CHICAGO – (Oct. 14, 2025) — mHUB, a leading hardtech and manufacturing innovation center, and Current, a nonprofit water innovation hub and anchor of the NSF Great Lakes RENEW Engine, announce that seven early-stage startups have been selected for their Sustainable Water Tech Accelerator cohort.
The accelerator pairs mHUB’s hardtech commercialization platform and venture capital arm with Current’s strength in solving local and global water challenges through its network of industry experts. It is funded in part by the National Science Foundation-backed Great Lakes RENEW Engine.
The program will support cohort participants with equity investment, product development resources, and pilot opportunities to make industries more efficient and resilient through water. Each team will receive investment from mHUB Ventures, $200,000 in cash and in-kind support, and join the RENEW coalition of over 75 partners across six states advancing water technology research, commercialization, and workforce development.
Selected from a competitive pool of over 300 applicants, the seven cohort participants are focused on resource recovery, contamination removal, and water and energy efficiencies. They are, in alphabetical order:
- Amplify Dynamics(Chicago, IL) – developing ultrasound removal of particle contaminants from water.
- FloNergia (Dundas, Ontario, Canada) – building energy-efficient, no-moving parts, water circulation and aeration systems.
- Grapherry (Chicago, IL) – upcycling waste into customizable high-quality graphene.
- Nano Gas(Deerfield, IL) – creating tiny bubbles to clean dirty water and capture oil.
- Noah System(Chicago, IL) – preventing lead contamination in drinking water through automated flushing.
- Rhoic (Emeryville, CA) – building a nanofiber manufacturing platform for customizable filtration and separation.
- Spacedrip(Tallinn, Estonia) – creating automated onsite water reuse systems cutting water bills.
“These seven companies are tackling some of today’s toughest industrial water challenges with innovations that will transform how we use, treat, and reuse water,” said Dr. Nina Dudnik, Chief Commercial Officer, Current. “Water technologies face unique challenges on the path to market, and our programming is designed to support the most promising innovations to overcome those hurdles. Together, we’re helping accelerate technologies that not only strengthen industries, but also safeguard, water resources for the future.”
“Water is one of the most important but undercapitalized sectors in sustainable and infrastructure innovation. It stands at the rare intersection of urgency and opportunity,” said Thierry Van Landegem, Executive Director, mHUB Accelerator. “As the demand for water rises, mHUB is committed to bridging industry with new solutions that make water usage more efficient, circular, and clean. I look forward to helping this cohort scale their impressive water technologies during this time of great need.”
Each team in the accelerator is paired with experienced mentors, receives stipends to support product development and design, and is integrated into an extensive supplier network. Participants benefit from exclusive access to industry-leading resources, testbeds, and pilot opportunities from supporting industry and consortium partners including Marmon, Sentry, Exelon, and Ingredion. Programmatic and legal support will be provided by Perkins Coie.
The program will conclude in April with a Demo Day event. To follow the cohort, subscribe to updates.
To learn more about the program, visit the Sustainable Water Tech program page.
