NEW ORLEANS, Oct. 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Water Council and A. O. Smith Corporation today announced the next round of the BREW Accelerator competition and BREW Corporate Accelerator competition powered by A. O. Smith Corporation. The programs are designed to help support entrepreneurs and startups that are developing innovative freshwater technologies.

The technology categories, which were announced at the Water Environment Federation's Technical Exhibition & Conference (WEFTEC) in New Orleans, will focus on six areas of interest:

• Water treatment
• Water heating
• Sensors
• IoT, machine learning and artificial intelligence
• Technology to address agriculture run-off
• Emerging technologies

For a complete explanation of target technologies, application criteria and entry forms, go to watertechhub.com.  Applications are accepted from Oct. 1 – Nov. 30, finalists will be announced in February 2019 and the program begins in late March 2019.

"With five cohorts of BREW participants under our belt, The Water Council has developed an expertise for helping water technology entrepreneurs develop their business model, improve their technology, and connect them with market and investor opportunities," stated Steve Glynn, director of innovation at The Water Council. "The BREW is a great way for early stage water tech companies to gain meaningful momentum and advance their ideas in an environment unlike any other."

"A. O. Smith is proud to be in a position to help support promising startup water technology businesses and to help bring their innovations to life," said Sam Karge, president of the North American Water Treatment division at A. O. Smith. "This is a unique and cutting-edge opportunity for freshwater technology businesses, and we're pleased to help expedite their path to market."

"Accelerators are an important tool for helping startups refine their concepts and more effectively use their limited resources," said Aaron Hagar, vice president of entrepreneurship and innovation for the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC), which has provided $1.4 million in support of the program since its inception. "Industry-focused programs like the BREW provide the inside access to target markets and technical experts necessary for entrepreneurs to build their businesses more effectively and efficiently than they ever could on their own."

Since 2013, the BREW (Business - Research - Entrepreneurship - in Water) program has provided innovative startups in the water industry with a capital investment, low cost office and research space in the Global Water Center in Milwaukee and training and knowledge to move their companies forward. The three-and-a-half month hands-on curriculum includes weekly interactions with mentors and customer discovery activities directed by coaches that will give companies the understanding of their value proposition within their market.

The Water Council is at WEFTEC in the Wisconsin Water Innovation Pavilion (Booth #3345) on Oct. 1 – 3 from 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. and is available for media interviews by contacting Meghan Jensen at [email protected].  

About BREW Accelerator
The BREW (Business - Research - Entrepreneurship - in Water) is the world's leading freshwater seed accelerator. Designed to advance the commercialization of innovation-driven startups in the global water industry, the BREW connects early stage technology ventures with the resources they need to fast track the creation and deployment of real-world solutions to freshwater challenges. Startups from around the world compete for selection into the program by creatively solving water-related technology challenges. Those selected for participation are connected to funding, office and research space in the Global Water Center in Milwaukee, executive level mentors, corporate R&D resources and business training through The Water Council.

About BREW Corporate Accelerator
BREW Corporate is an expansion of the BREW Accelerator program. BREW Corporate offers participants the same framework, funding, and access to resources as the BREW but with pre-existing interest and committed funding from a corporate partner. BREW Corporate is designed to solicit viable technical solutions for specific real-world challenges that have been identified and outlined by the funding corporation. The funding corporation, along with coaches and technical advisors, will help optimize each winners' business model, speed up its technology's commercialization and directly support the startup's entry into the marketplace.

About A. O. Smith
A. O.  Smith Corporation, with headquarters in Milwaukee, Wis., is a global leader applying innovative technology and energy-efficient solutions to products manufactured and marketed worldwide. The company is one of the world's leading manufacturers of residential and commercial water heating equipment and boilers, as well as a leading manufacturer of water treatment products. Visit www.aosmith.com for more information.

About The Water Council
Headquartered in the Global Water Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, next to the world's largest freshwater system, The Water Council is a non-profit organization that drives economic, technology and talent development to support the global water industry.

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SOURCE A. O. Smith Corporation