InvestH2O 2018 'Investing in Resiliency' - Largest Gathering of Global, National Experts in Water-Related Tech, Project Investment

HOUSTON, September 6, 2018 (Newswire.com) - AccelerateH2O announced today the 2018 InvestH2O Forum - "Investing in Resiliency" current agenda of globally, nationally recognized speakers and panelists for its fourth annual gathering in Houston on Sept. 26-27, 2018.

The keynote lunch speaker-team on Sept. 27 will be Crystal and Mark Hansen - serial water-tech investors and widely known author of over 500 million books sold in the "Chicken Soup for the Soul" series and entrepreneurial evangelists to conferences around the world that have drawn more than three million attendees. The Hansens will share their vision for "Why Now: Resiliency for Families, Communities, and Innovators."

After all the lessons learned, the after-action reports, the finger-pointing and the depth of challenges that Texas - and the Southwest and Gulf Coast - have and will continue to face, InvestH2O 2018 provides a platform to spark a new model - Regional Centers for Water Resiliency - and fast-paced solutions based on the world's best ideas.

Dick Evans, Former Chairman, Cullen Frost Bank and Co-Chairman AccelerateH2O Advisory Board

"We have - fortunately AND unfortunately - seen the challenges when there is not enough water from our time in California and Arizona when there is too much water whether its New York City or Houston. Unleashing the best of entrepreneurs, innovators and the private sector to work with federal and local government is THE most creative, market-oriented and, frankly, the American way of fixing large-scale problems," said Mark Hansen about their reason for investing in water technologies such as offshore desalination, recycled oil and gas produced water, and similar reuse opportunities.

Corporate and business executives representing Holt Caterpillar, Siemens, ExxonMobil, along with the US Chamber of Commerce, Texas Association of Business, Greater Houston Partnership's Center for Houston's Future will discuss technology and investment demands in response to persistent drought, storm-flooding and ongoing impact from cyber threats and uninterruptible demand for water across sectors (including oil-gas, food-beverage, commercial real estate, agriculture).

Joining a prominent set of town-hall interactive sessions are senior executives from the US Department of Homeland Security and Energy, FEMA, EPA, SBA, several emergency and operational water-related state, county, and municipal officials.

"We are honored to have senior officials from a breadth of agencies and experience that have been in the middle of every major water event and emergency for the past five years. These public sector leaders acknowledge that our region of the country has faced back-to-back threats and that we can be an exemplar for the future of global resiliency," commented Richard Seline, executive director of host organization AccelerateH2O.

Over 50 companies - from start-ups to globally distributed water tech firms - will conduct "Quick Pitch" sessions over the course of the two-day forum, viewed by investment firms representing venture funds, corporate venture officers, private equity, public finance, and procurement decision-makers.

"The Investing-in-Resiliency Forum convenes a very unique set of brainpower to identify, fund technologies and launch projects that fill critical gaps recognized from the past droughts and floods across the U.S. - especially in the Southwest U.S. and Gulf Coast," stated Ed Craner, senior vice president, Holt Caterpillar. "We are committed as an organization, and I am strongly committed as an individual to find innovative models that pull from the best of the public and private sectors to ensure our major cities and rural towns, our industries and companies remain resilient without reliance upon the government as the only source of problem-solving or coming to the rescue."

The first-ever Youth and Student Water Resiliency Inventathon will take place on the weekend before the Forum - Sept. 22-23 - sponsored by Carollo Engineers and co-hosted by Houston Community College System, Station Houston, January Advisors. Over 100 high school, community college and four-year university students will address three grand challenges and compete for prizes, initial investment, and showcase at the InvestH2O 2018 Forum.

On the evening of Sept. 26, (6-8 p.m.) Innovator of the Year Awards will be presented to Siemens, ExxonMobil, Anheuser-Busch/Silver Eagle Distributors and the City of Houston.

More information on the Investing in Resiliency Forum: www.InvestH2O.com. Media inquiries and requests: Russ Keene, Crossnore Group, [email protected].

Source: AccelerateH2O