Consumer Innovations Contend To Win Imagine H2O Competition

Photo courtesy of Imagine H2O (San Francisco).

Startup companies are vying to win more than $200,000 in cash and in-kind services from Imagine H2O (San Francisco) for their water-related innovations. The nonprofit organization has narrowed down the field of more than 70 competing companies from 12 countries to 9 finalists for its fourth annual business plan competition, according to an Imagine H2O news release.

For the competition with the theme of Consumer Innovations, entrants were challenged to submit solutions to water challenges of quality, efficiency, and access in both developed and developing countries, the news release says. The finalists include

• Dlo Haiti (San Francisco), with a market-based solution to provide safe drinking water in Haiti at an affordable price through water kiosks that deliver water in 19-L (5-gal) jugs;
• Flush-Master (Corona, Calif.), with a stainless-steel retrofit toilet flapper designed to reduce the amount of water leaking from faulty toilet flappers;
• Innogation Inc. (Eagle, Idaho), with the SMARTRotor™, designed to reduce water used for outdoor irrigation by matching the flow of water to lawn outlines and providing distribution uniformity;
• NBD Nanotechnologies Inc. (Danvers, Mass.), with technology that harvests water from the air;
• ReFresh (Boston), with water distribution machines that provide bottled water and a partial refund for used bottles returned;
• Sentinel Hydrosolutions LLC (Escondido, Calif.), with the Leak Defence System, designed to identify home leaks and shut off supplies to prevent water damage and loss;
• Celsius Global Solutions (Trune, Scotland), with the Jompy water boiler, designed to cook food and boil water simultaneously, pasteurizing contaminated water while saving fuel and time spent over an open fire;
• HighSierra Showerheads LLC (Coarsegold, Calif.), with a showerhead designed to maintain the feel of a conventional showerhead at varying pressures while using 40% less water; and
• PaveDrain LLC (Greenfield, Wis.), with a system of arched paving bricks featuring an internal storage chamber designed to store stormwater runoff while providing strength for heavy vehicle loads.

Results of the competition will be announced during events leading up to International World Water Day 2013 on March 22. Imagine H2O is sponsored by WEF and will be part of the Innovation Pavilion at WEFTEC® 2013.