DloHaiti Taps VC Funding as it Brings Haiti Clean Water and Jobs

Funding allows dloHaiti to use  to install 40 water kiosks this year, which will supply filtered water to more than 145,000 people, mainly in small towns and rapidly growing peri-urban areas.  Investors include Leopard Capital, IFC InfraVentures (an investment arm of the World Bank Group) and Netherlands Development Finance (FMO), along with Miyamoto International.

Continue reading at WSJ.com

Program will feature pilot opportunities for emerging water businesses

FRESNO, CA – May 2, 2013 – Imagine H2O, an organization that inspires and empowers people to turn water challenges into opportunities, announced the launch of its Food and Agriculture Program at the BlueTechValley Conference in Clovis, California. This new program will identify and support promising water innovations while providing the program’s top participants with pilot introductions to leading food businesses in California’s Central Valley.

“This program will advance innovations in how we use, supply and treat water to improve our food system,” explains Imagine H2O’s Chief Operating Officer, Scott Bryan. “Catalyzing entrepreneurial water innovations is an essential step toward securing future food supply in a water-constrained world.”

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Perspective from an IH2O winner
Jim Chu, CEO of dloHaiti, makes the case for market-based water solutions.  Continue reading at WASHfunders.org

Imagine H2O and WaterTAP Ontario join forces to promote water entrepreneurship; Partnership first of its kind outside the United States

Toronto, ON & San Francisco, CA, April 4, 2013 – WaterTAP Ontario has signed a memorandum of understanding with San Francisco-based Imagine H2O to encourage participation by Ontario water technology companies in Imagine H2O’s water innovation business strategy competitions and to access its water technology incubator resources.

“We’re excited to announce our first Accelerator Hub Partnership outside the United States,” said Scott Bryan, Imagine H2O’s Chief Operating Officer. “Globally, Ontario is regarded as a leading hub for water innovations and we’ve excelled with support from the region’s private sector since launching our first program in 2009. Increased participation from Ontario’s water startups is a great opportunity for our program, and formalizing a partnership with the region’s leading accelerator broadens Imagine H2O’s ecosystem for entrepreneurship and innovation.”

WaterTAP, founded in 2010 with Government of Ontario support, is the province’s water sector champion. It connects growing water companies with promising ideas to the right industry partners, potential customers, business support programs, international investors and other capital sources. More than 900 water businesses are headquartered in Ontario and the sector employs over 22,000 people.

“Ontario has a long history with groundbreaking water innovation,” said WaterTAP Ontario CEO, Brian Mergelas. “Partnering with Imagine H2O will help us raise the profile of our next-generation technology companies and really showcase internationally how Ontario’s water technology sector has developed technologies, processes and opportunities that make it the water tech hub of the Americas.”

Imagine H2O is a nonprofit organization that helps entrepreneurs turn water challenges into business opportunities. Winners of its global business plan competitions get access to its accelerator programs and visibility with potential investors. WaterTAP’s partnership with Imagine H2O will further extend WaterTAP’s efforts to promote Ontario’s unique economic opportunity via Imagine H2O’s network of entrepreneurs and startups.

For more information visit www.watertapontario.com

Congratulations to the winners of our competition for consumer water innovations.  PaveDrain won the Early Revenue Track while Leak Defense Alert took top honors in the Pre-Revenue Track.  Dlo Haiti and Innogation were both named runners up.  See press release for more details.

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 20, 2013  – Imagine H2O, a nonprofit  supporting entrepreneurship and innovation in the water sector, today announced a three-year philanthropic investment from Wells Fargo to expand its program offerings, including its annual business plan competition for water innovation and the Imagine H2O Accelerator Program, which helps participating entrepreneurs turn their plans into real-world solutions.

“Supporting entrepreneurial solutions to water challenges aligns with Wells Fargo’s commitment to providing capital for clean technology companies,” said Andrew Kho , head of Wells Fargo’s Clean Tech Commercial Banking Group. “Imagine H2O is building an exciting accelerator for water solutions and we’re eager to see the results of our more comprehensive, three-year commitment.”

Since 2009, Wells Fargo has contributed hundreds of volunteer hours and funding to Imagine H2O’s efforts to establish and run a global program for water startups.

Since its inception in 2008, Imagine H2O has:

• Attracted over 200 water startups from more than 15 countries to its competition program
• Provided over $1 million of in-kind services and cash awards to more than 25 new businesses
• Helped its portfolio companies attract over $15 million in investment from angel investors, venture capital funds and project finance funds
• Offered campus water entrepreneurship workshops to over 1,000 students

“Imagine H2O is a global conduit for water entrepreneurship and innovation,” explains Tamin Pechet , the organization’s Chairman and Co-Founder. “Our programs support entrepreneurs who establish financially viable solutions while creating jobs and generating economic activity. It’s a great fit to have a global finance leader such as Wells Fargo supporting our work.”

A leader in reducing its own greenhouse gas emissions and building sustainably, Wells Fargo has been recognized by the Carbon Disclosure Project and the U.S. Green Building Council. Since 2006, Wells Fargo has provided more than$11.7 billion in environmental finance, supporting sustainable buildings and renewable energy projects nationwide. This includes investments in more than 260 solar projects and 34 wind projects that generate enough clean renewable energy to power hundreds of thousands of American homes each year. The company is a member of the Ceres network of companies and was listed as one of the 2012 “Best Corporate Citizens” by Corporate Responsibility Magazine. For more information, please visit. www.wellsfargo.com/environment.

About Imagine H2O
Imagine H2O inspires and empowers people to solve water challenges and turn them into opportunities. We offer annual competitions for water innovation with focused, specific challenges including Water Efficiency (2009), Water-Energy Nexus (2010),Wastewater (2011) and Consumer Innovations (2012). In addition to cash prizes for the best ideas, the Imagine H2O Accelerator helps participating entrepreneurs turn their plans into game-changing, real-world solutions. To learn more about Imagine H2O’s global ecosystem for water innovation and connect with water entrepreneurs from around the world, please visit www.imagineh2o.org.

About Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a nationwide, diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.4 trillion in assets. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance through more than 9,000 stores, 12,000 ATMs, the Internet (wellsfargo.com), and has offices in more than 35 countries to support the bank’s customers who conduct business in the global economy. With more than 265,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United States. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 26 on Fortune’s 2012 rankings of America’s largest corporations. Wells Fargo’s vision is to satisfy all our customers’ financial needs and help them succeed financially.

Join Imagine H2O, Autodesk and special guests for a celebration of entrepreneurship and innovation in the water sector.  This evening event at the Autodesk Gallery will honor the winners of our Consumer Innovations Competition.  Meet the founders behind the winning startups and learn how their innovations can change the way millions of people use water.  Showcase tickets on sale here.  Early-bird discount available.  

WaterSmart Innovations (WSI), the world’s largest urban water-efficiency conference, has announced a strategic partnership agreement with San Francisco-based non-profit organization Imagine H20.

The sixth annual WSI conference and expo is slated for Oct. 2-4, at the South Point Hotel and Conference Center in Las Vegas.  Continue reading announcement

Three IH2O finalists featured in today’s Co.Exist’s article by Ariel Schwartz

Imagine H2O Names Finalists in 2012 Prize for Water Startups
Competition Focuses on Promising Innovations for Individuals and Consumers

SAN FRANCISCO, December 12, 2012 – Imagine H2O, a nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring and empowering people to turn water challenges into opportunities, announced the finalist companies in its fourth annual business plan competition. The nine finalists advance to a second round where they will compete for over $200,000 in cash and in-kind services. The overall results will be announced during events leading up to International World Water Day 2013 in March.

Over 70 startup companies from 12 countries submitted entries related to this year’s competition theme: Consumer Innovations. The global field represented a diverse range of personalized solutions to water challenges related to quality, efficiency and access in both developed and developing economies.

“Regardless of location or economics, people require solutions to ensure water efficiency, safety and accessibility,” explained Scott Bryan, Imagine H2O’s Chief Operating Officer. “This year’s Imagine H2O finalists represent a broad selection of innovative solutions to personal water challenges around the world.”

Imagine H2O’s judging panel, which includes some of the water sector’s leading experts, based their selection of the finalists on market opportunity, customer value proposition, go-to market strategy, financial plan, and general quality of presentation and pitch. The finalists (alphabetical) are:

Pre-Revenue Track

• Dlo Haiti (Haiti) www.dlohaiti.com
  Led by a team of Haitian and Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and investors, Dlo Haiti offers a market-based solution providing safe drinking water in Haiti at a price average Haitians can afford. Dlo Haiti seeks to replace the expensive and inefficient model of centralized water purification and delivery by truck with a decentralized approach that will lower costs and improve water quality for Haitian consumers.

• Flush-Master (Corona, CA) www.flush-master.com
  This stainless steel retrofit toilet flapper is designed to address a very basic, yet large, source of lost water. According to the American Water Association, one out of five toilets are leaking today because of faulty toilet flappers.

• Innogation Inc. (Eagle, ID) www.smartrotor.com
  By matching the flow of water to lawn outlines, Innogation’s SMARTRotor™ dramatically reduces water used for outdoor irrigation while providing up to 98% distribution uniformity.

• NBD Nanotechnologies, Inc. (Danvers, MA) www.nbdwater.com
  A biomimicry and nanotechnology company that harvests water from the air, NBD Technologies employs materials science and chemical engineering innovations to create water from the air.

• ReFresh (Boston, MA) no website
  A provider of water on the go, ReFresh’s water distribution machines provide bottled water and accept used bottles for a partial refund making drinking water cheaper, more convenient, and more environmentally friendly.

• Sentinel Hydrosolutions, LLC (Escondido, CA) www.leakdefensesystem.com
  Sentinel’s Leak Detections System combines an easy-to-install fixture and control panel that automatically identifies home leaks and shuts off supplies to prevent water damage and loss.

Early Revenue Track

• Celsius Global Solutions (Trune, Scotland) www.jompy.co.uk
  The Jompy water boiler is a simple, easy to use device that allows the user to cook food and boil water simultaneously, so saving on fuel and time spent over an open fire. The Jompy will pasteurize contaminated water reducing the chance of water borne diseases such as diarrhea and cholera.

• HighSierra Showerheads, LLC (Coarsegold, CA) www.highsierrashowerheads.com
  The HighSierra Showerhead combines a low-profile design that uses 40% less water and a flow control that maintain the feel and experience of a conventional showerhead even at varying pressures.

• PaveDrain, LLC (Greenfield, WI) www.pavedrain.com
  Mitigating storm water through arched paving bricks, PaveDrain incorporates an arch design in the middle of an articulating concrete block to create an internal storage chamber that can be filled with storm-water runoff while simultaneously providing strength for heavy vehicular loads.