AxNano receives investment to advance PFAS destruction

AxNano Inc., a Durham, North Carolina-based technology company specializing in field-deployable systems that capture and destroy per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and other emerging contaminants, has received an investment from Leonid Capital Partners, a private investment firm headquartered in Palo Alto, California.

Instead of transporting contaminated liquids or solids to centralized facilities, AxNano says its modular systems are designed to deploy on site, allowing operators to destroy PFAS where it is generated.

“PFAS isn’t an emerging environmental issue anymore—it’s an infrastructure liability with real balance sheet consequences,” Leonid co-founding partner James Parker says. “Regulatory exposure, operational risk and cleanup obligations are forcing action now. AxNano delivers what legacy systems can’t: immediate, on-site destruction that reduces risk instead of deferring it.”

According to AxNano, the U.S. Defense Department has identified hundreds of PFAS-affected installations.

“Point-source destruction gives operators immediate control over contamination, rather than waiting years for remediation efforts,” AxNano CEO Doug Speight says. “Leonid’s investment allows us to scale manufacturing and expand deployments to meet rapidly growing demand.”

The financial terms of the investment were not disclosed. AxNano says it plans to expand manufacturing and deployments in 2026, targeting military, industrial and municipal customers.