We are thrilled to be named the grand prize winner of the 2020 John Edwardson Social New Venture Challenge! Our deepest gratitude to our wall of advisors and mentors at the Harris and Booth Schools at the University of Chicago (https://www.livingwaterssystems.org/partners) for facilitating such a memorable virtual incubation experience these last months and their unceasing support of our work!
Excited to be Featured on The Weather Channel
It was an immense joy and privilege to have our initiative featured on the Twin Cities Weather Channel. A huge thank you to Dr. Laura Dunham of the Schulze School of Entrepreneurship who facilitated the interview and Justin Isbecque and the Pattrn media team for creating such a wonderful video.
Proud to be a Cheddar University Trailblazer
It was an unexpected joy and honor to be profiled by Cheddar University’s Trailblazers series. Many thanks to Jacob Munoz and the whole team at the NYC office for inviting us and filming this slick promo for our venture.
Honored to be Recognized by the Famae Foundation
We are honored to have been named a finalist in the Famae 2 Million Euro Challenge and to have been announced as a Famae Top 100 Innovator. A huge thank you to Eric Phillipon and the extended Famae family for believing in us and our vision and look forward to working with the foundation on our upcoming projects!
https://www.facebook.com/famaechallenge/videos/390736681531879/
Cleantech Open 2019
LivingWaters Systems just wrapped up it’s involvement in the Cleantech Northeast Regional Accelerator Program! A huge thank you to Beth Zonis, Tim Hoffman, and everyone who has passed on their generous support in the summer-long incubation process.
Excited to be Profiled by Twin Cities PBS
We are elated to be featured on PBS Rewire’s American Entrepreneur series and would like to express our heartfelt thanks to Dr. Laura Dunham of the Schulze Entrepreneurship School, Clayton Stanberry, Marissa Blahnik and everyone at the Schulze Foundation, Rewire, and EIX who has supported us over these months.
Best Social Impact Initiative at the Schulze Entrepreneurship Challenge
We are thrilled to be named the best social impact startup at the Schulze Entrepreneurship Challenge, the largest undergraduate entrepreneurship competition in North America. Couldn’t have done it without the support of the Entrepreneur and Innovation Exchange (EIX) as well as the extended LivingWaters team and family!
Pictured from left to right: Herbert Joly (Chairman of Best Buy), Ann Winblad, TBA, Joseph Bajor, Joshua Kao, Umair Masood, TBA, Ron Sullivan
A Vatican Top Company for Refugees
We are thrilled to be honored by the Vatican’s official program for social impact companies, the Laudato Si Challenge, as a top 50 company for refugees!
Our First Iteration Pilot in Rajasthan India
Over the course of several weeks, two of our LivingWaters team members traveled to Rajasthan India to conduct trial testing of our technology and undertake extensive consumer surveys in informal settlements across the state. Our findings on the ground during the course of our pilot in Rajasthan, India corroborated several of our assumptions. Based on extensive engagements with over 200 people spread across 7 villages, we were able to conclude that:
Water is a scarce resource in the region we surveyed. Existing sources of water are either unable to meet the needs of the people or too contaminated to warrant prolonged use. As a result, there was a clear demand within the local community for an alternative that would cut down the time, effort and/or health risks associated with accessing water through pre-existing sources. Given the frequency and intensity of rainfall the region received, rainwater harvesting was viewed as a viable option to achieving water self-sufficiency. Therefore, we were able to establish a clear demand for our product among the water-stressed communities of our pilot.
To test the financial viability of our product among our target population, we presented them with the prospect of buying our rainwater harvesting unit and asked them to indicate whether they would deem paying 30 USD (or approximately, 2000 INR) for a system that lasts them 2 years, to be justified or beyond their means. 98% of our respondents said that not only was the price point justified, but that such a system would greatly improve the quality of their lives.
Reflections on Hult Prize 2018 Global Accelerator
When we began this journey, little did we imagine that we would go on to create a brand that not only caught the attention of luminaries ranging from UNHCR officers to venture capitalists, but also propelled us to the world's largest accelerator program in England this summer, all on the back of a simple endearing philosophy: democratizing rainwater harvesting for underprivileged refugee and off-grid communities.
During the course of the past six weeks we had the privilege to gain valuable insights from some of the most talented, hard-working and inspiring individuals we have ever met. As they say- learning by doing is most effective, and that is precisely what we did at the accelerator: we would iterate on our startups, learn, and iterate again. As we move forward we hope to reciprocate the mentorship we received to bring increased recognition to Hult Prize and social entrepreneurship at large, as we strive towards our North Star objective of securing a LivingWaters system to every family tent and housing structure capable of receiving rainfall in refugee camps and informal settlements.
A big thank you to the Hult Prize CEO Ahmad Ashkar, the amazing staff (special s/o to Pilar Avendaño) and the legions of experts (Sheryl Chamberlain in particular) for putting together a successful program and providing us with a platform unlike any other! We would also like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to our family and friends for their unceasing support!