MILWAUKEE (June 25, 2019) – The Water Council’s
BREW Accelerator winners unveiled their innovative freshwater technologies to
water industry leaders, investors, community and corporate partners at the
annual BREW Demo Day.
The BREW (Business – Research – Entrepreneurship – in Water)
program is the world’s foremost freshwater business accelerator that
fast-tracks early freshwater technology startups and prepares them to enter the
global water industry market successfully. With financial support from the
Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, selected participants receive
funding, hands-on business training, available office space in Milwaukee’s
Global Water Center for one year, executive level mentors and corporate R&D
resources. BREW participants receive a lifetime membership to the Global
Accelerator Network (GAN) and access to the BREW Alumni Network after the
program has ended.
“This has been a very promising group of entrepreneurs,”
stated Steve Glynn, director of entrepreneurship at The Water Council. “I look
forward to watching these companies grow and ‘disrupt’ the water technology
industry with their cutting-edge innovations.”
This event was not only an opportunity for these companies to
pitch their technologies, but also continue to build their mentorship support
and, more importantly, to expand their network with potential investors.
The following BREW participants made their pitch at Demo Day:
Gen3Bio – Indiana –
Gen3Bio proprietary technology extracts cellular content from algae produced by
wastewater treatment technologies and creates specialty chemicals at a fraction
of the cost of conventional methods.
Latitude Power – Illinois –
Latitude Power has developed a micro-hydroelectric generator that converts lost
energy into electricity.
P4
Infrastructure – Wisconsin – P4 Infrastructure combines civil, mechanical
and electrical engineering in pursuit of technology-driven products creating
connected and sustainable infrastructure.
Rapid
Radicals Technology – Wisconsin – Rapid Radicals Technology (RRTech)
developed an efficient and advanced wastewater treatment process for use during
heavy precipitation events to eliminate sewer overflows and reduce untreated
discharges into lakes and rivers.
Watersurplus – Illinois – A winner of the BREW Corporate Accelerator powered by A. O. Smith
Corporation, the Watersurplus team has developed and is currently pilot testing
a bio-inspired, low-fouling coating that significantly improves RO membrane
performance from hard-to-treat water.
“A. O. Smith is proud to partner with The Water Council on
such a valuable program and to be able to assist researchers and
forward-thinkers in bringing their proposed ideas to life,” said Dr. Robert
Heideman, chief technology officer at A. O. Smith Corporation. “Each year, it
is exciting to see how the BREW participants grow and evolve over the course of
the program.”
“The BREW is a great example of how to leverage industry
strength to support startup companies,” stated Aaron Hagar, vice president of
entrepreneurship and innovation at the Wisconsin Economic Development
Corporation. “The BREW not only supports the startups, it provides value to the
established industry by bringing in new innovations and talent that keep
Wisconsin at the leading edge of water technology.”
The BREW Accelerator program began on April 1, 2019 with a
series of tours and networking events – BREW Week – to give a warm introduction
to Milwaukee.
The BREW Accelerator Demo Day took place at the
Northwestern Mutual building in downtown Milwaukee before The Water Council’s
12th annual Water Leaders Summit at the Harley-Davidson Museum®.