Water Tech Competition Names Expert Panel Of Judges

Israeli Business Competition, Organized by the Massachusetts Water Industry, To Select Company with Revolutionary Potential

Water industry executives and venture capitalists from Massachusetts and Israel will work together to select the most promising innovative company for delivering clean and abundant water in the “Water Export Technology (W.E.T.) Revolution Competition.”  The Competition includes pitches from company finalists, networking opportunities, exhibits, an entertaining program, and prizes.  More details are available at www.wet-revolution.com. This business contest is organized by a water industry trade delegation from Massachusetts, as a highlight of the group’s four-day trip to Israel next month.

The emcee for the Competition is Jim Matheson, President & CEO of Oasys Water, Inc., and a General Partner at Flagship Ventures.  Matheson said, “Judges for the competition are tasked with identifying Israeli water tech companies which are most likely to succeed as they enter the U.S. market.  We’re looking for a solid business model, compelling technology, a strong management team, a customer track record, and demonstrated financial backing.  Based upon the applications we’ve already received, we expect an intense competition and an entertaining program.” The expert panel of judges includes:

• Earl Jones, Partner, Liberation Capital (from Massachusetts) -- Liberation Capital is a project finance and private equity fund that funds modular, repeatable and decentralized cleantech infrastructure. Prior to Liberation Capital, Jones was a Senior Executive at GE Water & Process, served with distinction as an Officer in the U.S. Navy’s Submarine Force, and earned engineering and technology degrees from the US Naval Academy, MIT, the University of Maryland, and an MBA from MIT.  
• Carmichael Roberts, Partner, North Bridge Venture Partners (from Massachusetts) -- North Bridge Venture Partners, which has $3.2B under management, funds companies with seed, early-stage, and growth equity.  Roberts also co-founded several companies including Arsenal Medical, 480 Biomedical, Surface Logix and Nano-Terra, serving as an executive and/or Chairman for each.  Roberts earned his Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Duke University, completed his postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard University, and holds an MBA from MIT.
• Chris McIntire, President, Xylem Analytics (from Massachusetts) -- Xylem Analytics is a division of the $4B publicly-traded water equipment company, Xylem. Prior to joining Xylem, and its predecessor company ITT, McIntire was President and COO of Nova Analytics, and held various engineering and operational roles with Thermo Fisher.  McIntire earned his MBA at Northeastern University, and did undergraduate engineering work at Boston University and Northeastern University.​
• Avner Adin, Chair of Environmental Sciences, Hebrew University (from Israel).  Adin is an environmental engineer who combines teaching, research, and engineering practice.  Since 1981, he has served as a professor and later as Chair of Environmental Sciences, and recently Head of the Graduate School of Applied Science and Technology of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He is also the President of Israel Water Association. Adin earned his doctorate at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology and conducted his post-doctorate work at Iowa State University.
• Shimon Tal, former Water Commissioner of Israel (from Israel) -- Tal served as the Water Commissioner of Israel from 2000 through 2006, with responsibility for the overall planning and regulation of the country’s water sector and water resources.  He currently is Chair of WATEC 2013, an international water industry conference in Tel Aviv.  He previously served as President of the Israeli Water Association, and was VP of Engineering and Executive Board member of Mekorot, the national water utility of Israel.  Tal holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in soil & water sciences from the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology.
• Henry Charrabé, President & CEO, RWL Water Group (from New York) -- With more than a decade of experience in developing water management and investment solutions, Charrabé more than doubled RWL’s revenue in less than a year through strategic acquisitions and organic growth.  Prior to RWL Water Group, Charrabé was a senior executive at RSL Investments Corp. in the United States and Europe. He earned bachelor’s degrees from Freie Universität in Berlin and Tel Aviv University, master’s degrees in political science and international economics and finance from Brandeis University, and a master’s in public administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

The featured speaker at the Competition event, addressing the topic “Going Global with Israeli Technology” will be:

• Dr. Orna Berry, Corporate VP & General Manager, EMC Israel Center of Excellence – Berry will draw on her accomplished background as Chief Scientist of the Israel Ministry of Industry & Trade, General Partner at Gemini Israel Funds, and Founding Partner of Ornet Data Communications.  

The Competition winner’s prize package includes airfare and five days of hotel accommodations for the company’s CEO to visit Massachusetts in the spring of 2013. While in the Commonwealth, the CEO will be introduced to potential channel partners, customers, investors, government officials, and business partners who can help the company make Massachusetts its home-away-from-home as it enters the U.S. market and leverages the state’s water industry cluster for global market access.  Additional prizes for the winner and/or finalists includes free office space at MassChallenge, free legal services from Goodwin Procter LLP, and reduced rate executive search from Green Search Partner.

Applications to enter the Competition are due by Thursday November 29, 2012.  Up to six finalists will be chosen; each will pitch its business plan and technology to the judges and an audience of senior water industry executives at an invitation-only event in Tel Aviv on Tuesday, December 18th. 

Sponsors of the Competition include: Cleantech Open Northeast, Goodwin Procter, Green Search Partner, MassChallenge, and Xylem.  Partners include the Consulate General of Israel to New England, Israel-America Chamber of Commerce, Massachusetts Office of International Trade & Investment, Mekorot WaTech, New England Israel Business Council, and Rainier Communications.  Companies and organizations interested in sponsoring or partnering may contact David Goodtree (david@wet-revolution.com).

About the Massachusetts Water Innovation Mission to Israel
The trade delegation, which is the organizer of the Competition, is a group of 47 executives from the Massachusetts water industry cluster who are traveling to Israel December Dec. 16-19 to develop partnerships that can help satisfy the world’s thirst for water. For a two-page overview about the delegation, see goo.gl/Y5yaa.

About the Massachusetts Water Industry
The Massachusetts water industry encompasses the entire value chain of the $522B global industry, including companies and organizations involved with drinking water, wastewater, storm water, industrial and produced water, agricultural water, and coastal water applications. In Massachusetts, some of the key entities in these sectors are research institutions, graduate degree programs, engineering firms, start-ups, goods and services companies, investors, and professional services firms that support them.

For a poster-sized representation of the Massachusetts water industry, see goo.gl/ybSSd.  For a TEDx Boston video about the Massachusetts water industry, see goo.gl/3m5Mm. 

About NEIBC
The New England-Israel Business Council (NEIBC) is a nonprofit, member-based organization dedicated to increasing economic development opportunities in Israel and New England by connecting people and businesses, supporting investment opportunities and promoting a vibrant collaborative business community which will produce long term sustainable growth. NEIBC provides a diverse program of activities and events and offers advice on doing business in these two regions. For more information, visit www.neibc.org.