SAN FRANCISCO, CA, OCT 31,2013 -- A major new partnership program with some of the country's largest water utilities was recently announced by Imagine H2O, a nonprofit supporting entrepreneurship and innovation in the water sector.
The first partners in this new program are Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD), Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA), San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC), and East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD). Together, these partners serve 25 million ratepayers throughout the United States.
The Imagine H2O Utility Partners Program, which seeks partnerships from utilities across the country, will allow utilities to connect with early-stage entrepreneurs whose innovations will help improve the quality, access and efficiency of water distribution.
The relationship between Imagine H2O and its utility partners establishes an important bridge between utilities and entrepreneurs, giving entrepreneurs a clear path to scale innovations while also allowing entrepreneurs to learn from the successes of others. This program will facilitate a productive dialogue between utilities and entrepreneurs vetted through Imagine H2O's annual business innovations competition and accelerator program without straining staffing and budgetary constraints.
"Water utilities are looking for ways to operate more cost-effectively and help our customers use water more efficiently," said Richard Harris, EBMUD's manager of water conservation. "Imagine H2O is connecting EBMUD to entrepreneurs who are developing technology solutions and customer engagement tools that might help us achieve those goals."
"Imagine H2O allows us to work with the best and brightest entrepreneurs to develop innovative water solutions that have a potential to benefit the entire world," said Steve Ritchie, assistant general manager for the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission.
About Imagine H2O
Imagine H2O inspires and empowers people to solve water challenges and turn them into opportunities. We offer annual competitions for water innovation with focused, specific challenges including Water Efficiency (2009), Water-Energy Nexus (2010), Wastewater (2011) and Consumer Innovations (2012). Imagine H2O’s 5th annual program will focus on Food & Agriculture. In addition to financial support for the best ideas, the Imagine H2O Accelerator helps participating entrepreneurs turn their plans into transformational, real-world solutions. To learn more about Imagine H2O's global ecosystem for water innovation and connect with water entrepreneurs from around the world, please visit www.imagineh2o.org.
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