Israeli water start-up selected as international 'technology pioneer'
Watergen's rapid technology uses the “air we breathe” and converts it into “the most premium quality drinking water,” the start-up says on its website.
By ILANIT CHERNICKUpdated: JUNE 27, 2018 21:30Watergen units were set up in the US to assist people in Texas and Florida by providing clean and safe drinking water in the aftermath of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma last year(photo credit: Courtesy)
The World Economic Forum has chosen Watergen as one of its technology pioneers out of hundreds of candidates.The Israeli start-up’s devices and technology are a new source of clean drinking water, using patented Genius technology. The device is simple to use, requiring only an energy source, which cracks many water challenges the world faces, including drought, defective and damaged water supply systems and dangerous lead pipes that pollute the drinking water.In addition, Watergen’s transformative advances have dramatic implications for worldwide water security, promoting peace, stability, and environmental sustainability.Watergen’s rapid technology uses the “air we breathe” and converts it into “the most premium quality drinking water,” the start-up says on its website.With clean drinking water being the sixth goal on the UN’s 2030 Sustainable Development list, executive chairman Maxim Pasik said last week that the company had emphasized to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres when he visited Israel recently that “Watergen technology is the game changer for the global drinking water crisis. We do not have to wait until 2030 to achieve this goal.”“Our patented water-from-air technology will save millions of lives and improve the quality of life of billions, prevent water access-based conflict, and eliminate unnecessary pollution from plastic waste,” Pasik said. “With this award, we will accelerate our expansion and, together with additional like-minded international partners, change the world by ensuring every human being has its most fundamental lifeline of clean and safe drinking water.”Pasik will participate in the WEF’s Annual Meeting of the New Champions. This meeting, also dubbed “Summer Davos,” will be held in Tianjin, China, from September 18 to 20.Many “pioneers” will also attend the annual meeting in Davos, in January 2019, and continue to contribute to forum initiatives in the course of the next two years.“We welcome Watergen in this diverse group of technology pioneers,” said Fulvia Montresor, head of Technology Pioneer at the WEF. “Watergen and its fellow pioneers are front and center in shaping the ongoing Fourth Industrial Revolution, and we believe they will be transforming society and industry in a positive way in the years to come.”AdvertisementSeven other Israeli start-ups also made the WEF “technology pioneers” list, including Utilis, a firm that uses satellite technology to detect water leaks; Innoviz Technologies, which makes light detection and ranging sensors for self-driving cars; and Aqua Security, a cybersecurity firm that works on increasing the security of software containers and prevent suspicious activity in real time.
This year’s cohort of technology pioneers chosen by the WEF has been dubbed the most diverse ever – both geographically and in terms of gender, with 25% female-led, and a majority, 52%, coming from regions outside the United States and Silicon Valley.This includes start-ups from Germany, Australia, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, China, New Zealand, Morocco, Brazil, Kenya, Sweden, Canada, France and the UK. Each continent will be represented, barring Antarctica.
