Gov. Scott Walker
Press Release

Governor Scott Walker Attends 2015 Water Summit in Milwaukee

Today, Governor Scott Walker attended the 2015 Water Summit, a two-day conference attracting water technology companies, universities, governments, water utilities, NGOs, and investors from across the globe.

By - Jun 24th, 2015 06:08 pm

Today, Governor Scott Walker attended the 2015 Water Summit, a two-day conference attracting water technology companies, universities, governments, water utilities, NGOs, and investors from across the globe.

“With Lake Michigan, Lake Superior, and the Mississippi River forming three of Wisconsin’s borders, not to mention the 15,000 lakes within our state’s borders, Wisconsin has a long history with freshwater and has become a leader in water-intensive industries including agriculture, food processing, paper production, and manufacturing,” Governor Walker said.  “Wisconsin is now comparable on a global scale to nations that promote themselves as major water hubs, including Singapore, Israel, and the Netherlands.”

The 2015 Water Summit, held at the Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee, provides an opportunity for water professionals from around the world to network, collaborate, and share ideas and innovate solutions with the intention of advancing the future of water technology.  The theme of this year’s summit is “Creating a One Water Region,” and featured breakout sessions and speakers focused on the topics of: emerging threats to regional and global water security; translating NASA technology to industry applications; strategic investments in water infrastructure; net zero military bases – at the nexus of water and national security; and resource recovery in wastewater and water treatment.

At the summit, Governor Walker joined in celebrating the graduation of the second class of participants in the Global Water Center’s The BREW (Business. Research. Entrepreneurship. In Wisconsin) accelerator program, and congratulated those selected to participate in the third class of The BREW.  Applicants selected to join the third class include: ICONAC, IX Power Clean Water, Optiktechnik, OXYMem, Radom Corp., and Solar Water Works.

The BREW program operates out of the Water Council’s Global Water Center; a 98,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility housed in a warehouse loft in Walker’s Point that supports and develops water-related startups while also providing research space for universities and established water-related companies.  This unique space is the world’s only water technology accelerator that encourages engagement between seasoned water professionals, researchers, and entrepreneurs.

The BREW applicants are judged by a panel on the uniqueness of their product or service, its capacity to solve a lasting problem, its market opportunity and commercialization potential, and the strength of the applicant or team.  Winning entrepreneurs receive:

  • A suite in the Global Water Center for 12 months.
  • A business model and operations training with The Water Council and University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (UWW) Institute for Water Business.
  • Access to faculty and students from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) School of Freshwater Sciences and Marquette University.
  • Access to the Global Water Center’s Flow Lab.
  • Access to Pilot Project funding, mentorship from dozens of area water technology experts and direct access to BREW preferred partners.
  • Attendance to conferences and pitch sessions with The Water Council.
  • Access to investment capital funding sources, and
  • A one-year membership to The Water Council providing access to the water technology network.

The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) has provided The BREW participants with seed accelerator grant funding, which is contingent upon certain milestones and program participation in order to ensure continued progress in business development.

To learn more about The Water Council Water Summit 2015, click here.  To learn more about The BREW, click here.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.

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