Serena Allen, lead of AirVitalize Innovations, a company based in Fairbanks, Alaska, received a UArctic Entrepreneurship Fund award in 2024.
The 2024 UArctic Entrepreneurship Fund winners showcased the creativity, determination, and community-centered focus that help drive sustainable development in the North. Their projects address key challenges while creating positive impacts for communities and the environment.
AirVitalize was awarded $6200 to develop hardware that cleans outdoor air and improves public health. Their Vita 1.0 technology captures outdoor particulate matter using electrochemical and aerodynamic methods, aiming to create healthier air in outdoor spaces. Instead of using filters, which add waste to landfills, AirVitalize uses ionization to clean the air, particularly targeting areas with temperature inversions, which trap poor quality air. The company plans to leverage support and community backing to launch a pilot initiative in Fairbanks, with potential for broader applications in other polluted regions and industries.
Fairbanks, Alaska suffers from severe air pollution due to residential wood burning, so is in need of sustainable technologies that tackle air quality. Being in the north creates unique challenges for technological development, but AirVitalize has created customizable options to meet the challenges of any climate, supporting resilience in communities year-round.
In December 2025, Allen visited North Pole and Wood River Elementary Schools in Fairbanks to showcase the technology that will be used to measure and purify air pollution around their schools. The students were able to see and touch the equipment that will be installed in the new year, and ask questions to learn about how the dramatic temperature inversions occurring in Fairbanks mark the perfect time to use the AirVitalize technology.
Looking forward, AirVitalize is targeting athletics in California sports stadiums, as locations like that have compacted temperature inversions. Since L.A. will host World Cup matches in 2026 and the Summer Olympics two years later, AirVitalize is hoping to combine their ionization technology with solar power to create safer spaces for athletes and crowds during these events.
Interested in AirVitalize Innovations? Check out their website to see how they’re doing now.
You can read more about the 2024 UArctic Entrepreneurship Fund winners through UArctic News feeds.
