We back the best entrepreneurs in water. And we go all in—from concept to scale.
We believe that water is solvable. By doing everything we can to help our entrepreneurs and their ideas succeed, we make innovation more accessible to those who need it—and transform how water is used, treated and accessed. Our programs work together to make this happen. From our startup bootcamps to industry networks to pilot funding, we provide tailored support across the startup lifecycle to develop and scale innovative water solutions.
In an effort to accelerate urgent progress towards SDG 6—universal access to water and sanitation—we seek solutions that transform water access, efficiency, safety and resilience. Drawing from an annual pool of 400 unique applications, a committee of over 100 industry leaders helps us select the cohorts to participate in our programs each year. Our support for innovation extends beyond those top startups: applicants who aren’t accepted in a given year may receive feedback and hands-on guidance to reapply.
Our entrepreneurs receive the insights they need to grow their companies and break into new markets. Introductions to a growing network of tech adopters and investors opens critical doors for each of them. And year-round, global showcase events create a platform to identify new pain points and partners. All of this support—and more—is highly specialized to reflect the diverse needs, technologies, and geographies of each of our startups every year.
Water’s slow technology adoption cycle means that startups may struggle to prove their solution’s impact. In order to jumpstart pilot and demonstration projects, we go beyond mentorship and customer introductions. We fund select pilot projects every year to help end users get to “yes” faster. We back that up with in-country support and increased visibility to help entrepreneurs broadcast their success around the world. These early proof points are vital to incentivizing wider adoption.
We can’t afford to ignore it: water is in crisis. And, because we all depend on it, what we do today shapes the future for all of us. Our entrepreneurs address the problems around our most precious resource—water—with our most precious human resources: ingenuity, commitment, and action.
Imagine H2O develops and sustains a global ecosystem that equips startups with the partners, resources, and insights they need to succeed. While we offer different programs, all Imagine H2O startups receive the following:
Gain access to dedicated mentors and training sessions, exclusively focused on the water sector.
Receive direct introductions to a global network of 80+ Tech Adopters, 200+ investors, and 170+ alumni founders.
Showcase your solution at major global industry events and benefit from Imagine H2O’s seal of approval.
Secure financial or non-financial support for pilot projects.
Our programs support entrepreneurs at different stages and geographic regions. See which one is the best for you.
The Imagine H2O Accelerator equips early-stage water entrepreneurs with the resources they need to develop their solutions, commercialize their technologies, and enter new markets.
Imagine H2O Asia unlocks access to water innovation across the region, connecting startups to new markets, partners, and pilot support from our Singapore hub.
The Urban Water Challenge provides comprehensive support for entrepreneurs who are ready to launch and scale solutions that will transform the future of water in coastal cities.
Our entrepreneurs are revolutionizing how water is used, reused, treated, and accessed.
Accelerator 2014
IH2O Asia 2021
Accelerator 2016
Accelerator 2017
Imagine H2O Asia Cohort 2, Urban Water Challenge Cohort III
Stormwater and Flood Control
Fluid Robotics is tackling water pollution and improving wastewater infrastructure health in cities by helping them intercept, divert and treat raw sewage. In 2020, they joined both Imagine H2O Asia and the Urban Water Challenge.
Through Imagine H2O Asia’s relationship with PUB, Fluid Robotics secured a pilot project with one of PUB’s implementation partners, Lian Shing Construction Co. The project uses Fluid Robotics’ machine learning and computer vision solution to automate pipeline defect identification from sewer CCTV videos. By standardizing inspections, Fluid Robotics aims to reduce the cost of sewer performance assessments by 50% and increase productivity by 2x, improving Lian Shing’s ability to address critical issues immediately.
With the Urban Water Challenge, Fluid Robotics is helping the city of Pune, India divert and treat raw sewage from the Mula-mutha river. They have surveyed, located, and started monitoring 64 major discharge points for water flow and quality. With UWC funding, Fluid Robotics secured an additional $54K in local government funding to increase their scope to 106 discharge locations.
In response to COVID-19, Fluid Robotics expanded its wastewater surveillance capabilities in order to detect the presence of infectious diseases through several other partnerships.
Every month, we highlight two founders from our Portfolio of 196 startups that are revolutionizing water. See the founder features below. SewerAI Meet Matthew Rosenthal, the visionary co-founder and CEO behind SewerAI, a company bringing 21st-century technology to support aging infrastructure. For most of us, wastewater infrastructure remains hidden underground, out of sight and out […]
Imagine H2O is the go-to-partner for developing, piloting and scaling water innovations. We leverage our deep sector expertise and expansive global ecosystem of investors, partners, and advisors to equip our startups with everything they need to bring their technologies to market. With an exclusive focus on water and a zero-equity model, we provide comprehensive support […]
Join the Imagine H2O team and our startups at WEFTEC! Sunday, October 1 Welcome Reception in partnership with Current and BlueTech Research Monday, October 2 Don’t Hate, Innovate: A Tour Of The 2023 Innovation Pavilion Discussion: Drivers and Roadblocks to Circular Economies Around Water Nutrients Utilities Under the Spotlight: Entrepreneurs Probe Innovation Strategies Imagine H2O’s CrocTank […]
