MayimFlow wants to stop data center leaks before they happen

the mania Around data centers there are a lot of companies looking to become “pick and shovel” providers, building profitable businesses off the gold rush of selling server access or training leading AI models.

MayimFlow, winner of this year’s World Built Stage Disable TechCrunchgood example. The startup is primarily focused on one mission: preventing harmful water leaks.

Data centers use a lot of water, and that water can pose a significant risk, even if the leak is small. Many data centers only have reactive solutions for water leaks, founder John Khazrai told TechCrunch. This can cause businesses to suffer downtime and cost them millions of dollars if this happens.

Khazrai will know. He has spent over 15 years building infrastructure for IBM, Oracle, and Microsoft. Using MayimFlow, he has developed a set of IoT sensors and machine learning models deployed at the edge that can detect signs of impending leaks.

“I’ve seen these problems in data centers, and the only solution they have is: ‘When the leak happens, we’ll find out,’” he said in an interview. “Now you have to spend a lot of money to address the situation. Now you have to turn off the servers. Now the data is disabled. So I decided to do something about it.”

Al-Khazrai assembled a small team with significant experience to meet this challenge. Jim Wong, chief strategy officer at MayimFlow, has spent decades working with data centers. CTO Ray Locke has carved out a career in water management and IoT infrastructure.

Beyond the more terrifying consequences of unnoticed water leaks, there is an element of frugality in what Khazri is trying to do with MayimFlow, which he said comes from his childhood.

“I grew up in a family that was, you know, I don’t want to say ‘poor,’ but we weren’t the wealthiest family,” he said. “And my dad, when I was taking a shower, would always say, ‘Hey, you’re in the bathroom too long. Do you sing there?

Growing up, Khazrai said he found himself always thinking about how to make things more efficient — especially as he studied to become an engineer. In college, he worked at a facility that collected frying oil from restaurants and turned it into biodiesel. He said it was a “messy job,” but he was impressed with the end result.

Al-Khazrai is now trying to combine this tendency to save with his team’s experience. It is believed they could give data center operators 24 to 48 hours advance warning that repairs will be necessary.

MayimFlow has collected a wealth of sample data from different industrial water systems that allows them to make this type of prediction, he said. The company can provide sensors that can help monitor the water system or connect its machine learning models to existing models if companies already have similar devices.

Khazaei said he wants to take this solution beyond data centers to commercial buildings, hospitals, manufacturing facilities, and perhaps even utilities. In his view, any company that wants to detect leaks early, or improve water use, could be a client.

Khazrai thinks it’s a great opportunity because he turned down roles at several big tech companies while building MayimFlow over the past two years.

“I really believe in the vision,” he said. “I believe in the impact we are making.” “Water has become one of those big issues in our world.”