Time is right for European Water Tech Start Ups

Firstly, huge congrats to Jacob Tompkins and Gaetane Suzenet for organising The European Water Tech Accelerator Start Up and Scale Up Summit in Brussels this week. It was a real privilege for AquaFed to be at this very rare example of a dynamic, solution-focused discussion in the water sector.

They main topics for discussion were: the experiences and tips on being a start-up, new forms of funding innovation, deployment of innovation in utilities and European industries. This was followed by a morning of speed networking (which we love and are trying to get this communication form as standard in the sector).

We urge you to read Tom Freyberg 's summary which captures the essence of the sessions over the two-days.

However, some additional points from us are below. ?At the Summit, all participants were forbidden to talk about problems and to focus on solutions and be positive, so we have tried to maintain that spirit here.

Lots of opportunities for policy change that supports competitiveness

Tom rightly mentions that the Commission is listening.? Yes there is activity around circularity economies and resilience, which water tech SMEs and start-ups should be following and helping to shape these policy ideas and into legislation.

There is also a wider agenda on driving up European competitiveness and with it – so much potential to boost innovation and competitiveness for EU-based companies. The recent excellent report by Mario Draghi lays out in detail the extent of the issues that need to be addressed on innovation on the EU. His report also makes a very comprehensive list of very specific recommendations.

There are plenty of great innovators in the sector

….they just need to be supported to develop and deploy. One of the investors at the Summit reminded us of a basic lesson which is confidence makes investors invest. Water is seen as one of the least innovative sectors. A solution? Start by showing investors there is a community of innovators; an eco-system of SMEs and start-ups all focused on tackling a small set of very clear problems. ?This is an opportunity for more tech accelerators – we simply don’t have enough.

Europe has woken up to its water problems

Too much or too little, with catastrophic consequences. Recent extreme floods and heatwaves over the past few years, means Europe has realised it is being hit by the same water crisis as everywhere else in the world. The opportunity? As one innovator said: “Europe is a blank sheet of paper for how to manage water between users”. So a great example of where innovative solutions are needed.

Start-ups and SMEs need to speak to policymakers with one voice

Overall, from the Summit, our message to SMEs and start-ups are that now more than ever, you need to speak with a collective voice to regulators, national governments and the EU institutions. Collectively, we should be working on a comprehensive set of legislative and regulatory changes that positively impact all parts of your businesses, to give you a much better chance of success.

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