On May 3rd, AquaAction and the de Gaspé Beaubien Foundation celebrated AquaEntrepreneur Quebec’s first anniversary! We are proud of what we have accomplished over the last year, and we are more motivated than ever to continue our work in the preservation and healthy management of fresh water.
Soula Chronopoulos, President of AquaAction, explains: “Our AquaEntrepreneur program is concrete proof that innovation is the key to solving the environmental challenges we face. More importantly, it has demonstrated that economic growth, environmental impact, and innovation can successfully coexist. The future of our freshwater depends on the solutions developed today, and the new generation is leading the way. We are proud to see the success the program has had in its first year, and we are committed to continuing to support emerging companies to create a lasting positive impact on the environment.”
Francois de Gaspé Beaubien, Chair of AquaAction’s Board of Directors, adds: “The De Gaspé Beaubien family is proud to have founded AquaAction, a non-profit organization, and to support its AquaEntrepreneur program. By working with emerging water technology companies, we have the opportunity to contribute more efficiently to the management of our most precious resource: water. We will continue to measure our impact to meet and exceed our goals. Water must be considered essential and be on the agenda of every corporation and citizen in the country.”
About AquaEntrepreneur
AquaEntrepreneur is a program that drives the commercialization and adoption of innovative freshwater solutions by municipalities, along with the industrial and agricultural sectors.
The objective is to revolutionize the freshwater industry by giving water technology enterprises the tools and support that they need for their pilot projects to gain a foothold in difficult-to-reach target markets. By rationalizing the validation process of innovative solutions, this program can help to counteract the effects of climate change and drive economic progress, while ensuring that global freshwater treatment practices remain efficient and effective.
A First Year Filled with Innovation
In the first year of the cohort, AquaEntrepreneur facilitated the deployment of 5 municipal pilot projects:
- Clean Nature reduces the impact of salt spreading on roads – they are deploying a pilot with the City of Assomption
- Smartrek offers a device to detect leaks in the drinking water distribution network - they are deploying a pilot with the City of Boisbriand
- Hoola One recovers plastics from soil and sandy beaches - they are deploying a pilot with Parc Jean-Drapeau
- Watershed Monitoring offers a water management platform, from source to tap - they are deploying a pilot with the City of Gatineau
- EMO3 proposes a modular ozonation unit for small to medium-sized municipalities - they are deploying a pilot with the Quebec Aquarium
It’s Only the Beginning!
The recently-launched second cohort of AquaEntrepreneur has experienced an unprecedented growth of 350% in participating businesses compared to cohort 1, growing from 6 to 20, and the program expects to achieve its three-year goals in the first year.
With the support of a $2 million grant from the MEIE, the AquaEntrepreneur program aims to create 200 jobs in the water management sector by 2025, with an economic impact of $150,000 million. In addition, 76 pilots are expected to be deployed, double the original target of 38. Three more cohorts are planned by 2025.
Through close collaboration with municipalities, industries, and government agencies, AquaEntrepreneur will help improve water management efficiency, promote environmental sustainability, and stimulate technological innovation. AquaEntrepreneur aims to build a sustainable future for water management in local communities and beyond.