XPRIZE Water Scarcity recently attended the Water Environment Federation’s Technical Exhibition and Conference (WEFTEC) 2024, the largest water quality event in North America, to host its second Prize Summit with an exciting blend of innovation, collaboration, and opportunity.
From October 5-9, WEFTEC hosted hundreds of companies and professionals focused on transforming the future of water management. At the conference, the XPRIZE Water Scarcity team brought together top experts, innovative startups, and dedicated partners to push the conversation of water scarcity solutions. XPRIZE Domain Lead Food + Water + Waste Lauren Greenlee also presented to, and spoke with, attendees at the Innovation Pavilion.
In addition to the official Prize Summit on October 6, the competition also hosted an Introductory Webinar on October 5 to both welcome the newly onboarded Judging Panel and plan for the road ahead.
The Prize Summit began with an introduction to XPRIZE Water Scarcity with a detailed overview of the competition structure, key technical updates, and an up-to-date prize timeline. Attendees got a behind-the-scenes look at the competition’s journey, as the team dove into the prize guidelines.
The technical discussions focused on the qualifying submission requirements for both Tracks A and B of the competition, offering teams clear direction on how to best prepare for the next stages.
During the event, attendees had the chance to connect with the XPRIZE Water Scarcity teams and partners, fostering collaborations to advance groundbreaking water technologies. Pre-registered teams offered insight into how they plan to compete and excel in the competition, showcased their innovative projects, and received feedback from the experts in attendance. Presenting teams included:
- Oceanwell: Represented by Jonathan Haswell and Jamie Spotswood
- Oneka: Represented by Alain Olivier-Desbois
- Harmony Desalting: Represented by Quantum Wei
- Global Water Technologies: Represented by Erik Hromadka
- Neo Wall: Represented by Jean Bérubé and Yves Legault
XPRIZE Water Scarcity was also proud to introduce these competing teams to attending partners and associated organizations. Official prize partner Water Environment Federation, as well as friends of the prize Imagine H2O, and Burnt Island Ventures, attended to provide support and guidance.
WEF, official partner of the prize, is a nonprofit technical and educational organization with more than 30,000 individual members and water quality professionals around the world. WEF plays a critical role in advancing water quality globally. Fidan Karimova, Practice Leader in Global Sustainability and Innovation at WEF, attended.
Imagine H2O is a nonprofit aimed at transforming how water is used, treated, and accessed. They provide early-stage entrepreneurs with resources to develop and commercialize innovations that reshape water management. Taylor Evans, Financing & Innovation, Nidhi Menon, Accelerator Manager, and Sonora Hill, Portfolio Lead, attended from Imagine H2O.
Burnt Island Ventures focuses exclusively on investing in early-stage companies addressing critical water issues, including water management, access, and security. Steve Kloos, Partner, and Jennie Graham, Associate, attended from Burnt Island Ventures.
The summit concluded with a vibrant networking session where teams, partners, and XPRIZE staff continued to discuss ways to work together to develop scalable solutions to address global water scarcity. We were proud to experience the collaborative energy, with conversations sparking new ideas and strengthening relationships between teams and partners.
The future of water scarcity solutions is being shaped today. If you're passionate about solving one of the most pressing challenges of our time, there's still time to register for XPRIZE Water Scarcity and be part of this transformative competition.
To learn more and register for the XPRIZE Water Scarcity competition, visit xprize.org/water today!
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