Our team

Turn Wastewater Into Value
  • PhD Matan Beery

    PhD Matan Beery

    Founder & Chief Executive Officer
    Matan is an expert on membrane-based water treatment and desalination. After his studies in Chemical Engineering at Technion (Israel) he developed the akvoFloat™ technology during his PhD at TU Berlin. Before founding akvola Technologies he managed international academic research projects and he is currently a member of the International Desalination Association YLP committee.
  • Johanna Schulz

    Johanna Schulz

    Founder & Chief Technology Officer
    Johanna Ludwig has over 10 years of experience in water treatment technology development, application and commercialization. Her expertise in the field of water reuse and membrane technology has received many awards, including the “European Water Innovation Award” and the “IDA Leadership Award”, and her outstanding career landed her on the “FORBES 30 under 30” list. At akvola Technologies, Johanna has guided the R&D activities since its founding in 2011, where she has had a hands-on involvement from the operation of akvoFloat units to the overall supply chain and project management. Johanna completed a Master’s Degree in Process Engineering at Technical University of Berlin and TU Denmark and has worked amongst others at the Berlin Centre of Competence for Water and the Berlin Water Authority.
  • Lucas León

    Lucas León

    Founder & Chief Financial Officer
    Lucas began his career at Aguas de Arguineguín SL, a water company and family business with over 30 years of experience in water and wastewater treatment, where he participated in the operative aspects of a business in the water industry. He further gathered management and financial experience in several startups in Germany and Spain.
  • Detlef Taprogge

    Detlef Taprogge

    Investor and Advisor
    Detlef Taprogge serves as Managing Partner of TAPROGGE GmbH, the international market leader for specialized solutions for efficiency and availability improvements in large-scale water circuits of thermal power plants and seawater desalination plants. He was Chairman of the Board of Directors of DME e.V. during many years. Additionally, he has been active as a member of the board of directors, supervisory and advisory board for a number of technology companies in the international Cleantech sector.
  • Lute Broens

    Lute Broens

    Investor and Advisor
    Lute is an expert in bringing new water technologies to the market. He is the founder of X-Flow, a membrane manufacturing company that was recently sold for €700 million to Pentair. He possesses the technical expertise and has a huge network of partners, investors, potential customers and researchers.
  • Bruno Steis

    Bruno Steis

    Investor and Chairman of the Board
    Bruno Steis has more than 30 years professional experience in leading functions, both in large corporations and small technology firms. He worked as a Senior Manager at Siemens, thereof 10 years as Senior Investment Partner at SVC. During this time he was responsible for numerous investments in technology start-ups, which he controlled and advised as Supervisory Board member. In 2008, he moved from the Chairman position of inge AG to the Executive Management, where he served as CEO until 2015. In 2016, Mr. Steis founded his own consulting company, Gray Fox Consulting GmbH, focusing on strategy consulting, business development and financing of technology start-ups in the field of environmental technology.