A Binational competition brings together Canada’s and the United States’ brightest emerging innovators to protect the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence, a watershed sustaining 40 million people and a $9.3 trillion economy.
Montreal, Quebec – July 13th, 2026 – AquaAction has selected the eleven finalist teams advancing to the Grand Finale of the AquaHacking Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Binational Challenge, following a highly competitive semi-final, sponsored by the International Association for Great Lakes Research (IAGLR), that showcased some of the most promising freshwater solutions to the issues facing the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence watershed.
Selected from more than 30 teams, the finalists represent a new generation of innovative students and early-stage entrepreneurs from across the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence region. Leading up to the semi-final, participants received guidance, training, and mentorship to help them transform promising ideas into businesses capable of solving real-world water challenges.
In front of panels of expert judges, they pitched their solutions that address urgent issues, including industrial water and energy optimization, community water security and resilience, ecosystem health, and the growth of a sustainable blue economy.
"These teams are showing us that the next generation of freshwater solutions are ready to be activated, alongside a supportive community of mentorship and guidance,” said Soula Chronopoulos, President of AquaAction. “This is what AquaAction is all about: taking promising ideas and turning them into market-ready solutions. As the pressures on our freshwater systems continue to grow, investing in people like these is one of the most important things we can do to build a more resilient future.”
Now in its 11th year, the seven-month Challenge is designed as a launchpad for diverse participants, offering intensive mentorship, technical and legal guidance, strategic support from industry leaders, and a 3-day immersive leadership expedition. Finalists compete for $70,000 in seed funding, including a $25,000 top prize, the largest prize pool in AquaHacking's history.
Over the coming months, the top eleven teams will continue to refine their water technologies and business pitches, with an in-person expedition workshop, as they prepare for the Dragons’ Den-style Grand Finale in Detroit, Michigan, on November 5th. The Finale event will also be made available to worldwide viewers through a live stream. Finalists will take the stage to present their refined solutions, marking the start of their journey toward building impactful water ventures in the growing blue economy.
Quotes
“Congratulations to the AquaHacking finalists. You're proof that the next generation of freshwater solutions is already being built. Local governments are on the front lines of protecting the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence, and our cities are grappling with real, urgent freshwater challenges. The innovations emerging from this challenge are exactly the kind of bold thinking we need to strengthen resilience, protect our shared freshwater resources, and build the Fresh Coast Economic Corridor."
-Jon Altenberg, President & CEO, Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative
“Protecting the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence requires collaboration, entrepreneurship, and the willingness to test new approaches. AquaHacking gives emerging innovators the support they need to transform promising ideas into solutions with real regional impact. The Conference of Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers is proud to support this effort, and we congratulate each of the finalists.”
– David Naftzger, Executive Director, Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors & Premiers
Discover the Finalist Teams
AquaHQL
AquaHQL delivers continuous, in-situ monitoring of nanoscale emerging contaminants, including nanoplastics and nanometals, that current monitoring systems cannot detect. The platform provides particle-level intelligence to track contaminant dispersal toward drinking water intakes in real time.
BlueLoop
BlueLoop BioWorks converts fish-processing byproducts from the Great Lakes, including skins, scales, frames, and viscera, into high-value biomaterials and bioactive ingredients through modular, enzyme-based bioprocessing. Rather than treating these byproducts as waste, the system produces collagen and gelatin hydrogel inputs, peptide fertilizers, and omega-rich oil fractions for local markets, supporting cleaner fisheries and a circular regional bioeconomy.
CelluPure
CelluPure is developing a modular, cellulose-based filtration technology that uses advanced functionalized fibres to remove multiple contaminants in a single treatment step, helping industries meet regulatory requirements while reducing treatment complexity, sludge generation, and operational costs.
DMRI-UIC AquaTech Ventures
DMRI-UIC AquaTech Ventures has developed PurAsure™, a NOVEX-AMG®-powered passive in-line water remediation platform that continuously reduces pathogens and disrupts biofilm formation as water flows through existing infrastructure. Designed for stormwater, municipal, agricultural, aquaculture, and cooling-water applications, it offers a scalable retrofit that requires no electricity, chemical dosing, or complex operation, and has demonstrated greater than 6-log (99.9999%) pathogen reduction through laboratory and university validation.
EchiDNA Environmental
EchiDNA Environmental has created a high-volume, pumpless, reusable, room-temperature-stable eDNA filter that makes environmental DNA (eDNA) biomonitoring accessible beyond academic settings, enabling anyone to collect samples at low start-up cost.
Enactus Windsor (100% Fish)
100% Fish transforms fish-processing waste, supplied by partner John O's Foods, into value-added products such as Erie Eco-Bites and a collagen cream. The team's mission is to reduce landfill waste by scaling eco-friendly manufacturing as an alternative to everyday products.
Lake Monitor
Lake Monitor is a harmful algal bloom (HAB) monitoring program that uses field robotics, autonomy, and limnological methods to generate high-density bloom maps supporting operator decision-making and research, including in shallow-water HAB risk zones that monitoring boats cannot reach.
Limnetic Optical Solutions
Limnetic Optical Solutions has built an AI-powered underwater camera that makes freshwater monitoring simple, affordable, and non-invasive. The camera automatically detects fish and records only when wildlife is present, helping researchers and communities collect meaningful data while using less storage and power.
WaterSentinel
WaterSentinel is a modular buoy that removes microplastics and other small particles from local freshwater systems through a four-step process: intake, electrocoagulation, cyclone filtration, and excretion.
Portable Autonomous Imaging Cytometer
This team has developed a portable, affordable device that autonomously identifies and monitors aquatic microparticles directly in the field, tracking algae and microplastics between 5 and 500 micrometres. The device alerts users to emerging risks such as harmful algal blooms, eutrophication, biodiversity loss, and invasive species, enabling early intervention that protects ecosystem health and reduces costs for local communities.
WELs
WELs has developed ThermaMound, a data centre cooling system that applies physics concepts such as Archimedes' principle and buoyancy to eliminate the need for mechanical chillers and pumps. Working at the water-energy nexus, the design significantly reduces electricity consumption while conserving local freshwater.
Quick Facts
Relevant Links
For the official video announcement: https://youtu.be/labuJexAGXQ
For examples of past AquaHacking winners and their innovations, visit: https://aquaaction.org/en/portfolio/tech-solutions
For more information on all the teams: https://aquaaction.org/aquahacking-binational-teams
About AquaAction
At AquaAction, we develop leaders to protect and restore our most vital resource: freshwater. We empower people, from young innovators to community advocates, to protect and restore freshwater through innovation, advocacy, and conservation. By supporting entrepreneurship, advancing education and awareness, and driving policy change, we help communities build resilience and ensure access to clean water for generations to come. Our mission is simple yet profound: a generation of leaders safeguarding freshwater for the health of people and the planet.
Contact
Oliver Anderson
Vice President, Communications and Growth,
AquaAction Oliver.Anderson@aquaaction.org