The winners of the 2019 Imagine H2O Urban Water Challenge are WatchTower Robotics (USA), Indra Water (India), and Zilper Trenchless (Colombia). The challenge is funded by water tech innovator Bluewater and 11th Hour Racing and administered by Imagine H2O (IH2O), a non-profit organization that empowers people to develop and deploy innovation to solve water challenges globally. The competition will provide up to $250,000 in awards, marketing, and visibility opportunities as well as investor and customer access.
The winners will use Imagine H2O’s funding to deploy solutions in cities across the globe:
- WatchTower Robotics: will map water pipe networks in 3D and detect leaks with its small-scale robots in Da Nang, Vietnam;
- Indra Water: will deploy its modular, decentralized wastewater treatment systems in colleges and schools in Mumbai, India; and,
- Zilper Trenchless: will install and replace water pipes using its trenchless technology in the greater Bogota, Colombia region.
“The planet faces a great many environmental threats, not least growing water scarcity and ocean pollution, which requires human ingenuity be harnessed globally to avoid potentially cataclysmic consequences,” said Anders Jacobson, co-founder and CEO of Blue, the investment company that owns Bluewater. “Each of the three winners of the 2019 Imagine H2O Urban Water Challenge provides an innovative solution to solving urban water challenges.”
“This is our second year supporting the Urban Water Challenge in part because, like Bluewater, 11th Hour Racing believes strongly that there is an urgent need for solutions to help communities globally tackle water quality and scarcity issues, whether related to the impacts of climate change, plastic pollution, or polluted runoff,” said Michelle Carnevale, grant program director of 11th Hour Racing. “We look forward to seeing the finalists deploy and test their technologies to create meaningful impact and inspire the next generation of water-focused entrepreneurs.”
