduces capital expenditures (CAPEX) and energy consumption. The system is also designed to be chemical-free, using gentle oscillations to prevent membrane fouling and scaling.

Operating on a B2B model, Ilion targets industrial clients and aims to provide a greener and more cost-effective alternative for water purification. The company's modular design allows for retrofitting existing infrastructures, broadening its market appeal. In March 2026, Ilion Water Technologies announced the closing of a €3.8 million pre-seed funding round, co-led by Demea Sustainable Investment and Critical Path Ventures, with an additional $4.5 million in new investment capital also reported. This capital is intended to scale up the technology and initiate field validation partnerships with industrial early adopters. The company has received support from various institutions, including Bpifrance, the Île-de-France region, CNRS Innovation, and the European Research Council (ERC). Ilion has also gained recognition by winning the Pollutec Innovation Challenge in 2024 and the i-Lab innovation competition.

Keywords: pressure-free desalination, low-voltage water treatment, electro-membrane pump, nanofluidics, Voltage Induced Reverse Osmosis, chemical-free water purification, reverse osmosis, water technology, cleantech, industrial water treatment, sustainable desalination, membrane technology, water crisis solution, B2B water solutions, deeptech, retrofittable water systems, energy-efficient desalination, Lydéric Bocquet, Lucie Ries, Zacharie Pilo