Meet Katie, Our New Innovation Programs director
The Water Council recently announced the hiring of Katie Kollhoff Mouat, our new director of innovation programs. This is a brand-new role supported by our contract with the U.S. Small Business Administration as a mature Regional Innovation Cluster. Working closely with Karen Frost, our vice president of economic development and innovation, Katie will lead our innovation programming, including the BREW 2.0 Post-Accelerator, Tech Challenge and Pilot Program.
Katie’s background as an engineer and water tech entrepreneur is perfectly suited to this new role. Learn more about Katie in the interview below.
How did you end up in the water technology sector?
While completing a master’s in engineering management at Northwestern University, I had been exploring sustainability entrepreneurship. Together with the classmates who would become cofounders, I landed on a problem at the intersection of water and hazardous waste, the latter of which had been more of my focus to that point in my chemical engineering career. Reducing hazardous waste meant devising new ways of treating water, and I found that to be a compelling problem. So I dove right into founding a water tech company, NUMIX Materials.
How will your experience as a water tech entrepreneur inform your work with The Water Council?
As someone who has gone through the full lifecycle of a water tech company, I have deep empathy for founders taking the risk and putting their passion and talent into water problems. I bring a customer-centric focus as well as perspectives from not only entrepreneurship but also industry and academia to bolster and grow the existing innovation programs and expand The Water Council’s reach.
As an entrepreneur yourself, what do you think are the biggest challenges for water tech startups?
Everyone’s water is different, which can make high hurdles of defining markets, acquiring customers and scaling applications. Operating in a regulated environment in a time of regulatory uncertainty is further challenging. When the opportunities and needs in water are so broad and so deep, narrowing the focus to a service obtainable market can be difficult.
Having partners who have “been there” to provide perspective, make introductions, and help navigate the ins and outs of the water space is a critical need!
What are your goals for The Water Council’s innovation programming?
With the innovation programs at The Water Council, I aim to leverage the strong foundation already in place and continue building to meet the needs of water tech startups, current and future TWC member companies and water users everywhere.
First, I’m working with the team to retool BREW programming to focus on evolving needs for people working in this space. The goal is to keep BREW the premier program for late-stage startups looking to grow their customer base and enter new markets. Expanding existing programs to reach companies in more regions and sectors is another goal. Finally, I aim to stand up programming to continue serving TWC Innovation Programs alumni as they continue on their paths.
What inspires you when it comes to protecting water resources?
My passion for water stems from my time leading NUMIX, hearing stories about how deeply personal water is to people everywhere, across industries. For me personally, my little boy loves watching birds on the north branch of the Chicago River near our house. That waterway is not only vital to our lives, it also brings us such joy.
What do you do for fun?
I love to learn and do. My border collie/heeler pup, Lulu, and I train together in agility and obedience — we’re getting ready for our first competitions this spring. I’m also into bicycling, learning to play drums and spending time outside with my family.