Why Water Testing Methods Are Dangerously Outdated (w. Lorenzo Falzarano - Orb)
Wed Jan 14 2026
Why Are Water Testing Methods Dangerously Outdated - And What's the Fix?
Tired of stitching together Crunchbase, overpriced reports, and "a guy who knows a guy"? I built the fix. 50 Founder Seats. Join the waitlist: leviathandata.io
🙌 Supporters 🙌
A big thank you to my partner SimpleLab: https://link.dww.show/simplelab
ORB is a water tech company revolutionizing water testing through real-time microbial detection. Using inline deep UV spectroscopy sensors, ORB delivers continuous monitoring that's 1,700 times faster than traditional plate count methods (thus replacing the century-old three-day lab test) with instant insights that protect public health.
Lorenzo Falzarano is a serial entrepreneur and the founder and Chief Scientist of ORB, bringing over two decades of experience building impact-driven technology companies, including a successful solar venture that sold through Apple stores worldwide, and has partnered with NASA on space station water monitoring systems.
🌶️ KEY SPICES 🌶️
🔬 Rapid Microbiology at Light Speed — Water testing results in one second versus three days, using photon-counting detectors that measure microbial fluorescence at the molecular level without reagents or consumables.
🎯 Cold Case Solver — 70% of water quality failures go unexplained; ORB's intelligence platform uses pattern matching and fingerprint signatures to identify root causes that traditional water testing misses.
⚡ Non-Invasive Innovation — Unlike enzymatic or flow cytometry methods, ORB's water tech requires no chemicals, no sample preparation, and no maintenance—just plug-and-play deployment in drinking water networks.
💧 Real-Time Risk Prevention — Catches failing ozone dosing, chlorine systems, and contamination events before they become regulatory violations—helping UK utilities avoid millions in bacteriological fines.
🥜 IN A NUTSHELL 🥜
Why is traditional water testing fundamentally broken? The plate count method takes three days, captures less than 1% of microbes, and forces utilities to run on "maximum everything" because they're operating blind.
How does ORB's rapid microbiology approach work? Deep UV light causes microbial cells to fluoresce; photon-counting detectors measure this at the molecular level, delivering instant counts without destroying the sample.
What separates ORB from other water tech solutions? ORB used deep neural networks to identify minimum wavelengths needed, then hyper-optimized hardware for drinking water—achieving 400x more sensitivity than lab spectrometers.
Can this water testing method distinguish live from dead bacteria? Yes—dying and dead cells produce different spectral signatures, addressing concerns about counting chlorine-killed cells.
What's the business model? ORB sells insights through CapEx, OpEx, or hybrid models—deployed across UK and European utilities with NASA validation and third-party certifications.
#️⃣ Mentioned Links #️⃣
ORB Monitor: orbmonitor.com
Lorenzo's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorenzo-falzarano/
Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.
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Why Are Water Testing Methods Dangerously Outdated - And What's the Fix? Tired of stitching together Crunchbase, overpriced reports, and "a guy who knows a guy"? I built the fix. 50 Founder Seats. Join the waitlist: leviathandata.io 🙌 Supporters 🙌 A big thank you to my partner SimpleLab: https://link.dww.show/simplelab ORB is a water tech company revolutionizing water testing through real-time microbial detection. Using inline deep UV spectroscopy sensors, ORB delivers continuous monitoring that's 1,700 times faster than traditional plate count methods (thus replacing the century-old three-day lab test) with instant insights that protect public health. Lorenzo Falzarano is a serial entrepreneur and the founder and Chief Scientist of ORB, bringing over two decades of experience building impact-driven technology companies, including a successful solar venture that sold through Apple stores worldwide, and has partnered with NASA on space station water monitoring systems. 🌶️ KEY SPICES 🌶️ 🔬 Rapid Microbiology at Light Speed — Water testing results in one second versus three days, using photon-counting detectors that measure microbial fluorescence at the molecular level without reagents or consumables. 🎯 Cold Case Solver — 70% of water quality failures go unexplained; ORB's intelligence platform uses pattern matching and fingerprint signatures to identify root causes that traditional water testing misses. ⚡ Non-Invasive Innovation — Unlike enzymatic or flow cytometry methods, ORB's water tech requires no chemicals, no sample preparation, and no maintenance—just plug-and-play deployment in drinking water networks. 💧 Real-Time Risk Prevention — Catches failing ozone dosing, chlorine systems, and contamination events before they become regulatory violations—helping UK utilities avoid millions in bacteriological fines. 🥜 IN A NUTSHELL 🥜 Why is traditional water testing fundamentally broken? The plate count method takes three days, captures less than 1% of microbes, and forces utilities to run on "maximum everything" because they're operating blind. How does ORB's rapid microbiology approach work? Deep UV light causes microbial cells to fluoresce; photon-counting detectors measure this at the molecular level, delivering instant counts without destroying the sample. What separates ORB from other water tech solutions? ORB used deep neural networks to identify minimum wavelengths needed, then hyper-optimized hardware for drinking water—achieving 400x more sensitivity than lab spectrometers. Can this water testing method distinguish live from dead bacteria? Yes—dying and dead cells produce different spectral signatures, addressing concerns about counting chlorine-killed cells. What's the business model? ORB sells insights through CapEx, OpEx, or hybrid models—deployed across UK and European utilities with NASA validation and third-party certifications. #️⃣ Mentioned Links #️⃣ ORB Monitor: orbmonitor.com Lorenzo's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorenzo-falzarano/ Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.