Even China’s problems present lucrative opportunities for niche California companies. Heavily polluted water, for example, has drawn Chinese investors to companies like OriginClear, which is housed in the Los Angeles Cleantech incubator downtown and makes technology to treat filthy water.
Riggs Eckelberry, who co-founded the start-up, says he didn’t initially trust the Chinese businessmen who were begging to buy the rights to the company’s product.