47. Deploy Tech – flat-packed concrete water storage solutions

Social Impact Award – Winner

In recognition of the startup which is putting purpose ahead of profit, with evidence of a commitment to making the world a better place with its business model.

Startups 100: Social Impact Award

Founder: Paul Mendieta and Beren Kayali
Founded: 2020
Website: deploytechltd.com

Almost every construction project has something in common: the need to build temporary or permanent water infrastructure. This could be anything from building a water treatment plant, to a storage tank, to a data centre cooling system. On top of this, the demands of natural disaster response to floods, droughts, and wildfires means there’s an increasingly urgent need for water infrastructure in affected regions. 

Deploy Tech cofounder Paul Mendieta was uniquely placed to find solutions to these challenges. After all, he pretty much had water storage in his blood.

At just eight years old, Mendieta visited a rural community that was celebrating the completion of a new water system his father had helped build. This system had pioneered the use of a technology called ferrocement, which reduced the amount of concrete needed in water infrastructure. 

The impact was huge. The community no longer had to walk miles for clean water or rely on contaminated streams. And it had an impact on Mendieta, too, who saw firsthand how access to clean water transformed people’s lives.

We are the IKEA of concrete infrastructure. Flat-packed, easy to transport, easy to deploy

Mendieta would go on to study water systems across South America. During a 2019 internship, he encountered an innovative material called “concrete-filled fabric.” It reminded him of the ferrocement his father had used, but it represented an evolution. 

Recognising its potential, Mendieta began developing prototypes for a new form of advanced water storage technology, which ultimately led to the creation of Deploy.

“We are the IKEA of concrete infrastructure,” Mendieta says. “Flat-packed, easy to transport, easy to deploy.”

We entered every startup and pitching competition we could find. This not only gave us much-needed financial support, but also increased our visibility and credibility

The tech may have been pioneering, but for Mendieta, and cofounder and CTO Beren Kayali (who was also winner of the 2024 Vodafone Business’ Women of the Year Innovation Award) there were some down-to-earth challenges that soured their earliest experiences.

Even starting a UK business as international founders proved hard, particularly when launching Deploy during the pandemic. They were foreigners in the UK with limited credit records, no money, and mounting debt, and couldn’t so much as open a business bank account.

“Despite these obstacles, we refused to be discouraged,” Mendieta tells us. “Instead, we took matters into our own hands by entering every startup and pitching competition we could find. This not only gave us much-needed financial support, but also increased our visibility and credibility.”

When the team were runners-up in the 2020 Santander Entrepreneurship Awards, Mendieta used his acceptance speech to directly address the chairman of Santander Bank in front of hundreds of attendees, boldly asking for help in opening a business account for Deploy. This audacious move finally unlocked the banking support the fledgling business so desperately needed.

Since then, Deploy Tech’s main partner, Concrete Canvas, has provided further investment, as well as mentorship, office space and factory space.

In February 2023, Turkey was hit by two devastating earthquakes, which took the lives of nearly 60,000 people. The Deploy Tech team was closely involved in the desperate task to bring clean water to the emergency toilets, showers, and mobile kitchens and hospitals. They worked in collaboration with the local authorities to help around 30,000 people. 

The Deploy water storage solutions are now being used in construction and architectural projects in the Middle East; for automated, remote-controlled wildfire mitigation systems; and, for in-the-field setups for military and emergency response scenarios. The team have secured pilot projects with Unicef and Oxfam, too. 

As well as Startups 100 certification, Deploy Tech has also earned the gold medal for our Social Impact Award this year. From crisis zones to construction sites, it is truly a great British innovation to watch for years to come.