Innovation often begins with a personal spark. For Dr. Suman Sinha Ray, the founder of Cabomba and the winner of BRITE’s pitch competition on March 5th, that spark was a life-threatening bout with a waterborne illness. This experience eventually led to a breakthrough during the pandemic: a cloth mask that breathed like cotton but filtered like an N95.
Now, Suman and his team are applying that same low-pressure differential science to the industrial world, starting with the massive energy demands of data centers.
Cabomba has developed a patented non-woven coating process that can be incorporated directly into existing manufacturing lines. This process allows them to create filtration solutions that reduce energy consumption by 50 to 80 percent, regardless of whether the fluid is air or water. While the technology has broad applications across industrial HVAC systems, Cabomba is currently focused on data centers: the buildings of the future that are currently held back by outdated infrastructure.
“To stay operational, these centers require massive amounts of clean air and water for cooling,” Suman explains. “A single minute of downtime can cost $10,000.”
One of the most significant advantages of Cabomba’s solution is that it is a drop-in technology. The product design maintains the same form factor as standard filters, allowing for simple replacement. There is no specialized training required for installers: if you can change a home furnace filter, you can install Cabomba’s high-efficiency solution.
From an investment perspective, Cabomba is built for scale. By leveraging existing manufacturing infrastructure rather than building new factories, the company remains lean. Suman’s goal is to achieve software-company-like revenue per employee efficiency, keeping operations agile while scaling production to meet global demand.
“BRITE is the national launchpad for advanced energy technology,” says Jade Davis, CEO of BRITE. “We provide founders like Suman with the specialized labs and mentorship needed to translate complex science into a scale-ready business. Cabomba’s success is a perfect example of how we help Midwest innovation reach the commercial grid.”