What if fixing hard water could also save energy and rivers?

That’s the question Maximilian Wilk, Co-Founder & CEO of AQON PURE, set out to answer. His team developed a salt-free water softener that prevents limescale, lowers energy bills, and avoids the chloride pollution caused by traditional salt-based systems.

In this episode of Startuprad.io, Maximilian shares how AQON PURE transformed from a family business into a bootstrapped cleantech startup that scaled without VC funding. Instead of relying on wholesalers, the team built a D2C + certified installer network that grew from 100 to over 400 plumbers—unlocking sustainable growth across Germany and beyond.

What you’ll learn:

– How limescale silently increases household energy bills by 10–15%

– Why salt-based softeners are being phased out for environmental reasons

– The GTM pivot that took AQON PURE from 18 months of failure to triple-digit growth

– Why bootstrapping a hardware startup can beat VC hypergrowth

– How AQON PURE plans to expand into Spain and Poland with quality-first scaling

– How awards like the FT1000 and a stage appearance at the Schwarzenegger Climate Summit built trust and credibility

Guest Spotlight:

Maximilian Wilk is Co-Founder & CEO of AQON PURE, a leading European startup building climate-positive water technology. His journey shows that family roots, disciplined growth, and a bold pivot can reshape even the hardest hardware categories.

Read complete Blog: https://www.startuprad.io/post/salt-free-water-softener-aqon-pure-founder-playbook

Watch full interview: https://youtu.be/wibm7IOuy54

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• Salt-free water softener, cleantech startup, bootstrapped startup, hardware startup, limescale prevention. D2C startup strategy, European expansion, family business to startup, installer network.

  
  

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