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November 7, 2023

A Roadmap to the Future: Announcing HG Ventures’ Future of Roads Report

The following post is an excerpt from HG Ventures’ Future of Roads Report (November 2023) – An Introduction by John Glushik

John Glushik
John Glushik, Managing Director, HG Ventures

I am fortunate that my chosen career brings me into contact with scientists, engineers and other visionaries who are working at the leading edges of their respective fields, developing new technologies that have the potential to transform our world for the better.

Whether they are working in materials science, chemical engineering, electrical engineering, software development or any one of a dozen other fields, these entrepreneurs are designing and building new systems and processes that not only keep industries, and therefore our economy, moving, but do so in ways that reduce or minimize our impact on the environment.

One of the areas in which we see a lot of exciting innovation is road technology.

Roads are an essential part of our infrastructure. Whatever else may change about our world in the next half-century, the need to move goods and people from point A to point B, and to connect communities, will be a constant. But with more people in the world, and more vehicles using our roads, that infrastructure is under intense pressure.

This is where technological innovation has a role to play.

Across the United States and throughout the world, we see examples of new technologies emerging that can solve challenges around capacity, congestion, safety, sustainability and more.

This report collects together some of the key technologies that are being developed, piloted, and in some cases implemented, that have the power to keep our roads moving.

This is such a wide-ranging field that there are limits on what we are able to include. For example, the United States has more than four million miles of road, the highest level of vehicle ownership in the world, and challenges maintaining a uniformly high quality road infrastructure, so much of the content of this report is inevitably weighted towards the US, but there is an enormous amount of important work happening all over the world.

And in many instances, the real innovation is taking place not in the R&D centers of established technology giants, but in the tiny laboratories and rented offices of startups. This is what excites me the most: That the potential for positive change can be fueled by individuals and small teams with a singular vision.

At HG Ventures, we are proud to back this spirit of innovation, and have invested in a number of startups working in this field. Indeed, as part of The Heritage Group, which has a diverse set of heavy-duty construction and materials operating businesses, we work alongside colleagues with unsurpassed knowledge and expertise of road building and maintenance. The Heritage Group has decades of experience in this market, and customers that have relied on them to help them innovate, and I appreciate being part of that.

I believe that the required transformation of our roads infrastructure will only be possible with an increased and expanded vision of public-private partnerships, and that venture capital has a vital role to play in this – enabling those entrepreneurs to bring their concepts to market and become part of the mix of solutions that will keep us all moving.

I hope you enjoy this report and that it contributes to the ongoing conversation about the future of roads.

Click here to download HG Ventures’ Future of Roads Report.

 

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November 7, 2023

Roads Must Be Reimagined To Keep Economic Wheels Turning

New report from HG Ventures calls for an expanded role for technology innovators in creating ‘smarter’ roads

INDIANAPOLISNov. 7, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — A new report published today from HG Ventures calls for an embracing of new technologies in the way roads are planned, built and managed, if they are to maintain their role in enabling the global economy to function effectively.

The Future of Roads: The Role of Technology in Securing Vital Infrastructure is published by HG Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of Indianapolis-headquartered international construction company, The Heritage Group. The report highlights the many new technologies that have the potential to solve the decades-old challenges of congestion, safety and sustainability, including: Inductive charging for electric vehicles (EVs); vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) technology; sustainable fuel alternatives; and self-healing and lower-carbon road building materials.

The report makes the case for governments and road operators to partner with innovative technology firms to develop and pilot new technological solutions.

John Glushik, managing director of HG Ventures says: “With increased dependency on our roads, our infrastructure is under intense pressure. This is where technological innovation has a role to play. Across the United States and throughout the world, we see examples of new technologies emerging that can solve challenges around capacity, congestion, safety, sustainability and more.”

Roadmap to the Future

The new report includes a ‘Roadmap to the Future’, which sets out what a tech-enabled road network could look like:

  • Increased use of lower-carbon construction materials
  • Mass ‘sensorization’ of major roads, to enable the real-time sharing of data
  • Use of modular roadways with embedded technology
  • Incorporation of electrification technologies into and under our roads
  • Use of self-healing materials in road surfacing
  • Adoption of ‘autonomous-only’ lanes on highways, to allow for the safe ‘platooning’ of autonomous vehicles
  • Installation of IoT technology at busy intersections

Glushik continues: “In many instances, the real innovation is taking place not only in the R&D centers of established technology giants, but in the laboratories, rented offices, workshops and even garages of entrepreneurs, all over the world. These individuals and their fledgling companies rely on venture capital to bring their products to market, and we need that technological innovation if we are to transform our roads for the better.”

The Future of Roads report references a number of startup companies that are developing technological solutions to the many challenges faced by roads and those who use, build, maintain and police them.

Glushik concludes: “Roads are vital, but what got us here will not get us to where we want to be in the future. I am excited about the technological solutions that exist today, that will exist in the future, and about the role of venture capital as our roads evolve. We are proud to back this spirit of innovation, which also aligns with the mission of The Heritage Group.”

The Future of Roads report may be downloaded from hgventures.com/futureofroads.

About HG Ventures

HG Ventures is the corporate venture arm of The Heritage Group, headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. HG Ventures supports innovation and growth across The Heritage Group by investing and partnering with innovative, high-growth companies to support a sustainable future. The firm leverages the world-class expertise of The Heritage Group operating companies and research center to offer a unique value proposition to its portfolio company partners. hgventures.com

Media contact:

Jon Meakin | Coldharbour Communications

jon@coldharbourcomms.com

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November 2, 2023

HG Ventures Invests in PFAS Destruction Leader, Aclarity

Aclarity Secures $16M in Series A Funding to Deploy Low Energy PFAS “Forever Chemical” Destruction Solution

Mansfield, MA, November 2, 2023 – Aclarity, Inc., the leader in PFAS (Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances) “forever chemical” destruction, announced today the successful completion of its Series A funding round, raising $15.9 million. This funding round was led by Aqualateral, with participation from the HG Ventures, Bidra Innovation Ventures, Nor’easter Ventures, MassVentures, and Burnt Island Ventures. This latest round of funding builds upon a $3.3 million Seed round secured in 2022, propelling the company into an exciting new phase of commercial expansion and innovation.

PFAS, often referred to as “forever chemicals” due to their persistent nature in the environment, have become a major concern worldwide due to their detrimental impact on ecosystems and human health. Aclarity’s Octa™ system offers a sustainable solution for the complete eradication of PFAS contaminants, heralding a new era in wastewater treatment and environmental remediation for landfills, water and wastewater treatment plants, and industrial facilities – where PFAS is particularly prevalent.

Over the last year, Aclarity has deployed mobile systems with full-scale reactors across the country to destroy PFAS chemicals continuously. This has allowed the team to successfully treat PFAS in waters ranging from low ng/Ls in tap water, all the way to landfill leachate treated by foam fractionation with PFAS concentrations of milligrams per liter, including short-chain compounds like PFBS and demonstrating real time PFAS destruction in the field. Aclarity’s achievements have garnered the attention of groups such as Frost & Sullivan, who awarded Aclarity their Company of the Year Best Practices award for 2023 in the North American PFAS treatment industry. With the support of this investment, Aclarity has broadened its pipeline across several industries requiring PFAS destruction such as the waste industry as well as food and beverage manufacturing and the pulp and paper industry. The Series A funds will play a pivotal role in scaling up manufacturing and supply chain capabilities, further increasing market penetration, and advancing partnerships to address PFAS contamination challenges on a global scale.

“The industry is overwhelmingly demanding a solution to the PFAS problem, responding to existing and pending regulations. We are extremely grateful for the enthusiastic support from our investors and the confidence they have shown in our mission to combat the widespread issue of PFAS contamination,” said Julie Bliss Mullen, Founder and CEO of Aclarity. “The Series A funding is already enabling us to grow our team, build more PFAS destruction skids and bring them to more communities and industries, ultimately making a lasting positive impact on public health and the environment.”

Aclarity’s innovative approach to PFAS destruction has garnered attention and support from both investors and environmental advocates alike. The technology boasts several key advantages, including its cost-effectiveness, environmental safety, and efficiency in eliminating PFAS compounds, offering a sustainable alternative to conventional remediation methods.

“Aclarity has the potential to revolutionize the field of environmental remediation and solve one of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time. We are confident that they will deliver on this promise,” said Jiten Manglani, Aqualateral’s Chief Investment Officer. “The Aclarity team has the capacity and vision to deliver far-reaching transformative results to communities across the globe.”As Aclarity continues to make strides in the fight against PFAS pollution, the company remains committed to its core mission of destroying PFAS to safeguard the environment and public health. The Series A funding will be instrumental in driving Aclarity’s growth and accelerating the deployment of its groundbreaking technology to communities and industries in need.

For more information about Aclarity and its PFAS destruction technology, please visit

www.aclaritywater.com

About Aclarity Inc.

Aclarity is revolutionizing the elimination of persistent and hazardous “forever chemicals” known as PFAS, which accumulate in human and animal tissues and persist indefinitely in our environment. Aclarity’s Octa™ PFAS destruction systems employ innovative proprietary technology to disrupt the ongoing PFAS contamination cycle. The conventional approach for removing and disposing of PFAS has led to concentrated PFAS materials being reintroduced into the environment through methods like landfill disposal, incineration, and deep well disposal, recontaminating the air, soil, and water. PFAS compounds are inherently resilient due to their strong molecular bonds. Until now, the prevailing method of “remediating” PFAS has involved a perilous cycle of extraction and disposal, either by returning the extracted PFAS to landfills or by incinerating it and emitting toxic aerosols into the atmosphere. Aclarity’s technology employs electricity to sever the carbon and fluorine bonds that give PFAS compounds their durability, thus putting an end to the perpetual PFAS contamination cycle.