Udi Tirosh

LinkedIn

Company: Verstill

I reside in Tel-Aviv by the shores of the Mediterranean, (still) raising 3 grown-up kids, and enjoy open-sea swimming. I am an executive and entrepreneur in advanced technology, recently focusing on breakthrough water desalination and treatment technologies. I founded and headed the Water Reuse Business Unit at IDE Technologies – leading the business case for advanced methods of membranal purification of treated wastewater. I 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.

I implemented advanced water technology pilot installations and water treatment projects in China, Philippines, India, Spain, Taiwan, Norway and USA.

Prior to my Water career I had been in Venture Capital investments, I founded and managed a Software startup and a DIY recreational center, I led Corporate Spin-off of advanced image processing startup, and I designed UI/UX for Israeli Air-Force F-16 cockpit systems.

I have an MBA degree from INSEAD, France, a master’s degree in cognitive science and artificial intelligence from the Technion, Israel, and a bachelor’s degree in physics & mathematics from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

Reese Tisdale

LinkedIn

Company: Bluefield Research

Location: Boston, MA

Prior to co-founding Bluefield, Mr. Tisdale was Research Director for IHS Emerging Energy Research, a leading research and advisory firm focused on renewable energy. He also has demonstrated experience in groundwater remediation for oil & gas companies and as an international market analyst for Thermo Fisher Scientific.

Mr. Tisdale’s perspectives on baseline critical infrastructure needs, developing economies, and the world is influenced by his three years in El Salvador, where he led water supply and agriculture projects immediately following the country’s civil war. Always willing to share his experiences and insights, he has been cited by Bloomberg News, CBS News, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times. He is also a frequent panelist and moderator at global industry and corporate events.

Bluefield Research supports companies and organizations that pursuing opportunities and change in the water sector, municipal and industrial, with in-depth, data-backed market intelligence. Our team of water experts guide decision makers with ongoing, global analysis through insight reports, corporate subscriptions, and consulting services.

The Weekly Dive #8

Airbus is starting tests for its zero-emission hydrogen-powered fuel cell engine. Umaro Foods is turning seaweed into vegan bacon. US water spending grew 23% in 2022. Data centers consume 1% of the world’s electricity. The cleanest drinking water may actually be recycled water. Pink snow may sound cute but it is a threat to our water reserves. This week, we are highlighting Didier Gogniat, a member of HydroDAO and the creator of The Weekly Dive! Learn about my background and why I am devoting my life work to water.

Your weekly Bonus – 5 billion people will face water shortages by 2050.

This week’s quote: 

Dive into the ocean
It’s calling your name
It’s waves rise and fall
It’s never the same 

And you are a bubble 
Within this vast sea
You’re rising and falling
In this Life, to Be 

A bubble of Joy now
Your breath takes you home 
Take hold of those bubbles
Expand them, feel them grow 

For as you’re the bubble
You’re also the sea
The walls of the bubble
Dissolve and you are set Free


What’s New with Water?

Airbus unveils zero-emissions hydrogen-powered fuel cell engine 

The next steps will be for Airbus to start ground and flight testing this fuel cell engine architecture.

This startup turned seaweed into delicious vegan bacon

Umaro Foods may have developed the first vegan bacon that’s actually good.

Toyota is getting ready to test its hydrogen combustion engine on the streets 

Toyota’s hydrogen combustion engine has already made a name for itself in the Super Taikyu endurance race.

All types of plastics now recyclable thanks to two companies 

This is number 22 on IE’s list of 22 best innovations, a look back at recycling for all plastics.


What’s New in the Industry?

Dutch blended finance fund edges closer to $1bn goal

Swedish donor Swedfund and the UN’s Green Climate Fund have committed $180 million to the Climate Investor Two (CI2) blended finance vehicle.

Investors With $8T Call For Phase-Out Of Dangerous ‘Forever Chemicals’ 

World’s biggest chemical companies turning blind eye to emerging global crisis.

US water spending is up 23% in 2022. Where next?

It makes 2022 one of the best years for the sector on record, but it begs the question: where do we go from here?

How Data Centers Are Guzzling up the World’s Electricity

Research shows that DCs consume close to 1% of the worlds electricity consumption!


What’s New in the Science?

The cleanest drinking water is recycled

New research shows treated wastewater can be more dependable and less toxic than common tap water sources including rivers and groundwater.

Pink snow: Here’s how this ‘cute’ phenomenon threatens water supplies in the US 

Pink snow isn’t as cute as it sounds. Snow algae, a group of freshwater microalgae, gives snow its pink color.

Minnesota tries new technologies to remove ‘forever chemicals’ from water

“The hope here is that we are able to reduce the spread of PFAS, so that we can reduce the number of necessary treatment options on wells,”

Plastic Rain Is a Now a Thing, And We’ve Underestimated Just How Heavy It Is 

A plastic mist descends from the sky each day. You can’t see it. Or feel it. It has no smell or taste.


I sit at the intersection of watertech and finance. I have been working for the past 3 years for Water Innovation Advisors (WIA), an investment and networking platform I co-founded with Stuart Rudick. I am currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Corporate Finance in Switzerland while helping to build HydroDAO. Previously, I had roles in fashion retail at Longchamp and Giorgio Armani. Of French, Swiss, and Japanese roots, my studies and work have taken me to many watery spots on the planet. I have lived in London (UK), San Francisco (US), Boston (US), Lausanne (CH), Lyon (FR), and Kobe (JP).

Why Water?

My father taught me the importance of cherishing nature as he would regularly take me on outdoor activities skiing, climbing, hiking, alpinism, and canyoning. The first time I was confronted with climate change and its impact on water was in my early teens when I climbed the Glacier Blanc in the French Alps and he would tell me how much bigger the glacier used to be in his time and how the glacier would probably not exist in a couple of generations. It seemed to me unfair that I could get the opportunity to experience such a grandiose spectacle but my children could not because of previous generations’ actions and selfish decisions, but I felt too young to act upon it at the time.

Throughout my studies, new encounters with the power of water started to make me aware of its importance. Water could have killed me when I got stuck in a heavy rainstorm on top of the Huangshan Mountain in the Anhui Province in China, but water also saved my life through ten days of chest drainage after I got a spontaneous pneumothorax in London.

While in California, I discovered environmental movements, social activism, and passionate people who ended up influencing me, particularly Stuart Rudick. Stuart made me aware of the urgency of solving climate change and of the crucial role water plays in the environment.


What’s in the Future?

5 Billion People Will Face Water Shortages by 2050, U.N. Says

The World Meteorological Organization warns that climate-related shortages in water resources could affect two thirds of the world’s population by midcentury and will be felt unevenly.

Inna Ulanova

LinkedIn

Company: Reservoir LLC

Location: Austin, TX

Inna has worked with executives and next-gen leaders to support societal impact, leadership development, diversity and equity, and accessibility design through evidence-based learning and development programs for the past 12 years.

Masaki Umeda

LinkedIn

Company: Metawater Co., Ltd.

Location: Tokyo, Japan

Dedicated professional with experience across a range of industries including water infrastructure, medical device, and consumer electronics.

Demonstrates strong team-building, project management, and leadership skills to lead cross-border and cross-functional teams to execute on strategic goals and deliverables. Results oriented, data-driven, always curious mindset combined with strong cross-cultural business experience.

Alexander van der Kleij

LinkedIn

Company: InfoTiles

Location: The Hague, Netherlands

SolarDew has developed a unique solar desalination products to provide clean drinking water to households and off grid communities.

SolarDew provides a decentralized drinking water solution specifically for off grid applications to complement other desalination or water technologies in order to achieve SDG6 and provide all people with access to safe and clean drinking water.

Alexander van der Kleij

LinkedIn

Company: InfoTiles

Location: The Hague, Netherlands

SolarDew has developed a unique solar desalination products to provide clean drinking water to households and off grid communities.

SolarDew provides a decentralized drinking water solution specifically for off grid applications to complement other desalination or water technologies in order to achieve SDG6 and provide all people with access to safe and clean drinking water.

Kristan VandenHeuvel

LinkedIn

Company: The Water Tower

Location: Buford, Georgia

I am an environmental scientist focused on water innovation with a passion for helping others understand the importance of water for every aspect of life. My background is in research planning, program development, project management, strategic communications, and stakeholder engagement with expertise in water reuse, agricultural water reuse, desalination, wastewater treatment, scientific communication, and public outreach.

I’ve worked in water industry for nearly ten years and I am currently serving as the Director of Applied Research and Engagement at The Water Tower, the new global innovation hub in Gwinnett County, Georgia. Born out of Gwinnett County Department of Water Resources and launched in 2019, The Water Tower is where water innovators engage in applied research, workforce development, technology innovation, and community engagement to help water and wastewater utilities become more progressive.

Kristan VandenHeuvel

LinkedIn

Company: The Water Tower

Location: Buford, Georgia

I am an environmental scientist focused on water innovation with a passion for helping others understand the importance of water for every aspect of life. My background is in research planning, program development, project management, strategic communications, and stakeholder engagement with expertise in water reuse, agricultural water reuse, desalination, wastewater treatment, scientific communication, and public outreach.

I’ve worked in water industry for nearly ten years and I am currently serving as the Director of Applied Research and Engagement at The Water Tower, the new global innovation hub in Gwinnett County, Georgia. Born out of Gwinnett County Department of Water Resources and launched in 2019, The Water Tower is where water innovators engage in applied research, workforce development, technology innovation, and community engagement to help water and wastewater utilities become more progressive.