Imagine H2O Asia builds solutions to Asia-Pacific’s water challenges with the world’s best entrepreneurs.
Communities across Asia are on the front lines of the global water and climate crisis. In response, the region is embracing innovative water solutions. Imagine H2O Asia helps startups capture these opportunities.
We maintain a dual focus: we build water technology startups based in Singapore and the region, as well as help global entrepreneurs enter and scale their solutions across South and Southeast Asian markets for the first time.
Event-based anomaly detection system using acoustic monitoring technology, with applications in pipeline inspection as well as water plant machinery to identify leaks and machinery faults. Four ongoing projects in Singapore, with approximately 100k litres of water saved and $280k savings from equipment monitoring and accident prevention.
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Imagine H2O Asia
Suite of robotic solutions in the pipeline and sanitation industry which include semi-automated septic tank cleaning robots that homogenise hard sludge to create a pumpable slurry to minimize human interaction with waste. System can reach tank depths between 5-7m, and reduce slurry particle size to 40-50mm. Other solution offerings include water leak reduction and pipeline condition monitoring.
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Advanced process control solutions that optimizes processes in water and wastewater treatment plants and ensures effluent quality compliance throughout the plant’s lifecycle. Process intelligence platform includes self-customization features and is hosted locally onsite using a PC server. Up to 50% in aeration energy savings, and up to 40% reduction in chemical use. 150+ global installations, with 9 projects in Asia over the last two years.
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Combined electrical and biological process in a novel, single reactor producing green hydrogen directly on-site using waste carbon from effluents or wastewater. Reactors are autonomously controlled, easily retrofittable into existing plants and can be scaled up in capacity. Applications in steel, O&G, chemical and textile industries. Pilot set up in India with a steel manufacturer recycled 97% of effluents and produced 30 kg of hydrogen gas from 6000L of effluents per day.
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Climate risk decision support tool that integrates multiple weather data sets with local environmental data to generate precise, customizable and community-specific insights and alarms for improved climate adaptation and resilience. Multiple projects in Philippines and India working with local governments for disaster risk management, as well as across a range of sectors including energy, agriculture, transport and banks.
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Community-level water governance tool that gathers and integrates locally-gathered data on groundwater levels, water-intensity of crops and satellite imagery to inform climate adaptation strategy for NGO-led projects in villages across India.
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Patented, modularised sono-electrochemical treatment process that combines the power of ultrasound and electrolysis to directly address passivation and reduce energy consumption, while demonstrating lower costs than liquid chemicals for electro-coagulation. Secured commercial contracts across the municipal and industrial sector including O&G, construction and aquaculture in the UK. Ongoing projects in carbon capture through AOP with utilities in Asia and the US.
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Biomimetic hollowfibre RO membranes (without Aquaporin). Bio-programmable membranes (BPM) drastically increase throughput by 3x while meeting effluent quality. Improved fouling resistance and lifespan of the BPM-RO has been demonstrated through multiple pilots in Singapore demonstrating 50% savings in energy consumption and over 80% reduction in chemical cleaning due to reduced maintenance requirements.
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Novel nanofiltration-type forward osmosis membrane technology demonstrating superior water flux and salt extraction efficiency compared to conventional FO membranes. Looking to scale technology for industrial production with a focus in textile, tannery and fermentation industries.
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End-to-end solution that digitizes rural water management systems by deploying sensors, gathering data on water flow, levels, quality and more, and generating insights for municipalities to monitor community water resources and supply. Two ongoing projects in Timor Leste.
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Digital knowledge companion that integrates institutional SOPs, workforce knowledge and field reports to generate problem-solving insights during daily operations, incident troubleshooting and management through a conversational AI platform.
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Predictive solution for operations and management teams looking to reduce energy in buildings and facilities through the holistic tracking, diagnosis and detection of anomalies using data.
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IOT-enabled electrochemical sensors for on-site contaminant profiling and early-warning detection and insights for industries. Currently available to profile heavy metals and VOCs with plans to increase profiling suite and capabilities.
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Since our launch in 2019, our program has helped 30 water startups secure projects across six countries in the region. In addition to mentorship and network access, we provide our startups with pilot and customer acquisition opportunities through co-funding awards and on-the-ground support.
In collaboration with the World Bank Water Global Practice, WTAP aims to make innovation more accessible by providing the resources to jumpstart pilot projects.
The program provides support to identify and localize relevant solutions as well as co-fund demonstration projects. From reducing utility losses in small urban systems in Cambodia to mapping arsenic-contaminated groundwater in South Asia, WTAP sources technologies across a range of challenges affecting the region.
We invite new partners to join as we deepen our engagement in Asia and expand our reach to new geographies.
Our program is open to different profiles of startups and your experience will be customized based on your technology readiness and status in the region. Learn more about our two-track approach here.
Eligible startups must be less than 12 years in operation, generating less than $5M revenue and have raised less than $20M in equity.
Easy-to-install, modular and IoT-enabled decentralised electrical treatment systems for domestic sewage and industrial effluents with up to 99% recovery for non-potable reuse with 40% less footprint than competing systems.
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Self-powered, weatherproof real-time water quality robots for physical and chemical water quality measurements with hassle-free installation and maintenance currently covering a network of 3,500 km.
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Energy-efficient, high water recovery evaporation technology that utilises a single-step mechanical vapour compression system for high salinity and high organic wastewater treatment at a relatively lower footprint than alternative thermal systems.
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Operational intelligence and workflow management platform for sewage and effluent treatment plant operators that empower on-site teams to monitor performance and maintenance as well as reduce costs and potential downtime.
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Imagine H2O Asia, Urban Water Challenge
Biodegradable polymer using fruit waste with water absorption capacity of up to 150 times its weight allowing for slow release to maintain soil moisture while doubling as a natural fertiliser.
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Graphene oxide coatings for polymeric and ceramic membranes which mitigate the effects of fouling, radically reducing chemical consumption, extending membrane life, and demonstrating potential savings of 60% in overall plant energy costs.
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Electrochemical and electrocoagulation wastewater treatment which is chemical-free and incorporates smart automation to actively mitigate passivation and corrosion with 70% lower energy consumption.
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Imagine H2O Asia
High-frequency, continuous water quality testing and analysis platform, integrating advanced monitoring hardware and an online dashboard designed and recently piloted in collaboration with utilities.
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Long-lasting chemical-free disinfection system that produces less sub-products and efficiently generates oxidants at one-tenth the concentration compared to chlorine disinfection, eliminating biofilm and preventing recontamination.
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First-of-its-kind UV-LED reactor design for high-efficiency, low-maintenance and uninterrupted mercury-free disinfection at high flowrates for municipal treatment facilities.
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Cost-effective, cloud-based leak detection platform for water distribution networks with proprietary IOT-enabled acoustic sensors and AI-powered decision making dashboard.
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Ultrasonic smart meter and online water management platform for buildings to track consumption and identify leaks, saving 3 billion litres of water to date across 40k homes and 40M sqft of commercial real estate.
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Imagine H2O Asia 2
Water Quality
Environsens and SpaceAge Labs found each other through Imagine H2O Asia’s inaugural cohort, during the program’s startup bootcamp. As fellow Singaporean companies, they saw a potential collaboration: a combined solution to tackle the industrial discharge of heavy metals in Singapore’s sewage systems.
While Environsens’ biosensor could effectively monitor toxicity levels, it was unable to aggregate and transmit that data across multiple assets. SpaceAge Labs offered a low-power, wireless communications and analytics platform that could enable Environsens and PUB, Singapore’s National Water Agency, to view data in real-time. By improving the efficiency of wastewater monitoring and surveillance, Environsens and SpaceAge Labs were able to save the utility both time and money. At the same time, they protected Singapore’s waterways from toxic industrial discharge. The companies have installed 175 joint systems across Singapore to date.
Every aspect of the Imagine H2O Asia program was well-designed and relevant for a water startup like ours. A highlight for us was the the opportunity to hear from industry veterans and alumni who understand the unique challenges of growing and operating a water business in the region.
Urban Water Challenge I, Imagine H2O Asia 2
Water Efficiency & Conservation
South and Southeast Asian utilities are struggling to tackle water leaks, under-registering meters, unauthorized consumption, and other drivers of non-revenue water—all of which contribute to losses as high as 50% in some cities in the region. With climate change and growing population demands further threatening water supply, utilities are faced with increased pressures to improve water coverage while operating under tighter budgets and financial constraints. SmartTerra’s AI-powered analytics platform helps reduce utility losses and increase revenue with no additional capital investment required. Within the first three months, Imagine H2O Asia’s team helped SmartTerra secure its first project outside of India with a Philippines utility. The project’s first phase analyzed the operator’s 15,000 connections.
Imagine H2O Asia truly enables market access. Just weeks into the program, we got our first pilot. But they didn’t stop there. Imagine H2O Asia mobilized its staff and network of in-country advisors to support the project’s implementation. We have then been invited to present to their partners like ADB and the World Bank, apply for pilot funding and showcase at events like Singapore International Water Week. The team isn’t just running a great program—they have become our best partners.
Cindy Ko
Toniic (US and Singapore)
Choon Jin Yeoh
Enterprise Singapore (Singapore)
Hugh Chapman
Aqua Analytics (Australia)
Irwan Dinata
Moya Holdings Asia Ltd (Indonesia)
Kunal Shah
Anaergia (Singapore)
Michael Froud
Pittwater Capital (Australia)
Michael Reed
Family Sustainability Solutions (Singapore)
Michael Toh
Industry & Technology Collaboration, PUB (Singapore)
Narain Madhavan
Xylem Innovation Labs (India)
Nicolas Bockhoff
SUEZ India (India)
Ng Wun Jern
Nanyang Technological University (Singapore)
Mudasser Iqbal
Independent Consultant (Singapore)
Gabriel Gabor Kicsi
Water Technology Centre, SUEZ Singapore (Singapore)
Prashant Pundrik
Athena Cleantech (Singapore)
Puon Penn
Independent Consultant (USA)
Ramon Alikpala
FutureWater Asia (Philippines)
Rodney Chapin
Ardurra International (Vietnam)
Ronnie Lim
TechWater Solutions, Inc. (Philippines)
Steve Kloos
True North Venture Partners (USA)
Stuthi Vijayaraghavan
Urban Venture Labs (India)
Tuck Wai Lee
Upconverge (Singapore)
Xin Gao
Independent Consultant (Singapore)
Applications open for the organization’s zero-equity accelerator and pilot funding programs With countless wildfires in the west and hurricanes in the east, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to remain hopeful about the climate crisis. Imagine H2O, a non-profit water accelerator, is working with startups to change the narrative. Imagine H2O believes that innovation and entrepreneurship can […]
Thirteen companies will participate in the Singapore-based water accelerator and market access program to tackle the region’s water and wastewater challenges.The pressures facing many communities on the frontlines of the global water and climate crisis across Asia are spurring bold, new commitments to accelerate the uptake of innovation. India has committed to meeting 20% of […]