By Suzy Alstrin
An environmental startup founded by Reinhardt University alumnus Kendall Byrd (RU-2020) is revolutionizing water treatment technology. Byrd developed an aquatic drone that disinfects lakes and reservoirs without the use of chemicals. His innovative device, which he describes as “a Roomba for water,” received both national and international patents. This eco-friendly invention has won multiple prestigious business competitions and earned significant grant funding.
Byrd graduated from Reinhardt with a degree in biology and minors in mathematics and chemistry. Initially interested in tracking snakes, his career trajectory shifted after he became fascinated with aerial drones. “I had just graduated and started working for a lake management company in Ball Ground, Georgia,” he recalls. “There was cutting edge research coming out that you could quantify microscopic organisms from 400 feet in the air, but no one had applied it yet. I found that interesting, and I was in a good spot to start trying it.”
Pursuing his passion further, Byrd enrolled at The Ohio State University (OSU), where he earned a master’s degree and is currently a Ph.D. candidate in environmental science. His advisor, Dr. Jiyoung Lee, encouraged him to expand on her concept of an “aquadrone,” which ultimately shaped the foundation of his startup.
Drawing on the electronics skills he developed in childhood, Byrd created a drone that uses UV-C light to clean water as it flows through internal piping. He entered and won his first competition in 2022. The startup accelerator Rev1 Ventures awarded him a year of business mentorship. Building on that momentum, his company, at the time named WaterWise Technologies, won OSU’s 2023 Accelerator Award and received $100,000 in grant funding.
In 2024, Byrd secured the $100,000 grand prize in the U.S. Entrepreneurship Competition, as well as a $25,000 economic development grant from the City of Hilliard, Ohio. Most recently, in April 2025, he was awarded $200,000 from the State of Ohio’s Technology Validation Startup Fund, and in May was awarded $50,000 from the OSU Concept to Contract Grant.
Byrd invested all of his winnings into growing his business, now rebranded as Caddis Tech. Following extensive testing, his patented devices became operational in Spring 2024. He has since built a team and begun serving clients across the region.
For the past two years, Byrd has juggled his doctoral studies with two additional jobs — working as a research assistant at OSU and serving food at a deli in Columbus, Ohio. He feels gratified that his determination has paid off and credits his success to a mindset instilled early in life. “There can’t be movement without decisions,” Byrd reflects. “Some of my decisions were wrong, but they led to new experiences. If you don’t even try, nothing will ever happen.”
