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.
Building mentorship support
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.
Wastewater treatment technologies
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.
Leveraging industry strength
The BREW is a great example of how to leverage industry strength to support startup companies"
“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®.
