Spout (SafeSpout.com) (formerly, Microlyze)
Year Founded: 2017
Founder: Ari Kaufman
Summary: Why spout? “Because there is no safe amount of lead in your water.” Lead is a toxin that can have both immediate and long-term effects on health and well-being. Brain damage, kidney failure, bone and muscle problems — and even learning disabilities in children — can all result from drinking lead contaminated water. Aging and degrading pipes in many US cities and homes can develop into a lead contamination crisis at anytime, anywhere.
Fast and easy to use, spout tests water in just minutes. spout’s data is easy to read and understand with the spout smartphone app. Results are shared with water utilities, alerting them to a potential problem and triggering a rapid response.
Newsworthy achievements: Spout founder Ari Kaufman has been busy winning pitch contests nationwide. He captured the top $15,000 prize in the Frontier Pitchfest in New Orleans and won $5,000 in Pitch Distilled, a multi-city live pitch competition sponsored by WIRED magazine and Gentleman Jack. Ari and 1O.1O.1O were featured in a Wired Insider article “Waterlyzer [now “spout”] Offers Access to Water Quality Data in the Wake of the Flint Crisis.” The company has now raised more than $2mm in capital.
