About Us
We believe clean water shouldn't be complicated.
At AquaVial, we're on a mission to make water safety simple, accessible, and even a little fun. Whether you're at home or on the go, knowing your water is safe to drink shouldn't require a science degree or a trip to a lab.
We've all been there — staring at a complicated water test kit, unsure where to start. Most products on the market are either too technical, too slow, or just not designed with everyday people in mind. We knew there had to be a better way.
That's why we created AquaVial. Our products are genuinely innovative — not just marginally improved versions of what already exists, but truly different solutions that deliver highly accurate results through a testing process anyone can follow in minutes.
Our vision goes beyond the home. We're working with municipalities to promote regular water testing in public spaces — pools, parks, lakes, and beaches — and we're passionate about educating the next generation on the importance of clean water.
By selling directly to you online, we cut out the middleman so we can offer an exceptional experience at a price that makes sense. Your safety matters to us — and so does your wallet.
It really comes down to one simple idea: clean water for everyone, made easy.
Welcome to AquaVial. We're glad you're here. 💧
Real science. Real people. Real verification.
The chemistry that makes AquaVial work, the scientists who built it, and the independent labs and universities that have verified its accuracy.
What's actually inside an AquaVial kit
AquaVial's color-change detection is built on peer-reviewed chemistry developed at the University of Waterloo by Dr. Shazia Tanvir (now our Director of Research & Development) and Dr. William A. Anderson (now our Scientific Advisor, and Professor Emeritus of Chemical Engineering at Waterloo). Their method — published in Enzyme and Microbial Technology in 2017 — uses CTAB-functionalized gold nanoshells that preferentially bind to bacterial cell surfaces, leaving active β-galactosidase free in solution to convert a yellow-orange CPRG substrate into a red chromophore. The resulting color change is proportional to bacterial concentration and detectable visually down to as low as 10 CFU/mL.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the same functionalized-nanoparticle platform was extended to viral detection in a collaboration with McMaster University and the University of Waterloo. The resulting peer-reviewed paper demonstrated that gold nanoparticles functionalized with a spike-protein-specific aptamer could detect SARS-CoV-2 colorimetrically — direct evidence that ExactBlue's detection chemistry is a generalizable nanotechnology platform.
The scientists behind the chemistry
AquaVial's detection chemistry isn't an off-the-shelf method we license — it was invented, refined, and continues to be advanced by named research scientists with verifiable credentials and publications.
Dr. Shazia Tanvir
Director of Research & Development, ExactBlue Technologies
Shazia holds a PhD in Biotechnology (Enzyme and Cell Engineering) from Université de Technologie de Compiègne, France, an M.Phil. in Microbiology and Immunology from Quaid-e-Azam University, and an M.Sc. in Zoology from the University of the Punjab. Before joining ExactBlue, she was a Biomedical Nanotechnology Research Scientist at the University of Waterloo (Department of Chemical Engineering, joined 2012), where she co-developed the gold-nanoshell colorimetric detection chemistry that underpins our products.
Dr. William A. Anderson
Scientific Advisor
Dr. Anderson is Professor Emeritus of Chemical Engineering at the University of Waterloo, with 45 years of research in drinking water quality and treatment, including pathogen detection and removal, contaminant adsorption, and point-of-use device evaluation. He retired from active teaching on January 1, 2025, and continues to advise on water-quality research at ExactBlue.
Verified by five academic and accredited-lab partners
AquaVial's detection chemistry has been characterized and validated across an unusually broad academic and field-research footprint for a consumer water-testing brand.
University of Waterloo — Chemical Engineering, Anderson Laboratory
Originating research site for the gold-nanoshell detection chemistry; foundational peer-reviewed publication (Tanvir & Anderson, 2017).
Western University — Chemical & Biochemical Engineering, Rehmann Laboratory
Multi-organism pure-culture detection-limit studies covering 12 reference strains including E. coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Legionella pneumophila, Salmonella enterica, and Staphylococcus aureus.
Lambton College — Water Institute
Co-collaborator on the multi-organism efficacy studies.
Fleming College — Biotechnology Program
Field validation of the AquaVial EX 24-hour coliform vial against Chromocult Coliform Agar plate counts at Valens Lake Conservation Area (2022). 100% concordance with the laboratory reference method across 36 sample events.
CAWT at Fleming College
ISO 17025:2017-accredited testing laboratory currently conducting an independent performance-verification study of the AquaVial EZ E. coli test against the IDEXX Quanti-Tray regulatory benchmark. Results will be published on our Research & Data page upon Fleming College sign-off.
- Tanvir, S. & Anderson, W.A. (2017). Colorimetric enumeration of bacterial contamination in water based on β-galactosidase gold nanoshell activity. Enzyme and Microbial Technology. PubMed →
- SARS-CoV-2 detection with aptamer-functionalized gold nanoparticles. Talanta (2022). McMaster / Waterloo / Genemis Laboratories (now ExactBlue). PubMed →
Read the full validation studies on our Research & Data page →
The husband-and-wife team behind ExactBlue
George and Ela Botos co-founded ExactBlue in 2015 with a single conviction: bacterial water testing shouldn't require a lab, a courier, or a 48-hour wait.
George Botos
Co-Founder & Co-CEO
George co-founded ExactBlue Technologies with Ela in 2015 and serves as Co-CEO, having transitioned into the role from Chief Operating Officer in 2024. He brings more than 15 years of product-development experience in medical devices, infection prevention, and life sciences — including prior work at Germiphene Corporation and Aptavid. George is the founder who first identified the gold-nanoshell water-detection chemistry being developed at the University of Waterloo and saw its commercial potential. He leads commercial strategy, partnerships, regulatory affairs, and the company's manufacturing operations from Cambridge, Ontario.
Ela Botos, CPA, CA
Co-Founder & Co-CEO
Ela co-founded ExactBlue Technologies with George in 2015 and serves as Co-CEO. A Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA), Ela also leads finance as the company's Chief Financial Officer. She has guided ExactBlue's capital strategy and growth financing since the company's founding — including its evolution from early-stage R&D venture (originally Genemis Laboratories Inc.) into a commercial water-testing brand — and oversees corporate governance, operations, and the quality-management framework that supports the company's ISO 9001:2015 certification.
Designed, manufactured, and quality-controlled in Cambridge, Ontario
Every AquaVial kit is produced at our facility at 490 Sheldon Drive, Unit 6, Cambridge, ON N1T 2C1. We don't contract-manufacture overseas. The chemistry, the quality control, the lot release — all of it happens under one roof, audited under our ISO 9001:2015 quality management system.
Independently audited, verifiable in public registries
Quality Management System
Development and production of test kits for microbial and water testing in residential, dental, healthcare, pharmaceutical, food, and agricultural markets. IAF Scope 19.
Certificate No.: BN22048/20927 (Rev. 01)
Issued by: BSCIC Certifications Pvt. Ltd. (JAS-ANZ / IAF-accredited)
Originally registered: March 30, 2023 | Valid through: March 29, 2029