How SurfCleaner manage to remove oil from water – with the help from human heartbeats
Is there a way to separate oil from water in order to befriend nature? Yes, thanks to an invention based on the pumping principles of the human heart. Read this interview with Christina Lundbäck, founder of the prize winning tech-startup SurfCleaner who manufactures the world’s first skimmer separator hybrids. How did she develop the startup? And what was her biggest failure during the journey?
How was your business idea born?
– SurfCleaner was invented in 1994 by my father and medicine doctor Stig Lundbäck. Its innovative technology is based on his discovery – DAPP (Dynamic Adaptive Piston Pump) – which takes the front and central stage, mimicking the pumping principles of the human heart. From this discovery he made artificial hearts and pumps. With the environment in focus, he wanted to find a way to separate oil from the water surface using his discovery – and the SurfCleaner was born, says Christina Lundbäck, Founder, Chief Sustainability Officer and Corporate Relations at SurfCleaner.
What problem are you solving for the user?
– SurfCleaner can remove and separate floating surface pollution, such as different types of oil, diesel, petrol and more, in an efficient and fast way. This means that the customers can get immediate results and improve their processes to be more sustainable. This can be achieved for example by concentrating their waste and reducing the number of disposal transports. Or by improving the water quality by reducing the percentage of hydrocarbons in the water – making it easier to comply with environmental regulations.
Why did you apply to Sting?
– Me and my father worked together during 2016-2017. New patents and solutions were created to treat wastewater from refineries, oil harbors, mines and process industries. We knew that we needed help to address new markets, creating a business plan, and so on. So, we decided to join Sting’s Incubate program. Sadly, my father passed away in 2017, so I was alone in the company. I did get extended time on the program and restarted the SurfCleaner journey in 2018 with tremendous support from the Sting team.
Your biggest failure during the startup process?
– We were an innovative company with a new solution, and we got a bit lost, so we developed what we THOUGHT the customer wanted. Instead, we should have done more work to really UNDERSTAND the customers’ needs from the beginning. So, the advice is to really have a sales focus early on – find out what problems your customers have and focus on how you can solve them.
What is your key to success?
– The business idea is of course very important. Do you solve a real problem? And is your solution sustainable? Then you need a team. Always try to hire people that are better than you and share your vision. It’s never too early to build a network around you for experience and knowledge sharing.
SurfCleaner’s Success Story
- Won the Nordic Cleantech Open in 2019.
- Finalist in Techarenan Challenge 2022.
- Growth factor has increased by 4 times in the latest year.
- Expanded sales with more than 100 machines worldwide.
- Read more at surfcleaner.com
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