Midwest company Kadeya joins global firms in Water Council's latest BREW 2.0 accelerator

Kadeya, a Chicago-based startup looking make a splash in the water industry, is one of 10 market-ready or early in-market startups from around the world that's been accepted to take part in a global industry-specific accelerator from The Water Council in Milwaukee.

Designed for startups past the traditional accelerator stage, the BREW (Business, Research and Entrepreneurship in Water) 2.0 Water Technology Accelerator provides startups with growth-focused training and is meant for market-ready startups that have their ideas set but need some traction to accelerate into market.

Kadeya founder and CEO Manuela Zoninsein thinks the accelerator will be a springboard to scale and commercial expansion for the company.

"A lot of accelerators are more at the pre-seed stage, when a company is still figuring out their go-to-market strategy and value proposition," Zoninsein told Chicago Inno. "I think that's something we've done incredibly well is figuring out how to iterate commercially to understand our business model and value proposition before we had products in the field."

Kadeya wants to eliminate the need for disposable, single-use plastic water bottles through a closed-loop beverage-vending system that features a network of bottling stations and reusable, digitally identifiable bottles.

The company last year was named one of Chicago Inno's 23 startups to watch in 2023.

Zoninsein said Kadeya completed a series of pilot projects in 2023, all of which were converted into paying customers.

This year, the company has locked in bookings for 35 stations across 10 companies, 75% beyond its sales target for the year. Most of the sites are within a three-hour drive of downtown Chicago, a range that would include Milwaukee.

Zoninsein said Kadeya hopes to deploy more than 100 stations next year.

Kadeya will take part in the accelerator program with nine other startups, including companies from Ireland, Switzerland and France. The program's 2023 cohort included companies from the U.S., France, Norway, Spain and Slovakia.

The Milwaukee-based accelerator focuses on businesses with products and components related to water quality and quantity. Its program provides virtual and in-person support and training, and it culminates with an in-person week in Milwaukee with a public pitch day and investor event.

Virtual sessions will occur in April and May, with the live demo day scheduled for June.

Here is the full lineup of participants: