The Water Council has pulled together a broad coalition of well-established Wisconsin corporations that touch water in some way, from water meters to water heaters to water sanitation. Now, the seven-year-old Milwaukee organization is continuing its increased focus on nurturing water tech startups, an emphasis that picked up steam last year with a pilot accelerator program.
Xconomy recently visited The Water Council’s Global Water Center near downtown Milwaukee to check out the second class of The Water Council’s startup accelerator—dubbed “Business Research Entrepreneurship in Wisconsin” or the BREW. Six winners were chosen to participate, each receiving office space in the center, access to industry mentors and expertise, and a $50,000 grant from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. (Two runner-up companies are also collaborating with the program, but aren’t getting grant money or office space.)