ATI congratulates winners of the 2014 SXSW Eco Startup Showcase

Five companies were announced as winners of the sustainable startup competition sponsored by the Austin Technology Incubator and Austin Energy.

Startup Showcase is a pitch competition for top greentech, cleanweb, and social-impact companies which takes place at the annual SXSW Eco conference. Now in its third year, the Showcase featured 32 companies that presented a four-minute pitch and then engaged in a four-minute Q&A session with the judges from companies the likes of Target, Shell Technology Ventures, the Whole Planet Foundation, New Enterprise Associates and Sprint.

The winners

In the Social Impact – Not for Profit category, the winner was Open Water Foundation of Fort Collins, CO. The Open Water Foundation is a social enterprise that focuses on open source software to help make better decisions about water resources.

In the Social Impact – For Profit category, the winner was Drinkwell of Boston, MA. Drinkwell is transforming the global water crisis into an entrepreneurial opportunity by blending proprietary filtration technology with a franchise business model.

In the Greentech category, there was a tie. One winner was PAX Pure of San Rafael, CA. PAX Pure is bringing to market an innovation in thermal water purification, focused on treating and recycling difficult waters.

The other Greentech winner was Picasolar of Fayetteville, AR. Picasolar invented the largest single step efficiency improvement in solar since 1974. Its technology delivers higher efficiencies, less silver and is third-party validated.

In Cleanweb, the winner was Lagoon of Cincinnati, OH. Lagoon’s self-install sensor and mobile app helps homeowners understand water use, reduce expenses and catch potential leaks.

SXSW Eco serves as a launching pad for these winners and all participating companies, and is a place of discovery for investors and corporations from across the country.

Skills

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October 8, 2014