Swiss water-tech startup Oxyle has raised $16 million in fresh funding to scale its groundbreaking solution for eliminating PFAS, the persistent “forever chemicals” contaminating global water supplies. The investment, led by 360 Capital with backing from Axeleo Capital, Founderful, and SOSV, signals growing momentum behind Oxyle’s mission to provide an economical and permanent solution to this urgent environmental crisis.
PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are synthetic chemicals used in everyday products like non-stick cookware, firefighting foams, and water-repellent fabrics. Their durability makes them nearly impossible to break down, leading to widespread contamination in drinking water sources, soil, and even human bodies. Traditional treatment methods—such as filtration or adsorption—merely shift PFAS from water into other waste streams, requiring costly incineration or disposal that risks reintroducing the chemicals into the environment.
Oxyle’s technology offers a different approach. Instead of relocating PFAS, its system destroys them entirely, achieving over 99% removal rates while consuming significantly less energy than conventional alternatives. The modular system combines foam fractionation, catalytic destruction, and real-time monitoring powered by machine learning. The result? A sustainable, cost-effective solution that eliminates the need for secondary waste management, setting a new benchmark for PFAS treatment.
“Five years ago, Oxyle was just two of us founders and one big idea: getting rid of forever chemicals from our water,” said Dr. Fajer Mushtaq, CEO and Co-Founder of Oxyle. “Today, that idea is proven, implemented, and ready to scale. This funding is a game-changer, giving us the resources to bring our technology to the industries and communities that need it most.”
Oxyle Founders Dr. Fajer Musthaq and Dr. Silvan Staufert. Photographer: Daniel Kunz, daniekunzphoto.
A Breakthrough in Water Treatment
Oxyle was born out of Mushtaq’s PhD research at ETH Zurich, inspired by her childhood in Delhi, where water safety was a daily concern. Alongside co-founder Silvan Staufert, who completed his PhD in Mechanical and Process Engineering, the team developed a novel system capable of degrading PFAS within minutes.
Since its inception in 2020, Oxyle has made rapid progress. The company has expanded from a two-person team to 26 employees, completed over 20 customer projects, and secured multiple accolades, including the Swiss Technology Award, SEIF, and WEF’s Uplink Top Innovators recognition. With revenue-generating customer pilots already in place and its first full-scale commercial installation operational, Oxyle is now securing multi-year treatment contracts for 2025 and beyond.
Real-World Impact and Growing Demand
The effectiveness of Oxyle’s technology has been demonstrated across various applications. In groundwater treatment, it has reduced PFAS concentrations from 8,700 ng/L to below 14 ng/L. In industrial trials, it achieved 99.8% removal of 11 different PFAS species in soil wash water, while another deployment in Switzerland is successfully treating 10 cubic meters of contaminated groundwater per hour at less than 1 kWh/m³.
“Unlike traditional methods that merely contain these harmful chemicals, Oxyle’s solution destroys them permanently, setting a new standard for tackling this urgent environmental crisis,” said Thomas Nivard, Partner at 360 Capital. “This is a game changer. The team’s exceptional commercial and technical momentum has laid a strong foundation for establishing a true technology leader in the coming years.”
Regulatory and market pressures are driving demand for solutions like Oxyle’s. In the U.S., rising waves of PFAS-related lawsuits and multi-billion-dollar settlements have put companies on high alert. Meanwhile, the EU is tightening restrictions on PFAS use and disposal, prompting industries to seek effective compliance solutions. According to the Forever Lobbying Project, the cost of inaction is staggering—cleaning up Europe’s PFAS contamination could exceed €100 billion per year, totaling €2 trillion over the next two decades.
Oxyle Labs. Photographer: Daniel Kunz
Scaling for the Future
With this new round of funding, Oxyle aims to treat 100 million cubic meters of contaminated water within the next five years. The company is expanding its presence across industries, from chemical manufacturing to semiconductor production and municipal water treatment, ensuring that PFAS pollution is tackled at the source.
For industries facing mounting regulatory and legal pressure, Oxyle’s technology offers a compelling alternative—one that is not only scientifically proven but also commercially viable. “This investment enables us to scale a solution that can make a tangible difference to public health and the environment,” said Mushtaq. “Our goal is to restore and protect our waters from forever chemicals—down to the very last drop.”
