Paul O'Callaghan: Tolstoy, Chekhov and Liam Neeson

Accurate, informed, contextualized, sophisticated research is at the heart of the development of any industry because it allows the players, from CEOs to investors to entrepreneurs, to make better decisions. Since inception in 2011 as O2 Environmental, Paul O'Callaghan and BlueTech Research have been at the forefront of getting pretty much all the key figures in our industry the information they need when they need it.

Paul is a wonderful guy, thoughtful, insightful, a magpie for ideas that usually don’t coexist, and an exceptional entrepreneur in more ways than one. There aren’t many conversations that feature Tolstoy, Chekhov, Matt Damon, Liam Neeson, BIV Partner Steve Kloos, Glen Hansard, David Bowie, and the Beatles. Please enjoy my conversation with Paul O'Callaghan.

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For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fundamental-molecule/id1714287205

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Paul O’Callaghan is a scientist, researcher, and documentary producer focused on sustainable water technologies. As founder of O₂ Environmental and CEO of BlueTech Research, he provides global intelligence on water innovation. Paul holds a PhD from Wageningen University, where he developed the WaTA model and co-authored The Dynamics of Water Innovation. He is the executive producer of the documentaries Brave Blue World and Our Blue World. In 2025, he received the Stroud Award for Freshwater Excellence for his contributions to water research and public communication.

00:00 - Introduction

02:00 - What “Disruptive Innovation” Really Means in Water

04:19 - Why Traditional Disruption Models Fail in Regulated Water Markets

06:16 - How to Evaluate Water Startups

08:25 - The 12-16 Year Reality of Building a Water Company

10:49 - Speeding Up Commercialization Without Breaking the System

12:47 - Hardware vs Software in Water

16:20 - Building BlueTech Research

25:40 - Trust, Data, and AI

28:24 - Storytelling as Strategy

31:36 - Brave Blue World

36:10 - Making Water a Universal Human Story

44:49 - One Rule for Water Entrepreneurs

Links:

Burnt Island Ventures: https://www.burntislandventures.com/

Paul O’Callaghan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/o2environmental/

BlueTech Research: https://www.bluetechresearch.com/

SM Material

Key Takeaways:

"Innovation theories are helpful. They provide frameworks to analyze emerging technologies."

"Disruptive innovation is often misunderstood. It's not just about change."

"In water, a low-end innovation won't work. You can't compromise on drinking water standards."

"The entrepreneur's role is to imagine what doesn't exist and make it real for others."

"In technology innovation, the math and science matter. Fundamentals must stack up."

"The water sector is still emerging. We're just starting to generate critical data."

"Travel opens your mind. It teaches there are many ways to see and be in the world."

"Music lets you participate without speaking. It's a universal language."

"Trust is...