?? Scaling Water Innovation: Meeting expectations
The Aquatech Innovation Forum #3 tackled a big theme: 'Aligning action to scale water solutions'. When I think of this, one quote comes to mind:
“Today’s unspoken expectations are tomorrow’s frustrations.”
The water sector has a huge opportunity in the coming years to align expectations and fast-track new solutions to tackle the challenges ahead. Thanks to the audience for getting involved and sharing great insights.
We grouped the room into three key perspectives—Technology Providers, Water Utilities, and Investors. There was a lot of great input and here are a few of the takeaways as to what each group expects to accelerate progress:
?? Utilities: Need clear KPIs for pilots to inform adoption, have a preference for plug-and-play solutions that integrate with existing systems. But they need better regulatory clarity and procurement flexibility to speed up adoption.
?? Investors: Need commitment from utilities beyond the pilot stage to understand the investment potential. That feedback from utilities is critical and more could be done in dialogue (well referenced by Matt Simpson) They’re also looking for blended finance models (VC + grants + infrastructure funds) and alignment with upcoming regulations.
?? Tech Providers: Need faster decisions from utilities, clear roadmaps from pilot to scale, and standardisation across the sector. They also need funding structures that match water’s long adoption cycles. Having more visibility across the utility earlier would also speed things up.
If we want real impact, we need better alignment, earlier engagement, and more flexible financing. No more pilots that go nowhere—we need clear pathways to full deployment.
It felt as if in the room we could meet a lot of the expectations and get things moving.
Massive thanks to the panel Karsten Lumbye Jensen Karen J. Frost Scott Gr?nnegaard Allison Liza Faber, PE & the hosts for the event Tom Freyberg Marielle van Meerwijk- van der Toorn
#WaterInnovation #ClimateAction #Utilities #Investment #TechForGood #Sustainability #WaterTech