Mary Eggert

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LinkedIn

Company: Global Water Works

Location: Libertyville, Illinois

I’m a self-proclaimed geek, who’s passionate about seeing great technology transform our world for good.

I grew up on Water Street in Watertown, Wisconsin, and was giving speeches on water pollution by the age of 12 – aghast at the 30-foot piles of sulfites that accumulated on the Rock River that ran through our back yard. I naively assumed the Clean Water Act of the 1970s and the disappearance of visible pollution piles meant that our waters were safe and abundant.

Then, I found myself in the middle of the largest gathering of water technologists on the planet. What I learned at WEFTEC 2015 from those who have invested their entire careers in water was that we are just 14 years away from a place where demand for water could exceed supply by 40% (SEE: http://bit.ly/2030Report)… The keynote speaker, endorsed by these water industry leaders, motivated the audience to action with the mention that all marine life could cease to exist by 2048 if we don’t reverse the current trajectory (SEE: http://www.therevolutionmovie.com). These were harrowing statistics that prompted me to switch careers and focus on applying all of my talents, connections and resources on ensuring water works.

The Weekly Dive #19

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Join us in NYC for the UN Water Conference! Our portfolio company 374Water has been hired by the US military to test their technology on military bases. Amazon starts testing carbon removal with seaweed farming between wind turbines. The EPA allocates $2.4B for the 2023 Clean Water State Revolving Fund. Loliware and Aquafortus respectively land $15.4M and $17M funding rounds. Our friend Will Sarni tells us in his latest article why CFOs should care more about water. There is still a lot we don’t know about ice! NASA can now tracks algal bloom trends from space. This week, we are highlighting Jeanne Wang, one of HydroDAO’s key advisors. Learn about her impressive background and why she is passionate about water.

Your weekly Bonus – Where will the future of agriculture take us? Underwater maybe.

This week’s quote:

“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.”

— Mother Theresa

Join Us in NYC for the UN Water Conference!

Meet Stuart and the Water Emissaries on March 22-24 in NYC at the UN Water Conference 

We will also announce the launch of our youth leadership and education group WaterCorps during a side event at the Blue Gallery, 222 E 46th St., on Thursday, March 23rd between 4:00 pm and 7:00 pm. It will include a multi age panel discussing the importance of intergenerational collaboration and mentorship advocating for water and climate change initiatives. Let us know you can join us to send you a formal invite.

What’s New with Our Portfolio Companies?

US military to test destroying toxic PFAS with superheated water 

374Water’s PFAS destruction system will be tested at two US Air Force bases and a Navy base.

What’s New with Water Innovations?

Amazon tests carbon removal with seaweed farming between wind turbines 

The world’s first commercial-scale seaweed farm is expected to produce at least 6,000kg of fresh seaweed in its first year.

Water treatment startup Elateq moving forward with PepsiCo contracting

Despite starting the business at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the company is now going gangbusters.

Tackling Water Sector Challenges By Accelerating Innovation

“All eight have gone on to win equity investment and some have even moved here to the North West of England.”

California water district addressing meter performance with AI 

Olea’s Meter Health Analytics (MHA) solution uses AI technology to provide previously unattainable insights.

What’s New in the Industry?

EPA allocates $2.4B for 2023 Clean Water State Revolving Fund 

Funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has boosted grant and loan funding through the nation’s 2023 CWSRF, which will support water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure improvements.

Loliware scores $15.4m to replace single-use plastics with seaweed 

Loliware will use the funding to launch single-use plastic alternatives made from its novel seaweed resins.

Water technology company Aquafortus raises $17M in funding 

Aquafortus purifies high-salinity brines and derives valuable metals and minerals from them in the process.

Water As A CFO Issue

“These other issues are viewed as critical to business continuity and growth yet, without water, most businesses are out of business.”

What’s New in the Science?

Let’s learn about the weird science of ice

Ice is such a familiar substance that you might think science has it all figured out. But researchers are still learning some pretty weird things about plain old frozen water.

Researchers uncover new water monitoring technique

Researchers have developed a technique to monitor one of the key processes of purifying water in real time.

NASA’s Aqua: Algal bloom trends finally spotted thanks to space view

Previous research has struggled to accurately characterize bloom patterns.

This Mussel-Inspired Glue Might Be the Best Underwater Adhesive

Scientists have found a way to improve underwater adhesives by taking inspiration from mussels.

Our HydroDAO Advisors: Jeanne Wang

Jeanne looks back on her 15 years of private equity investment experience with enthusiasm. She was fortunate to work with companies in a wide range of industries from consumer products and services to B2B sectors such as online marketing and media.

As a financial consultant, she has enjoyed a closer connection with management and the impact she can have on solving problems and streamlining processes. She has found her “superpowers” in this role to be her positive can-do attitude when faced with complex business issues, her discipline and determination to establish focused goals to grow businesses and her hardworking “get it done” approach to executing on the plan.

She is passionate about a variety of social causes including supporting and mentoring women in business, climate change and financial equity and education. She look forward to finding my next role where I can blend my joy of investing and/or consulting with my desire to make a positive impact in the world. 

We are excited to work together with Jeanne, blending your joy of investing and consulting with your desire to make a positive impact in the world and in water.

What’s in the Future?

Will a Sustainable Future for Agriculture Take Us Underwater?

Nemo’s Garden is growing plants in underwater biospheres — a hydroponic, multi-beneficial ag solution that could provide coastal communities with fresh food and water, while promoting marine life.

Norvin Eitzen

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LinkedIn

Company: Eitzen & Associates

Location: Beamsville, Ontario, Canada

Every brand has a story to tell – I help small to medium sized businesses discover their core narrative and bring their brand to life through content, digital, print and public relations. From aligning business goals to marketing strategy all the way through project execution, I keep projects on track and measure ROI every step of the way. Let’s talk about how you can grow your business!

– Marketing Strategy
– Digital Marketing (websites etc.)
– Demand Generation (PPC)
– Content Marketing
– Social Media Management (SMM)
– Growth Marketing
– Field Marketing (events etc.)
– Public Relations (articles, press releases)
– Marketing Operations (tech stack)
– International Trade

Katie Evans

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LinkedIn

Company: Woodard & Curran

Location: Phoenix, AZ

As an energetic, highly motivated Senior Communications Strategist, I chart corporate communications vision to handle internal and external communications. I make organizations shine and position them as trusted, respected, and valued community members. I have a track record of assembling critical data, resources, and people to accomplish overarching goals. Now, I am ready to use this ability as a member of a board of directors where I can add value to conscientious, forward-thinking startups and established companies.

Through the years, I have established new sustainable departments for my employers. This includes generating $1M+ in annual sales, bringing in top talent, overseeing program and project execution, and getting communications up and running.

My expertise includes organizational vision, cross-functional leadership, strategic communications, public speaking, writing, leadership training, and robust knowledge of water regulatory compliance.

► ORGANIZATIONAL IMPACT & COMMUNICATIONS LEADERSHIP

I am an enthusiastic member of a steering committee as well as a communications committee. At the same time, I serve in the formal mentorship program and oversee executive training. People quickly notice my strategic thinking, positivity, and ability to create cohesiveness between individuals and groups with polar opposite opinions.

A highlight of my career is when I created consensus between multiple San Diego-based water agencies. They had been given $16M in funds and needed to agree on what parts of the city should get the money. I charted a plan involving five-day workshops and a list of topics for the groups to spark an impartial discussion. In the final analysis, they agreed unanimously on using the funds to improve water supply and quality throughout the county.

► SELECT HIGHLIGHTS

✓ Built and grew multiple departments, brought in new staff, developed a strategy for internal and external communications, and mapped a plan for customer, shareholder, and government relations.

✓ Boosted efficiency and cut costs for Coachella Valley Water District (CVWD), prompting its board of directors to issue the organization’s first-ever proclamation for a departing employee in recognition of my leadership.

✓ Overturned a negative public opinion regarding a $50M design-build project to bring drinking water up to code by initiating workshops, presentations, and a social media campaign highlighting the positive impact on the community.

Tom Ferguson

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LinkedIn

Company: Burnt Island Ventures

Location: Brooklyn, New York

Tom brings a decade of experience in water and startups to lead BIV. His start in water came as the lead author on the first CDP Water Disclosure Report in 2010, and he joined Imagine H2O in 2015 to build out the organization’s programming portfolio, which now encompasses 3 global programs vetting 500+ startups per year. Companies selected under Tom’s tenure have raised $600m+ and achieved 5 exits. He holds an MA from the University of Edinburgh, and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Guillaume Féry

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LinkedIn

Company: VILVIC

Location: Lausanne, Switzerland

Guillaume is an expert in water utilities and natural resources management. His focus is on SDGs 6, 7, 9 and 11. He has more than 20 years of experience working at the crossroads of technology and water management. After having spent 10 years in water operations, he became a technology expert in the fields of data analytics, digital innovation and emerging tech for the water sector. He comes with robust experience with utilities giants (Suez, Veolia, Thames Water), global consultancies (PWC, IBM, Accenture) and international institutions (the World Bank, UNEP, AFD).

He is also an expert to the Solar Impulse Foundation in the context of the “Efficient Solutions” Label, an initiative designed to shed light on existing cleantech solutions that are both clean and profitable and have a positive impact on quality of life.

Guillaume is passionate about finding new ways of addressing the water and sanitation challenges and help speeding-up actions towards the achievement of SDG6, collaborating with a variety of stakeholders.

He strongly believes that innovation is not a slogan, but it is a process with substance. And there are plenty of ideas, opportunities, entrepreneurs and knowledge out there to revolutionize the water sector and bring life and health to all.

Motto: “Do or don’t, there is no try” – Yoda.

Drew FitzGerald

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LinkedIn

Company: 501CTHREE.ORG

Drew, along with Jaden Smith, and a handpicked team of science, engineering, public health and innovation experts, is a co-founder of 501CTHREE.org a non-profit dedicated to driving content and innovation around global, energy, water, health and shelter solutions. 501CTHREE’s first project in the pipeline are deployable water filtration systems in water crisis areas such as Flint, Michigan. Jaden and Drew’s recent tech deployment in Flint was awarded Fast Company’s Innovation Of The Year Award in the social good category.

Drew is one of the co-founders, along with Will and Jaden Smith, of JUST: a company formed to drive positive social and environmental impact in everyday items while creating sustainable awareness around energy, food and water. Their first product – JUST Water – was created to reduce both plastic utilization and emissions in single serve bottled water packaging by utilizing innovative paper packaging and bioplastics from sugarcane alternatives to petroleum. The company is also an innovator in water sourcing by engaging in the first “public-private” partnership to ensure that the spring water is ethically sourced and conserved. JUST water was recognized as the “Best Packaging Solution” at the 2018 Global Bottled Water Congress.

Drew also served as the Creative Innovation Director for the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Drew helped advise the department’s mission and innovation decisions in the areas of: biomimicry, resiliency and smart cities, material science innovation, environmental systems, biological nano-scale engineering, renewable energy innovation, and artificial intelligence as pertains to optimized research outcomes in the department’s stated fields.

Drew also served as the Creative Director to The Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC) at MIT. Drew’s role with the PSFC is specific to the most promising innovation in the field of nuclear and applied physics to the global energy grid: the department’s design and deployment of the world’s first affordable, compact and robust nuclear fusion power generators – now commercialized as Commonwealth Fusion Systems in Boston. When at scale, these generators provide limitless, carbon-free power to the existing global energy grid with no harmful by-products, weaponization or safety Issues.

Drew is one of the founding advisors of The Prime Coalition – a revolutionary non-profit based in Cambridge that proactively steers direly-needed philanthropic capital to early-stage, clean energy technologies. When at scale, such technologies are anticipated to reduce billions of tons of carbon emissions annually. The Prime Coalition is also currently working with the U.S. Department of Treasury to modify the United States Tax Code to legally define “climate change” as a charitable cause.

Drew served as the Incepting Creative Director of MIT President Rafeal Reif’s MIT Innovation Initiative co-chaired by Professor Fiona Murray and Professor Vladimir Bulović.

Drew previously served as the Creative Development and Innovation advisor at Dentsu US / Story Lab Group. DSLG is a development and experimentation lab innovating the way stories are told for impact amplified by Global Brand Media spends. Drew also served as a CSR and Impact advisor for the entire Dentsu Aegis Network.

Drew is an advisor to The Redford Center. The Redford Center was founded by Robert and Jamie Redford to cultivate storytelling and advocacy around climate change related issues.

Drew is on Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s LA Grand Challenge Task Force – a Partnership with UCLA and the City of LA to speed the path for more water and energy efficient innovations into the market.

501CTHREE has a strategic partnership with the United Nations Office for Partnerships

Drew is also an Advisor to California Governor Gavin Newsom’s Cabinet on volunteerism and climate change.

Drew is a board member of the Environmental Media Association in Los Angeles. The EMA was formed by Norman Lear and Alan Horn in 1989 to help introduce greater environmental themes into film and television properties in Hollywood.

He is a graduate of Syracuse University.

Dr. Peter Fiske

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LinkedIn

Company: National Alliance for Water Innovation (NAWI)

Location: Richmond, California

Dr. Peter S. Fiske is the Director of the Water-Energy Resilience Research Institute (WERRI) at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory where he leads a basic and applied research program to address critical gaps in the reliability, efficiency and sustainability of water-energy systems in California and the nation. He is also a founding faculty member of DOE’s Energy I-Corps Program where he mentors and advises early-stage energy-oriented entrepreneurs.

Prior to joining LBNL, Fiske was the Chief Executive Officer of PAX Water Technologies, Inc. from 2008 until January, 2017 when it was acquired by UGSI Inc.  PAX Water pioneered the use of biomimicry to develop innovative and energy efficient technologies for the water industry.  PAX Water won a number of national water industry awards and its iconic Lily impeller technology was featured in a major design exhibit at the New York Museum of Modern Art in 2008. Prior to joining PAX Water, Fiske was co-founder of RAPT Industries, Inc., a pioneer in the field of plasma processing of optics and semiconductors. Fiske spun the company out of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory where he was a staff scientist. He received his Ph.D. from Stanford University in 1994 and an M.B.A. from the Haas School of Business at the University of California at Berkeley in 2002.

Chris Fortunato

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LinkedIn

Company: CRH Ventures

Location: New York City, New York

I invest in technology-enabled and internet businesses at CRH Ventures. I have been making venture capital investments across the globe for more than 10 years and, today, I am most interested in working with entrepreneurs driving Industry 4.0 and revolutionizing the way companies manufacture, advance and distribute their products.

The Weekly Dive #18

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The US’ first grid-connected wave energy test facility is deployed. Spring and Microsoft collaborate on water innovation. Why we won’t solve the climate crisis without fixing water. Fundings flowing in California, Texas, and New York. Hypnotizing footage shows ‘Doomsday’ Glacier is melting from below. Two new forms of salt water have been discovered and could rewrite fundamental chemistry. PFAS is found on all continents except one, Antarctica. Solar powered yachts making waves. This week, we are highlighting Udi Tirosh, one of HydroDAO’s key advisors. Learn about his impressive background and why he is passionate about water.

Your weekly Bonus – What will water, climate, and pandemic preparedness look like in the future? Scientists brief the UN.

This week’s quote:

“Be like water making its way through cracks. Adjust to any object in your path and you shall find a way to flow around or through it.”

— Tao Te Ching

What’s New with Our Portfolio Companies?

Sigma Planning Corp. purchased 67,833 shares of 374Water, Inc. (NASDAQ:SCWO)

The investment fund purchased 67,833 shares of the company’s stock at approximately $192,000.

What’s New with Water Innovations?

The US’s first grid-connected wave energy test facility is coming 

PacWave is a US Department of Energy-funded, grid-connected, full-scale test facility for wave energy conversion technologies. It’s the first of its kind in the US, and construction is well under way.

Spring collaborates with Microsoft and Impact X on water innovation

The Impact X-Venture Studio has been launched to support entrepreneurs across Europe.

Watch the Fully Solar-Powered Yacht ‘Tesla of the Seas’ Travel the Ocean

Solar-powered yachts are making waves in a traditionally diesel-chugging industry.

Pew Launches Tool To Advance Marine Protected Areas In High Seas 

This new tool helps decision-makers and the public zero in on priority areas for protection.

What’s New in the Industry?

Liquid asset: why we won’t solve the climate crisis without fixing water

Understanding the relationship between water and climate is vital to addressing the climate crisis.

Texas approves $5.7M for flood resilience project

Texas approved financial assistance through the Flood Infrastructure Fund for the City of Pasadena to improve its wastewater plants’ flood resilience.

California awards $15 million for water supply, stormwater capture projects 

The state awarded funding to support stormwater capture, groundwater recharge, and water supply.

New York State approves $33M for drinking water projects 

The state approved low-cost financing and grants for eight drinking water infrastructure projects.

What’s New in the Science?

Hypnotizing Underwater Footage Shows Rapidly Melting Cracks Below ‘Doomsday’ Glacier 

New footage has revealed Antarctica’s Thwaites Glacier is shrinking from below in a way scientists hadn’t expected – with melting happening rapidly along the cracks and crevasses in its base.

Sea Ice Surrounding Antarctica Hit a New Record Low, Putting Ice Shelves at Risk

With a couple more weeks likely left in the melt season, the extent is expected to drop further before reaching its annual minimum.

Two New Forms of Salt Water Could Rewrite Fundamental Chemistry 

Two newly discovered forms of frozen salt water could help scientists resolve the Solar System’s ice-encrusted moons’ mystery.

‘Forever Chemicals’ Have Been Found in Animals on Every Continent Except One 

Animals are contaminated with hazardous forever chemicals on every continent except Antarctica.

Our HydroDAO Advisors: Udi Tirosh

Udi resides in Tel-Aviv by the shores of the Mediterranean Sea where he is an executive and entrepreneur in advanced technology focusing on breakthrough water desalination and treatment technologies.

He founded and headed the Water Reuse Business Unit at IDE Technologies – leading the business case for advanced methods of membranal purification of treated wastewater. He later led the Product Management team at Fluence Corp. (ASE: FLC), promoting market adaptation for new membrane-based products for sewage treatment and seawater desalination. Udi has implemented advanced water technology pilot installations and water treatment projects in China, Philippines, India, Spain, Taiwan, Norway and USA.

Thank you Udi for your work and leadership improving the access to quality  water around the world and for your support to our HydroDAO community.

What’s in the Future?

Scientists Brief UNGA on Water, Climate, and Pandemic Preparedness 

The briefings contribute to the UN 2023 Water Conference in March and the SDG Summit in September 2023, as well as to several negotiating processes related to transformation currently underway in the UNGA.