WaterPitch! is an Annual 3-Day 3-day event,
you will experience the power of matching water startups with investors, funding agencies, clients, and support programs through:

Startup Pitches

Well-Prepared Pitches & Exhibits from Cutting Edge Water Startups - Organized into Themes with A Comprehensive Event Guide and Virtual Exhibits on our Event App Available Upon Registration to Make Startups
Easy to Connect With!

"Voice Of The Customer" Reverse Pitches

Utilities & Industry Leaders "Reverse Pitch" Their Most Pressing Challenges, What Solutions They Seek NOW and
How to Get the Contracts or Purchase Orders!

"Show Me The Money" and "Ecosystems of Support" for Water Startups

Investors and Funding Agencies as well as Accelerators also "Reverse Pitch" - Revealing their Top Investment/Funding Priorities, What They Look For in Startups and
How to Get Money & Support!

PLUS NEW Opportunities to
Connect with Policymakers & Thought Leaders
at the ONLY Annual Water Innovation Event in Washington, DC!

PREP DAY (NEW!)
Expo Preview
with Invited Policymakers and Other Guests!

POLICY &
PARTNERSHIPS DAY
Capitol Hill Briefing
Preceded by (NEW!) "Keys to Water in Congress for Entrepreneurship" Virtual Training Spring 2026

POLICY &
PARTNERSHIPS DAY
Congressional Briefing and
(NEW!) International Opportunities Workshop

For more information on WaterPitch!
including the 2023, 2024 & 2025 programs
CLICK HERE!

(Startup Pitch Registration Opening Soon!)

FAQ: How Did WaterPitch! Start and How Does WaterPitch Differ From Other Water Startup Matching Events?

Now entering our FOURTH YEAR of producing this In-Person event, WaterPitch! was originally created in 2023 as part of the "Cincinnati Water Innovation Week" organized by Former USEPA Water Technology Clusters Program Leader and Former Lab Director Sally Gutierrez before her retirement. We had been asked first to join the Planning Committee - and then the in 2023 - when we were asked to expand upon the originally-planned Watervent to ensure we had a more inclusive Water-Startup Matching Program than the original event planned for the University of Cincinnati's 1819 Innovation Hub.

For that event, WaterCitizen added TWO tracks to ensure we could accomodate both the "Investor Ready" later-stage Water Startups that usually come to Watervent - as well as earlier-stage Water Startups from the Clusters and Universities and even those from the USEPA Cincinnati Lab who were working to help bench test new technologies! We also recruited ALL STARTUP FOUNDERS (including those who don't look like the typical Water Startup Founder).

WE CREATED REVERSE PITCHING in which we required all of our Investor, Client, and Entrepreneur Support Program (incbators, Accelerators, Clusters, etc) would be organized into different sessions - including a session for Federal Funding and Foundations for Startups that were not yet Investor-Ready - and each presenter was asked to give a short overview on what specificially they were looking for in terms of Startups and/or Water Innovations.

Eventually, we agreed that original event producer would allow WaterCitizen to produce the 2023 USEPA even. With help from our other Planning Committee Members, we sorted out Startups into different THEMED CATEEGORIES (as opposed to having them Pitch in Alphabetical Order or other "Random Acts of Pitching"). And we added Coaching and a Presenters Dinner and VIrtual Pitch Prep and Practice Sessions and other supports for the Startup Pitch and Reverse Pitch Presenters!

Recognizing that we had created something new, we moved our event back to Washington, DC (where WaterCitizen is based) and produced events in 2024 at American University and in 2025 at DC Water's HQO. Each year, we have added new features - including our COngressional Briefing and NEW International Issues and Opportunites WorkshoP - taking advantage of our location in the Nation's Capital and home to many Embassies, National and International Organizations!

FAQ: Do We Have to Pay to Reverse Pitch?

NO!!! We do NOT require Sponsorships from our Reverse Pitch Presenters and do NOT charge them Registration.

We are asking for a $97 Deposit to ensure that Reverse Pitch Presenters show up for our Program and to support the Attendees and especially the Startups who spend their time, money, and energy to COME TO SEE YOU.

$97 is refunded after WaterPitch! (or you can make it a donation to WaterCitizen.Org 501(c)3)