Turning the Tide on Water Monitoring
Industrial and municipal treatment plants have long struggled with delayed detection of heavy metal contamination in wastewater, putting compliance, human safety, and the ecosystem at risk.
Metallyze is addressing this challenge with a hardware-enabled SaaS platform that delivers real-time, multi-metal monitoring and automated alerts, replacing outdated lab tests that typically take 5–7 days.
The cleantech startup pairs robust, field-ready sensors with a cloud-based platform to give operators instant insight into what’s in their water. The sensors use advanced electrochemical tech to check for up to 24 metals every five minutes, with data and insights instantly available online for alerts and decision-making.
Metallyze helps treatment facilities:
- Detect heavy metal spikes in real time, not days later
- Optimize chemical dosing for cost and energy savings
- Avoid regulatory fines by staying ahead of compliance thresholds
- Lower sampling and lab costs through automated monitoring
- Protect public health and the environment with proactive decision-making
Metallyze’s system delivers high accuracy in bench testing, providing quality results without delay. Their subscription-based pricing model saves companies hundreds of thousands of dollars every year by eliminating the need for upfront capital investment, making the technology more accessible to industrial and municipal facilities. Best of all, the system integrates seamlessly with existing wastewater infrastructure, minimizing disruption while maximizing impact.
Metallyze closes the visibility gap in wastewater monitoring, offering a smarter, faster, and more cost-effective way to manage environmental and regulatory risks.
Testing the Waters
What they’ve done: In just six months, Metallyze has made impressive strides. Their benchtop prototype shows 90–95% detection accuracy in controlled lab tests using standard solutions, proving early technical credibility. They’ve secured $50,000 in non-dilutive funding and earned recognition across North American venture competitions, proudly representing Canada and winning multiple awards. Backed by insights from over 100 customer interviews, the startup has sharpened its value proposition. The company has secured multiple Letters of Intent, including from Keystone Environmental, a leading environmental firm in BC, and is now in advanced pilot discussions with some of North America’s largest oil & gas, mining, and industrial wastewater monitoring companies. The fast growing startup has also received interest from several environmentally-focused VC firms.
Why NVBC: Metallyze entered the 2025 New Ventures BC Competition, presented by Innovate BC, to gain access to the mentorship, industry expertise, and investor connections that make it one of BC’s premier startup programs. The competition is helping the team sharpen their go-to-market strategy, prepare for field deployment, and advance toward key milestones like finalizing their prototype and securing manufacturing partners and laboratory access.
Up Next: The next year is all about execution. The Vancouver startup is working toward building a robust, field-ready prototype by the end of 2025 while finalizing the development of their proprietary software. By commercializing the software component early, they plan to generate initial revenue and secure early adopters, paving the way for full hardware deployment. Once pilots are underway, the focus will shift to validation, customer success, and scaling their solution across industrial and municipal markets.
Founders First
For the Metallyze team, one piece of advice has stood out above the rest: build your startup with people you genuinely enjoy being around.
Beyond resumes and technical skills, it’s the personal chemistry, trust, and mutual respect between co-founders that keep things moving during long hours and tough decisions. Startups demand intense collaboration and resilience, so working with people you’d want to grab a beer with after a hard day makes the journey more sustainable and fulfilling. This perspective has helped Metallyze prioritize culture and connection just as much as competence, laying the foundation for a strong and balanced team.
Meet The Team
Saloha Said, CEO & Co-Founder
Fun Fact: Saloha was on her country’s national debate team, so yes, she can (and will) argue that pineapple definitely belongs on pizza.
Vanessa Carle, CRO & Co-Founder
Fun Fact: Vanessa is an expert in harm reduction strategies and Vancouver-based recovery resources.
Tirth Choksey, COO-Business & Co-Founder
Fun Fact: Tirth has driven an F1 car.
Terry Zhang, Head of Finance & Co-Founder
Fun Fact: Terry grew up in five different countries.
Avya Malhotra, COO-Technology & Co-Founder
Fun Fact: Avya won the MENA region’s largest STEM competition with his duct-taped robotic arm, proof that bootstrapped ingenuity and unbridled optimism can move mountains.
Ryan Manak, CTO & Co-Founder
Fun Fact: Ryan is a co-inventor on a pending Tesla patent for enabling wireless charging of electric vehicles.
Company Cheatsheet
City: Vancouver
Founded: January 1, 2025
Sector: Cleantech
