The Milwaukee Water Council, a leadership group that aims to make Milwaukee the world hub for water research, economic development and education, has partnered with San Francisco, Calif.-based nonprofit organization Imagine H20 on a Memorandum of Understanding which will provide entreprenuers with tools and resources to build great water businesses.
“Milwaukee is already home to more than 150 established water technology companies but we realize that our future growth will be with helping the development of our start-up businesses,” said Dean Amhaus, executive director of the Milwaukee Water Council. “Partnering with Imagine H2O lends great momentum to our efforts to advance the region’s emerging water entrepreneurs.”
Imagine H2O runs a global business plan competition and accelerator program for promising early-stage water innovations. The partnership will further extend the Council’s efforts to promote the region’s unique economic opportunity via Imagine H2O’s network of entrepreneurs and startups.
The new agreement facilitates an opportunity for local entrepreneurs looking to validate their business plans through the Imagine H2O process. The Prize attracts attention amongst investors; half of last year’s Imagine H2O prize finalists received term sheets from investors. Imagine H2O, building on the success of its previous collaboration with the University of Wisconsin Whitewater College of Business and Economics, will continue to support workshops on water entrepreneurship in the Milwaukee area.
“The combination of Milwaukee’s leading academic resources and private sector support are contributing to the region’s efforts to build a globally recognized water hub” said Scott Bryan, Imagine H2O’s chief operating officer. “We’re excited to be working with the Milwaukee Water Council to support local entrepreneurs by facilitating access to our global network of water startups and sharing best practices.”
