Entrepreneur's tech tonic reverses water crisis in Kenya

As he traveled across African cities and villages to market the Tecno smartphone, Zhong Yanxiong came face-to-face with clean drinking water challenges rampant in the continent.

Zhong has lived in Africa for six years, and it was during his interactions with both rural and urban families that he realized that access to safe drinking water was a mirage, and only an innovation could offer some respite.

The co-founder and chief executive officer of iClear Wellife Service, a startup based in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, is on a mission to revolutionize water treatment by leveraging reverse osmosis in households and offices.

In many areas of Kenya, the high density of minerals in water makes it salty and hard. Reverse osmosis can remove 90 percent of harmful minerals and 99.99 percent of bacteria, purifying hard water and making it refreshingly pure.

At his office in downtown Nairobi, Zhong says that his six-year journey through Africa as an employee of Transsion, the parent company of Tecno smartphone, opened his eyes to the drinking water crisis in the continent and motivated him to be part of the solution.

"I have been to a lot of countries and cities in Africa. The water crisis is everywhere," says the 34-year-old. "So, I decided to help solve the problem and ensure each and every family have access to clean drinking water."

Zhong has adopted a local moniker, Otieno, a common family name in western Kenya, to build a rapport with colleagues and clients.