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mHUB and Current have launched an ambitious new accelerator program aimed at rapidly commercializing physical water technologies. This venture comes at a pressing moment for the industry: Aging infrastructure, increasing industrial water use, and tightening regulations are creating a true sense of urgency around technological innovation.

The Sustainable Water Tech Accelerator, formally announced this spring, is now actively recruiting early-stage companies developing physical products across the water and wastewater space. The six-month accelerator, backed by the NSF-funded Great Lakes ReNEW Engine, will select 8–10 startups to participate later this year.

But the stakes are broader than one cohort.

“Water is becoming far more visible as both a business problem and an innovation opportunity,” said Thierry Van Landegem, mHUB’s executive director of the accelerator. “The industry’s needs are real: aging infrastructure, nutrient recovery, PFAS remediation, rare earth extraction from wastewater, industrial reuse. And many of the solutions will require physical product development, not just software.”

mHUB’s hard-tech advantage

Founded eight years ago, mHUB is one of the country’s largest independent hard-tech innovation centers, specializing in early-stage hardware development across sectors like clean energy, advanced manufacturing, and now water.

Startups accepted into the program will have access to mHUB’s 80,000-square-foot Chicago facility, complete with $6 million in prototyping equipment and hands-on training in design for manufacturing, product development, and supply-chain readiness.

“We’ve supported nearly 1,000 startups and have strong playbooks for getting physical products from concept to prototype, to pilot, and into early commercialization,” said Melissa Lederer, mHUB’s Chief Experience Officer, referencing past accelerator programs (energy tech, smart manufacturing, IIoT). “Water is a natural next frontier. You need capital, yes, but you also need a place to physically build, test, and validate.”

Direct links to industry problems

Unlike many accelerators that focus broadly on startups, this partnership is deeply tied to industry-validated problem sets, shaped by mHUB’s corporate partners and Current’s Great Lakes ReNEW network. Their corporate advisory groups have outlined priority innovation gaps:

• Aging infrastructure diagnostics

• Nutrient and mineral recovery from wastewater

• PFAS detection, removal, and destruction technologies

• Industrial water reuse and circular economy systems

• Energy recovery from wastewater biogas

“We’re not building these challenge statements in a vacuum,” Van Landegem said. “We’re listening directly to utilities, manufacturers, and industrial users who need deployable solutions, not just theoretical breakthroughs.”

The key to the accelerator’s success is actual market deployment.

Why it’s timely

As Lederer emphasized, the urgency around water technology has never been greater — and is now drawing federal attention at scale. The NSF has committed up to $160 million over 10 years to Great Lakes ReNEW, and multiple national agencies (NOAA, DOE) are investing heavily into water infrastructure R&D.

Look at Flint. Look at Jackson. Look at PFAS. The industry’s technological innovation may seem on face value to be lagging, but, as evidenced by partnerships like the one drawn between mHUB and Current, there is real momentum around research and deployment. As recently as a decade ago, that sense of forward progress wasn’t necessarily clear.

Who can apply

While the Great Lakes region is a focal point, the program is open to companies globally, so long as selected startups can commit to spending significant time in Chicago during the accelerator period. About two-thirds of mHUB’s previous accelerator cohorts have come from outside the Midwest, many even internationally.

Startups will receive up to $200,000 in cash and in-kind support, along with extended post-accelerator access to mHUB’s labs and network for two years.

Learn more about the application process here. Applications will be accepted until July 23.

Metrics for success

The accelerator is structured around clear commercialization milestones:

• Customer discovery and validation

• Prototype development and field testing

• Pilot deployments with municipal or industrial partners

• Investor readiness and follow-on fundraising

“We want them pitching to customers and investors with confidence by the end of six months,” said Van Landegem. “And we’re here to help them hit those benchmarks.”

What comes next

The first cohort will kick off in 2025. Lederer and Van Landegem both emphasized they welcome ongoing conversations with utilities, manufacturers, and investors looking to engage with the accelerator, either as partners, pilot hosts, or future collaborators.

As water increasingly moves from “invisible resource” to top-tier business priority, the mHUB-Current partnership aims to position the Great Lakes region as a national epicenter for deployable, hard-tech water solutions.