Julia Loennegren was born and raised on a farm in the south Sweden and has been in Houston for five and a half years. She is now working with her own start up and we had a chance to get a moment to chat about her story:
Julia, tell us about yourself. How did you end up in Houston?
I came to Houston to dive with one of the best coaches in the world at University of Houston. I didn’t know much about Houston before I arrived here but it worked out great. Both with school and diving.
I’ve always wanted to start my own company and University of Houston has an Entrepreneur program, the Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship, which I got accepted into. They taught me everything about starting up a company; from how be passionate to giving back.
What kind of company have you started?
Wavve Stream is a nanotechnology that enables existing water filtration system to simultaneously remove all major contaminants from water; viruses, heavy metals, harmful chemicals and also inactivates bacteria. We improve water filters with our technology and make water cleaner and safer. Clean water is becoming more critical to the health, safety, and well-being of the world’s population. Wavve is dedicated to contributing to the solution to this major problem by setting a new and higher standard in the water filtration industry.
Who are the other team members with your company?
All the team members went to the Entrepreneurship program at University of Houston and we formed the startup team when we were still in school. Our original group was five people from five different countries. Fun fact; Wavve stands for the first letter for water from the original Co-Founder’s respective languages: Water (USA), Agua (El Salvador/Mexico), Vada (Russia), Vatten (Sweden), Eau (France). So we are a very international team working with an international problem.
Are you currently working with Wavve only or do you have other things going on?
I am working with sales at Lululemonn, I enjoy the environment and meeting other active people. I am also the head coach for the Cougar Diving Club where I teach kids and teenagers to dive and compete. I love to give back what I have learned in my life with diving.
What would you recommend to anyone who wants to start a company in the US?
As an international person really pick something you love and believe in your idea. As long as you stay open-minded people in the US, especially in Texas, love dedicated people and so many people want to help you succeed.
What’s the best thing with having your own company?
I love all the connections you make with similar and passionate people who you can share your story with. Additionally, all the dedicated people who want to help you along the way. That’s what I love about it.
Finally, I think it is interesting to learn about the water crisis in the world – and the need for our technology.
Where do you see yourself and Wavve in 10 years?
I see Wavve expanded into large-scale filtration past the US and that we really support and help the developing countries. Personally, I hope I have a family and I would like a house in Sweden and Texas so I can have the best of both worlds.
You can read more about Julia’s company Wavve here: http://wavvestream.com/. Send a request to
info@wavvestream.com or sign up for their newsletter on their website.
Mary Alenbratt, SACC-Houston