ST. GEORGE — Dixie State University student and Eden Technologies founder and CEO Hunter Manz, along with company co-founder Zack Manweiler, has successfully secured $100,000 to help fund their desalination invention and address water scarcity issues in needed areas.

“Our goal is to try to eliminate certain words from the vocabulary like drought and water scarcity,” Manz said is a press release from DSU. “For example, Day Zero in South Africa is where the whole area runs out of water.”

Manz said he wants his invention to eradicate water scarcity in drought-ridden countries and do away with the need for a day zero in any part of the world. According to the press release, Eden Technologies’ desalination invention removes the salt from ocean water to generate pure drinking water. The device has its own energy recovery system, which sets it apart from other desalination systems. “Our initial fundraising was rather quick,” Manweiler said. “The first three investors we privately spoke with said yes and the whole round lasted only two months.” With the initial funds secured, Eden Technologies will now begin to construct a fully-functional prototype of their desalination machine, as well as obtain an international patent. Once the prototype is completed, the Saline Water Conversion Corporation of Saudi Arabia has agreed to consider allocating funding to develop a much larger commercial model if results stay consistent with previous data.

Atwood Innovation Plaza at Dixie State University serves as Eden Technologies’ home base. This 55,000 square-foot state-of-the-art center invites entrepreneurs to incubate their ideas, prototype their designs, develop business plans and grow successful businesses.

We are thrilled to see Eden Technologies enjoy such tremendous early success.

“Hunter Manz and Eden Technologies represent exactly what Atwood Innovation Plaza is designed to do – foster an ecosystem supportive of innovative ideas and entrepreneurial people,” Innovation Plaza Director Colby Jenkins said in the press release. “We are thrilled to see Eden Technologies enjoy such tremendous early success.”

Eden Technologies is now moving toward more formal engagement with global customers.

“In Saudi Arabia, we have been coordinating with organizations that connect us with plant designers and builders,” Manweiler said. “Any country in the Middle East could be a potential customer with our connections.”

For more information about Dixie State University’s Atwood Innovation Plaza, click here.