mHUB and Current Announce Sustainable Water Tech Cohort

Written by mHUB | October 14, 2025

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Press Contact:
Kim Blomquist
872.222.5279
kim@mhub.org

Haylee Gemeiner
312.448.7740
hgemeiner@currentwater.org

mHUB and Current Announce Sustainable Water Tech Accelerator Cohort

Organizations will support seven startups focused on water solutions for industrial applications

(CHICAGO - October 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.

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About mHUB
mHUB is the nation’s leading independent innovation center dedicated to accelerating hardtech development—where physical products are designed, built, and launched to solve real-world challenges in energy, healthcare, sustainability, and advanced manufacturing. At the intersection of innovation and industry, mHUB incubates high-potential startups to commercialize critical technologies faster and with intention. Based in Chicago, mHUB operates an 80,000+ square-foot prototyping and micro-factory alongside deep technical and entrepreneurial mentorship, a robust investor and pilot network, and U.S.-based suppliers and manufacturing expertise. mHUB’s model includes mHUB Ventures, which has invested in 54 startups across smart and sustainable manufacturing, energy tech, and medtech, and HardTech Development Services, an R&D consultancy for manufacturers. Since launching in 2017, mHUB has supported over 1,200 entrepreneurs and 500 startups that have generated more than $1.96B in revenue, launched over 1,700 products, created nearly 7,000 jobs, and raised over $2B in capital. mHUB plays a critical role in strengthening U.S. competitiveness and building the physical future from the heart of the Midwest.

About Current
Current is an independent nonprofit water innovation hub, founded in Chicago in 2016. Our mission is to grow a circular blue economy, accelerate water innovation, and solve pressing water challenges. We bring together corporations, advocates, researchers and governments to develop water management policies and test new technologies— projects that would be too risky or even impossible without sustained collaboration. Current has helped to raise more than $58 million to support water innovation and economic development in the region; launched the first real-time water quality monitoring tool for Chicago waterways; drafted a blueprint to build a thriving blue economy in Illinois, and supported the commercialization of more than 40 water startups. Learn more

About Great Lakes ReNEW
Great Lakes ReNEW is a National Science Foundation Regional Innovation Engine driving the transition to a circular blue economy, strengthening U.S. economic competitiveness and supply chains, and safeguarding one of our most vital national security assets—our abundant freshwater. This six-state, 60+ partner coalition is developing breakthrough technologies to recover valuable minerals and remove harmful contaminants from water and wastewater. Led by Chicago-based water innovation hub Current, which was awarded up to $160 million in NSF funding over 10 years in 2024, ReNEW unites research institutions, industry, utilities, workforce experts, and investors to accelerate use-inspired R&D, commercialization, and workforce development in the water sector. With industrial water demand rising, securing our domestic water supply, recovering critical minerals, and eliminating toxic pollutants is more urgent than ever. Learn more and get involved at greatlakesrenew.org.

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