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Panama will host the H2O Challenge and Global Day 2018

Sun, 07/22/2018 - 18:26

The City of Knowledge Foundation, in partnership with IE University, CONAGUA, SENACYT and the collaboration of the World Bank, will hold on July 25 and 26 at the City of Knowledge, the Conference Cycle of the H2O Challenge and Global Demo Day 2018; a pioneering global program, created with the aim of identifying and enhancing business projects with viable and sustainable solutions within the water industry.

This year, more than 10 countries were represented through 45 StartUps, with their projects including Panama with "Smart Controller" and "Green Modular Water", Ecuador "Yukupura", Portugal "Water Wiser", Colombia "Aero- Desalinator wind 7500", Brazil "Omniwater", Costa Rica "Eco Wash ERNC", Norway with "Envoronor" among others.

60% of the projects are based in Latin America, and 80% already have clients, highlighting that the participants have an average of three people in their teams. Through innovation, these companies will be able to present a promising model plan that will have a positive impact on the preservation of the greatest natural resource: water.

For the participants, this acceleration program, organized by IE University in collaboration with the City of Knowledge, and with the support of CONAGUA, SENACYT and the World Bank, has been a transformative experience. The knowledge acquired through the acceleration program will help the selected projects to understand the current situation of the water sector, validate their business model, improve their management, sales, financial tools and also seek the establishment of a solid strategic action plan for climbing better globally while generating a positive impact on society.

The H2O Challenge & Global Demo Day included in the first stage a two-week acceleration program in Panama City, a social weekend to discover different scenarios of the country, conferences and demonstration of innovative projects from the ten selected startups.

IMPORTANT DATA TO LEARN

· Less than 1% of the water supply on Earth can be used as drinking water

· A child dies every 8 seconds from a water-related illness

· Today, at least 400 million people worldwide live in regions with severe water shortages.

· Only 2.5% of water on Earth is fresh.

· Freshwater species are disappearing at a rate five times faster than native land animals.

Ariosto Velásquez

http://www.panamatoday.com/life-style/panama-will-host-h2o-challenge-and-global-day-2018-7380