Hoosier Startup Using Data to Predict Water Pipe Breaks
March 21, 2022
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - An Evansville-based startup is looking to help water utilities prevent pipe breaks. Utiliz has developed a subscription-based app that can predict which pipes are most likely to fail next by aggregating data from a variety of sources, including the water utility itself. The startup last week took the $10,000 top prize at the Spring 2022 Crossroads Pitch Competition at The Mill in Bloomington. Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Jackson Bolek tells Inside INdiana Business the idea came from a college internship. “I helped the Evansville utility frame the question of when their pipes were going to break next,” said Bolek. “At the end of that, we had a really great proof of concept that they could use to start seeing, ‘Okay, where do I need to start to focus my efforts more now that I know where and when my pipes are going to break next.”