Michael Lesniak

/in , , /by

LinkedIn

Company: CEO Water Mandate, Water Resilience Coalition

Location: Spokane, WA

Worldwide, the availability of freshwater is threatened by mankind’s activity. My passion is helping businesses operate at the intersection of water, climate, technology, energy; and enabling abundant outcomes in communities while allowing corporations to thrive and grow.

Business as usual is not cutting it, I bring thinking that disrupts norms by leveraging deep domain experience in water, energy, project development, and operations working across 50 states and 60 countries and partnering with the worlds largest corporations, indigenous communities, NGO’s, water innovators, and governments to have positive IMPACT as mankind adapts to the new reality.

To address the water crisis, collective aligned action and freshwater additionality programs are the open call and are leading catalytic communities to show the way.

Additionality involves the protection and restoration of freshwater resources from pollution and other human activities, as well as creating new sources of freshwater from oceans, waste water, industrial processes, impaired water, snow/ice, and storm water.

By investing in projects, and practicing efficient and sustainable water management, companies can achieve NET ZERO and NET POSITIVE WATER IMPACT while countries ensure the availability of freshwater now and in the future.

Jeff Macon

/in , /by

LinkedIn

Company: Missouri Technology Corporation

Location: Kansas City, MO

I have worked with a number of ventures in the water space through my venture development efforts at Fresno State’s Water, Energy, and Technology (WET) Center. Currently, I support the State of Missouri’s venture capital efforts to fund promising science-backed technologies.

Karen Meidlinger

/in /by

LinkedIn

Company: Evoqua Water Technologies

Location: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Passionate about science and technology and how these can be harnessed in order to make the world a better place. Hands-on, results-oriented science PhD/MBA business executive. Recognized for a strategic and focused approach to leading new and complex projects to successful delivery. Extensive expertise in alliance management, business development, corporate development, digital business transformation, early customer development, ecosystem development, innovation management and venture investment for startups through Fortune 50 companies. Experience in such diverse industries as education, energy, finance, healthcare, media, real estate, technology and water. Enjoy traveling and have been to all seven continents.

Rowe Michels

/in , /by

LinkedIn

Company: Alpheus Water Fund I

Location: Park City, Utah

Rowe Michels is the CEO and Founder of Alpheus Water Research and Alpheus Water Fund I, focusing on early-stage investments in disruptive new water technologies. Prior to launching Alpheus in 2017, Rowe was a Wall Street executive, holding positions as Portfolio Manager, Director of Research and Research Analyst on both the buy-side and sell-side. As an analyst, Rowe was responsible for Electric and Water Utilities, and was ranked #1 in this role for 11 consecutive years. Rowe also currently serves as a Board Member and has part-time operating roles in companies such as EcoVAP, Inc. (www.ecovap; VP of Strategic Planning); Energi (www.energi.us; Director of New Water Technology Research and Integration) and Sustainable Desal (https://www.oceanwellwater.com). Rowe currently resides in Park City, Utah, has five children and 10 grandchildren.

Nicolaas Pannekeet

/in , /by

LinkedIn

Company: PureTerra Management Cooperatief U.A

Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands

Over 20 years of entrepreneurship in China has allowed me to gain knowledge about its business and investment landscape.

My most notable endeavor, Van den Berg Roses China, developed into being China’s leading flower business. In 2014, my team and I were awarded the Cathay Pacific award for Best Dutch Entrepreneurs in China.

I’ve also been co-founder and investor in a multitude of global business ventures and I’m highly passionate about mentoring other entrepreneurs. I am an active member of the global Entrepreneurs Organization network. I have managed both their Shanghai Mentorship and Accelerator program and am currently volunteering to establish the Shanghai chapter’s Social Impact Program.

I reside with my family in Shanghai, but one of our favorite places is Kenya, where the abundance of nature and wildlife makes us feel incredibly enriched.

In October 2018, I completed my first full IRONMAN in Louisville, Kentucky.

Alissa Peterson

/in , , /by

LinkedIn

Company: SeaAhead

Location: Boston, Massachusetts

At SeaAhead, we work with startups that will have an impact in ocean health and sustainable ocean industries. SeaAhead manages a vibrant innovation community, with an incubator, BlueSwell, an accelerator, Gulf Blue Navigator, and facilitates seed-stage investments through our Blue Angels investor group and soon SeaAhead Ventures.

SeaAhead catalyzes the intersection of innovation + sustainability + the oceans – what we are calling Bluetech. The increased stress that our growing population & industrialization is placing on the ocean presents an acute need, as well as an opportunity, for scalable new technologies and ventures to improve ocean sustainability. We are designing SeaAhead to be a nexus, bringing together technologists, scientists, startups, corporations, governments and other ocean stakeholders to create impact in areas including greener shipping and ports, aquaculture and fishery processes, offshore alternative energy, coastal resiliency, ocean plastics and smart cities.

SeaAhead has launched by supporting new startups, working with corporations to facilitate their interaction with new ventures and events to galvanize the community. We will seek in the near future to include a venture investment fund as well.

Alissa Peterson

/in , , /by

LinkedIn

Company: SeaAhead

Location: Boston, Massachusetts

At SeaAhead, we work with startups that will have an impact in ocean health and sustainable ocean industries. SeaAhead manages a vibrant innovation community, with an incubator, BlueSwell, an accelerator, Gulf Blue Navigator, and facilitates seed-stage investments through our Blue Angels investor group and soon SeaAhead Ventures.

SeaAhead catalyzes the intersection of innovation + sustainability + the oceans – what we are calling Bluetech. The increased stress that our growing population & industrialization is placing on the ocean presents an acute need, as well as an opportunity, for scalable new technologies and ventures to improve ocean sustainability. We are designing SeaAhead to be a nexus, bringing together technologists, scientists, startups, corporations, governments and other ocean stakeholders to create impact in areas including greener shipping and ports, aquaculture and fishery processes, offshore alternative energy, coastal resiliency, ocean plastics and smart cities.

SeaAhead has launched by supporting new startups, working with corporations to facilitate their interaction with new ventures and events to galvanize the community. We will seek in the near future to include a venture investment fund as well.

Millicent Pitts

/in , , /by

LinkedIn

Company: Ocean Exchange, Inc.

Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Milly is the executive director of OceanExchange, that gives non-dilutive funding to innovative start-ups that support healthy oceans and a sustainable Blue Economy. She previously was an executive in the chemical/materials industry for 30 years.

In addition to her role at Ocean Exchange, she is a mentor with Creative Destruction Labs (Oceans) in Halifax, is on the Leadership Team of OceansVisions.org, and has previously mentored or judged in collaboration with other partners such as Clean Tech Open and NREL. She leads the Ocean Exchange efforts to grow and communicate with the community of ocean and blue tech innovators.

She holds an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Albert Prewitt

/in /by

LinkedIn

Company: FreeWater

Location: Austin, Texas

Currently, I am a partner of an Austin based startup called FreeWater. Our water is free because we use the packaging as ad space. Our labels are blank canvases and with QR codes we can connect anything on the internet such as shopping, ordering food, collecting coupons or downloading movies, TV shows, books, video games, software, and more. Most importantly, we donate .10 cents per beverage to charity to help build water wells for people in need. When you do the math we only need 10% of Americans to save money ad drink FreeWater and we could end the global water crisis permanently. That equates to building water wells for over 800 million people around the world.

Albert Prewitt

/in /by

LinkedIn

Company: FreeWater

Location: Austin, Texas

Currently, I am a partner of an Austin based startup called FreeWater. Our water is free because we use the packaging as ad space. Our labels are blank canvases and with QR codes we can connect anything on the internet such as shopping, ordering food, collecting coupons or downloading movies, TV shows, books, video games, software, and more. Most importantly, we donate .10 cents per beverage to charity to help build water wells for people in need. When you do the math we only need 10% of Americans to save money ad drink FreeWater and we could end the global water crisis permanently. That equates to building water wells for over 800 million people around the world.