CHICAGO (September 23, 2019) – The Water Council and A. O. Smith Corporation today announced the next round of the BREW Accelerator and BREW Corporate Accelerator powered by A. O. Smith Corporation. The program connects water technology startups with resources to validate and advance their business models and technologies.
“The Water Council is excited to launch the seventh cohort opportunity with the BREW Accelerator,” stated Steve Glynn, director of entrepreneurship at The Water Council. “If you’re an entrepreneur in water technology, there’s nothing like the BREW experience to connect you to the right resources and people who can help move your company forward.”
The current round of the BREW Accelerator competition will focus on two areas of interest:
The BREW Corporate Accelerator powered by A. O. Smith Corporation is focused on the following areas of interest:
“A. O. Smith is proud to once again extend our expertise and resources to help support freshwater entrepreneurs and technology startups,” said Sam Karge, president of the North America Water Treatment division at A. O. Smith. “We’re pleased to be in a position to help promising, early-stage water companies in bringing their innovations and ideas to life.”
Since 2013, the BREW (Business – Research – Entrepreneurship – in Water) Accelerator has provided nearly 40 water technology startups with seed funding, low-cost office and research space in the Global Water Center in Milwaukee, access to university R&D, and mentorship to move their companies forward. The three-month hands-on curriculum focuses on weekly business validation activities with coaches to define their value proposition and understand needs.
“The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation is a proud supporter of the BREW Accelerator program. Accelerators are a critical resource for helping startups hone their concepts and more effectively use their resources,” said Aaron Hagar, vice president of entrepreneurship and innovation for the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC). “Programs like the BREW give startups and entrepreneurs access to coaching to help build their businesses more effectively and efficiently than they ever could on their own.”
To view target technology details, application requirements and entry forms, go to WaterTechHub.com. Applications will be accepted from Sept. 23 – Nov. 3, with the next BREW Accelerator cohort beginning in April 2020.
The Water Council is at WEFTEC in the Wisconsin Water Lounge on the Grand Concourse of McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois from Sept. 23 – 25 from 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. and is available for media interviews by contacting Taylor Baseheart at tbaseheart@thewatercouncil.com.
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About BREW Accelerator
The Water Council’s BREW (Business – Research – Entrepreneurship – in Water) is the world’s leading freshwater business seed accelerator. Designed to advance the commercialization of innovation-driven startups in the global water industry, the BREW connects early stage technology ventures with the resources they need to fast track the creation and deployment of real-world solutions to freshwater challenges. The BREW is a three program focused on startups with technological concepts that address a specific area such as nutrient runoff and other novel solutions. The curriculum uses customer discovery to lead participants through the process of refining their value proposition and understanding their future customers.
About BREW Corporate Accelerator
BREW Corporate is an expansion of the BREW Accelerator program developed by The Water Council (TWC). BREW Corporate offers participants the same framework, funding and access to resources as the BREW but with pre-existing interest and committed funding from a corporate partner. BREW Corporate is designed to solicit viable technical solutions for specific real-world challenges that have been identified and outlined by the funding corporation. The funding corporation, along with coaches and technical advisors, will help optimize each winners’ business model, speed up its technology’s commercialization and directly support the startup’s entry into the marketplace. As with all TWC competitions, potential BREW Corporate participants can submit their applications through WaterTechHub.com.
About A. O. Smith
A.O. Smith Corporation, with headquarters in Milwaukee, Wis., is a global leader applying innovative technology and energy-efficient solutions to products manufactured and marketed worldwide. The company is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of residential and commercial water heating equipment and boilers, as well as a leading manufacturer of water treatment products. Visit www.aosmith.com for more information.
About The Water Council
Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA next to the world’s largest freshwater system and home to one of the most influential freshwater technology hubs in the world, The Water Council (TWC) is recognized as a global center for advancing water technologies and stewardship. At its heart, TWC is a non-profit, membership organization that connects, convenes and showcases the hub comprised of more than 238 water technology businesses and the diverse water leadership network of 200 members it is linked to from around the world. While TWC’s mission is centered on driving economic development, attracting and connecting world-class talent and supporting water-focused technology innovation, its larger goal is to help secure freshwater resources for the world by driving solutions to the numerous industries that need and use a large amount of water.