WIRIJN THOLEN BREATHES NEW LIFE INTO FATHER’S INVENTION
The Sensiblue is a device capable of safely disinfecting drinking water. What makes it unique is that it kills viruses and bacteria without using electricity. After a redevelopment period, Sensiblue is ready to enter the scale-up phase. Owner Wirijn Tholen is ready to conquer the world with a product invented by his father, Jan Tholen, in 2001.
Heycop B.V., based in Houten, pulled their investment in the Sensiblue in 2020. Wirijn Tholen did not want the product developed by his father to be discontinued and took over. “I was working as a manager in logistics and purchasing at the time, and I lacked experience in the water industry, but watching everything go up in smoke was not an option. It took three years of hard work to redevelop the unit. The product is now finished, and we found VDH Watertechnology as a strategic partner through a funding round. With ProMinent GmbH as their parent company, we can sell and provide the desired service globally.”
UNIVERSALLY APPLICABLE
With the joint venture, including a product and a newly granted patent, Tholen is on the eve of rolling out Sensiblue in the Netherlands and far beyond. The proposition is twofold, he explains. “Unsafe drinking water is a problem all over the world. The Sensiblue can be connected anywhere drinking water and rainwater are stored, and water systems are unreliable. The system disinfects the water using a safe amount of active chlorine from salt electrolysis. This is a natural method that doesn’t require electricity, which makes the product unique”, Tholen says.
ENERGY TRANSITION
Sensiblue also plays into the energy transition in the Netherlands, as an alternative disinfection method for shower water. “The Netherlands is trying to get rid of gas, which means we have to switch to heat pumps and heat grids. Shower water is currently heated to sixty degrees, but our device would allow that temperature to be lowered significantly. By disinfecting close to the tapping point, the water only needs to be heated to forty-five degrees. This greatly reduces power consumption, which is reflected in your energy bill. You will recoup the cost of the device within two to five years. The goal in the Netherlands is simple: all eight million households will have a Sensiblue within the next five years.”
'ALL EIGHT MILLION HOUSEHOLDS WILL HAVE A SENSIBLUE WITHIN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS.'
OFFICE IN THE HAGUE
Sensiblue currently consists of three people; in addition to Tholen, the company employs a designer and a financial officer. “We will be moving to The Hague soon, where we will have an office and a production area”, Tholen continues. We want to grow into a company of about twenty-five people within two years. The focus in the Netherlands is primarily on achieving savings in heating shower water. Our technology can serve 2.5 billion households globally, so we will be looking for distributors and working hard to build our brand internationally in the next few years.”
