Eight startups pitch freshwater tech at Northern Michigan accelerator showcase

Eight early-stage companies focused on freshwater innovation pitched investors and partners Thursday at the first Northern Michigan BlueTech Accelerator Showcase in Traverse City. The event capped a seven-week program designed to position Northern Michigan as a hub for water-tech companies, jobs and investment.

Why it matters: - Northern Michigan is trying to turn its freshwater assets into a startup advantage. - The accelerator is designed to draw water-tech companies, create jobs and keep more investment in the region. - The showcase put eight early-stage BlueTech companies in front of investors, partners and the public.

What happened: - Eight startup founders pitched at the inaugural Northern Michigan BlueTech Accelerator Showcase on Thursday in Traverse City. - The showcase capped a seven-week accelerator launched this summer by 20Fathoms and gener8tor. - The accelerator gave founders intensive coaching and access to mentors, customers, corporate partners and investors. - The companies work across the water cycle, from algae blooms and irrigation to water waste, utilities and fisheries data.

The details: - AmHyTech works to make ammonia safer and more affordable to store and handle. - CaptureTech uses recoverable Biochar Capture Packs to help managers prevent harmful algal blooms and restore polluted waterways. - Ceretune offers a low-cost plant- and biofilm-based system that removes excess nutrients and pollutants from water bodies. - Effluent Technologies gives water utilities physics-informed, model-enabled tools to find ways to cut costs, energy use and compliance risk. - Growbud automates irrigation and environmental systems for greenhouse, controlled-environment agriculture and building operators. - H2O Connected detects and diagnoses leaks and other problems in tank toilets for hotels and multi-tenant properties. - Oprones helps municipalities and infrastructure operators inspect stormwater and wastewater tunnels and pipelines that are hard or unsafe for people to enter. - Thalweg converts raw sonar recordings into fish counts and tracking data for fisheries agencies and environmental consultancies. - The Northern Michigan BlueTech Accelerator is supported by the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s Build to Scale program. - The program also gets matching support from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and community partners including Traverse Connect, the Freshwater Research and Innovation Center and Northwestern Michigan College. - Startups that relocate to the Traverse City area can qualify for a relocation support package from 20Fathoms and the 20Fathoms Innovation Fund. - That support package was developed with Traverse Connect's Northern Navigators, Northwestern Michigan Community College Marine Technology Program, Northern Michigan Angels and the Meg Zammit Group. - 20Fathoms helps founders build and scale innovative companies in Northern Michigan.

Between the lines: - Stacey Feeley, executive director of 20Fathoms, framed Northern Michigan as a place where BlueTech could become as synonymous with the region as Silicon Valley is with tech. - Feeley pointed to the Great Lakes location, testing environments, researchers, capital and a community focused on freshwater as the region’s edge. - The pitch is not just about startups. It is also about building a regional cluster that can keep founders and talent local.

What’s next: - The accelerator’s founders now move from the showcase into the next phase of company building and market development. - 20Fathoms wants Northern Michigan to be a top destination for founders deciding where to build water-tech companies. - If the region can keep attracting startups, the BlueTech push could translate into more investment, more jobs and a stronger local innovation economy.

The bottom line: - Northern Michigan is trying to turn freshwater into a growth industry, and this first accelerator cohort is the test case.