WIN and Harbright Invest in Invicta Water to Combat Nationwide PFAS Crisis

The Wolfpack Investor Network (WIN) and Harbright Ventures are proud to announce an investment of $426K in Invicta Water, Inc. (Invicta), a Burlington, North Carolina-based company addressing PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances – AKA forever chemicals) one of the more pressing environmental health and environmental challenges humanity faces today. Invicta has developed a continuous flow, in-situ system that both removes and destroys PFAS from drinking water, wastewater, and industrial runoff, without producing toxic byproducts or secondary waste. Unlike traditional two-step approaches, Invicta’s technology captures and eliminates contaminants in a single, efficient process. 

PFAS are synthetic compounds found in non-stick cookware, stain-resistant fabrics, waterproof clothing, and food packaging that persist in the environment and accumulate in the human body. Linked to cancer, immune dysfunction, liver damage, and other serious health issues, PFAS have contaminated millions of Americans’ drinking water. In response, the EPA has introduced stricter regulations, creating an urgent need for scalable, science-driven solutions that protect both public health and the environment. Studies show 97% of Americans have PFAS in their blood, and 45% of U.S. drinking water systems may be contaminated.

Invicta’s mission is deeply personal. Co-founder and CEO Steve Wilcenski, an NC State alumnus, started the company after losing his sister, Michele Printz, to breast cancer. Michele lived near contaminated water for decades. Motivated by this loss, Invicta aims to eliminate forever chemicals.

“For us, it’s much more than a business—it’s personal,” said Invicta’s CEO and Founder, Wilcenski. “We’re determined to prevent other families from experiencing what we did. WIN and Harbright’s investment helps us scale a solution that’s affordable, effective, and ready to deploy where it’s needed most.”

Invicta’s proprietary system replaces the traditional two-step PFAS process—removal and destruction—with a single, continuous flow solution: Stripping, Enrichment, and Destruction, which both separates and permanently destroys PFAS compounds onsite. The system produces no hazardous byproducts, operates at ambient temperature and pressure, and requires no consumables or frequent maintenance, drastically lowering annual operating costs. Comparable technologies often rely on high heat, complex filtration media, and the disposal of toxic waste, driving municipal PFAS treatment costs into the millions. 

“Invicta is solving one of the most urgent environmental challenges of our time with a solution that is not only powerful but deployable, scalable,” said John Leachman, Harbright Ventures Founder and Partner, and WIN Venture Partner. “They’ve fused scientific innovation with personal passion, and the result is a company that’s ready to make a real difference—at scale.”

Invicta showcased the effectiveness of its system through a case study in Wake County, North Carolina. In March 2024, untreated water at the site contained over 24K parts per trillion of PFAS, encompassing 10 distinct compounds, including four of the EPA’s top six priority contaminants. During the pilot project, Invicta’s technology completely removed eight PFAS compounds and achieved a 99.91% reduction in a ninth, all without generating hazardous byproducts. Following this success, Invicta launched additional projects in Burlington, Pittsboro, and Cary, North Carolina, as well as Clinton, South Carolina. The company has implemented industrial installations in South Carolina and Tennessee, each processing up to 1.5M gallons of water daily.

WIN’s investment in Invicta underscores its commitment to supporting NC State-affiliated startups that address the most pressing challenges through innovative, sustainable, scalable, and affordable solutions.