Claros Technologies

What do plastic water bottles, nonstick cookware and microwave popcorn bags have in common?

They all contain PFAS, also known as forever chemicals, a series of carbon fluorine bonds that impact our environment and our water by staying around long after the products that contained them have disappeared.

"We made the impossible possible because we developed proprietary technology that literally breaks these carbon fluorine bonds permanently," said Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Claros Technologies, Michelle Bellanca.

The Minneapolis-based organization's mission is to deliver science-driven solutions to ensure cleaner air, water and materials for future generations. Claros works with large industrial organizations and companies around the world, ensuring Claros' PFAS destroying technologies are incorporated into their facilities.

The Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation was one of the few organizations to support Claros' visions of destroying PFAS and implementing environmental compliance.

"We're working in a high-tech industrial environment that is predominately a man's world, and her was this foundation that came and said, 'we're not only backing Claros Michelle, we're backing you."