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The most exciting startups and innovators in the water industry. Meet the WILL accelerator cohort

  • The most exciting startups and innovators in the water industry. Meet the WILL accelerator cohort

About the entity

Isle Utilities
Innovation consultancy specialising in the development and commercialisation of emerging technologies in the water & environmental sectors.

The Water Innovation Living Lab (WILL) kicked off earlier this month. A free 16-week incubator for early technology spin-offs and start-ups in the water sector internationally, the incubator supports technologies in the water sector to provide innovative solutions for water sector challenges.

WILL is created and managed thanks to the collaboration of industrial, academic and supply chain operators. The project is sponsored by Bonomi Group, technology partners Isle Utilities and CSMT Innovative Contamination Hub and with the collaboration of Acque Bresciane Srl SB and University of Brescia. The incubator provides knowledge, tools and connections to ensure the success of the emerging companies. 

Ten candidates were selected through an international call based on the following criteria: dedication to the enterprise; commercially promising initiative in the water sector; impact of contribution to sector challenges. Read about the January 2023 cohort here:

Tomea: 85% of all water utilities in the US have three or less employees. Most have never worked with a Data Scientist. Meanwhile, only about 0.2% of all Data Scientists have experience in the water industry. Few Data Scientists understand water. The Engineering Services industry is a $326 Billion industry in the US. Even the smallest of water utilities often still have an engineering consultant. Tomea is the first Data Science consulting firm solely dedicated to the water industry. By connecting directly with utilities, startups, and other consultants, Tomea provide data analysis and digital solutions for the water industry.

SEAL Water Technology Ltd: The current best technology for leak detection of ‘correlating acoustic sensors’ has not moved on appreciably in the last 50 years. The fundamental physics behind correlation limits its range, with acoustic sensors placed every 300m, thus making it infrastructure and capital heavy. To address these and other limitations, SEAL Water Technology Ltd has developed ‘Active Sonar’ – an innovative leak-detection technology. The technology uses an active pulse, which makes a leak ‘talk’ when the test is performed, thereby revealing its location. It is non-destructive, non-intrusive, detects at long range and works equally well in ferrous and non-ferrous pipe materials.

PYDRO GMBH is a cleantech startup from Germany driven by the founders’ passion to preserve potable water. Their self-powered smart flow meter for water pipes is a fit and forget device which delivers continuous data 24x7 once it is installed. In a basic version, the PT1 measures flow, temperature & pressure at high accuracy levels and can be installed anywhere in the network without the need for an external power supply. The uninterrupted power source enables continuous measurement and data output which provides reliable insights to manage smart water networks, resulting in reduced water leaks, pipe bursts and real-time quality checks.

Mop Tech Industries have developed the Floc-Opex Recovery (FOR) solution which is designed to assist municipalities and water treatment works with reducing and managing the amount of Water Treatment Residuals (WTRs) that are generated from the coagulation and flocculation stage of water treatment. FOR can also help in recovering the valuable metals that form part of these WTRs for reuse in the water treatment process

Mixanox offers unique solutions for upgrading wastewater treatment plants, enabling best-of-class biological treatment methods to be integrated into existing infrastructure rapidly and cost-effectively. By utilising a novel mixing/aeration system, Mixanox-PIJAMA®, a quick plug-in system for aeration reactors, is capable of increasing oxygen transfer efficiency 6-fold from 15% to 90%, resulting in a 95% reduction in fugitive greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. With minimal investment, it achieves up to 50% less energy use and further GHG emissions reduction; by intensifying the process efficiency, existing infrastructure can be used to its fullest capacity, thus eliminating the need for new construction.

MetZero are the only retrofittable and energy saving wastewater treatment technology that recovers products of economic value from wastewater such as hydrogen and ammonia. MetZero reduce the organic load of wastewater up to 60% in 12hrs and save up to 600 kwh/day, helping companies cut costs and reach their Net Zero targets.

Klar2O: About 325 different plastic particles are in one litre of drinking water, that are partly absorbed by our bodies and accumulate in the liver, adipose tissue, bloodstream, lungs, kidney, the placenta, and even our brain and can cause serious health damage in humans. Klar2O developed a special biochemical adsorbing coating, which is able to bind microplastics of all kinds and sizes from water. The sustainable smart surface technology is recyclable and regenerable. The technology aims to “renaturalise” water, and eliminate the danger of microplastics for a healthy life.

HydroDrip: Inefficiencies in water management cost $300 billion every year worldwide. HydroWallet is a digital water credits platform that incentivises efficient water usage and best practices. It is an offsetting mechanism between “efficient” users and “heavy” users. Heavy users buy water credit from efficient users to balance water consumption and avoid inefficiencies. Water credits can be generated in 3 different ways: 1. By using less water; 2. Organisations can develop water projects for people in need. 3. By fixing leaks on water distribution networks. By valuing water consumption efforts, the HydroWallet system encourages people and organisations to more consciously manage their water use.

Hulo: HULO’s mission is to provide a globally affordable solution to improve water supplies and to reduce water losses by doing it ‘together’ with our clients. Based on PhD-research, HULO have developed revolutionary algorithms to design District Metered Areas (DMAs) and to detect, localise and classify anomalies (e.g. leakages) in water distribution networks. This solution works in the client’s digital infrastructure, allowing them to understand and learn from it. Water utilities are the owner of their physical network, so it makes sense that they own their digital network too.

Aldam Technologies is pioneering ground-breaking sustainable water purification technologies for enhanced contaminants removal with least chemical and power usage The robust modular water treatment device is an optimising component in water treatment systems. It can facilitate the treatment of large volumes of water, with lower energy requirements, at lower cost, with less consumables and chemicals. It may be retrofitted or installed in greenfield projects for treatment of contaminants including emerging pollutants, bacteria and fungi in river and dam water, sewerage and wastewater for reuse and purification for agriculture, industrial and also potable water requirements.

So there you have it, our top ten! Our WILL cohort aim to provide the most technologically advanced solutions to water challenges, while respecting the environment and sustainability in order to solve the most pressing water challenges we currently face. More information is available at: www.will-lab.it. Follow WILL on LinkedIn at: WILL - Water Innovation Living Lab.

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