News Release

Water Tech Innovator – RainGrid – Wins Global Award at COP28

TORONTO, December 18, 2023 – RainGrid Inc. and founder Kevin Mercer won the Global Model Green Technology award at the Global Forum on Human Settlements 18th annual session concurrent with COP28 in Dubai. This is RainGrid’s second international award after winning the $250k CAD World Economic Forum’s UpLink Global Freshwater Innovation Challenge in 2023.

RainGrid offers cities an innovative technology to divert stormwater from the sewer system. Its Intelligent Rain Retention and Reuse (IR3) is a “circular economy solution” that retains and monitors rainfall on-site. Capturing the full value of rain greatly reduces runoff pollution and flooding while creating the capacity to recharge groundwater. 

In a time of global climate uncertainty, IR3 supports climate resilience, protects watersheds, improves flood and drought resilience, and helps cities navigate away from costly piped infrastructure. Costs are paid back to property owners through stormwater credits and scope 2 GHG credits. 

The Global Forum award committee lauded IR3’s democratization of civic infrastructure and contribution to “cities’ transformation … into a circular blue economy [supporting] net zero runoff through community-scale, property-based, digital networks, thereby building resilience at the local level and creating social, environmental and economic benefits.”
 

RainGrid’s next step is to scale up investment with a major IR3 proof of concept project. RainGrid’s Global Circular Rain Challenge seeks to link this award-winning innovator with forward-thinking cities or developers to implement IR3 on an extensive retrofit or greenfield development.

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Contact:

Natalija Vojno, Director, Business Development Natalija.Vojno@raingrid.com, +1 416 868 1983

Background 

Sustainable Cities and Human Settlements Award (SCAHSA)

Previously the “Global Human Settlements Award”, the SCAHSA is an annual worldwide prize promoting UN sustainable development goals, particularly SDG 11. For 16 years, it has promoted the outstanding progress and valuable experience of its winners in the move towards a more sustainable world. Supported by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and related UN agencies, the SCAHSA is one of the most important awards on sustainable development in the world.

RainGrid Inc

Toronto-based RainGrid was established in 2012 to develop clean technology to divert rainfall from overwhelmed stormwater municipal systems. Its original manual systems progressed into the current hybrid Intelligent Rain Retention and Reuse (IR3) solution, which integrates digital and physical resources to create a circular rainfall network. RainGrid is a recognized innovator in its field.

Media Release

RainGrid builds on World Economic Forum win with the launch of Global Circular Rain Challenge for climate-resilient communities
 

TORONTO, Canada, November 29, 2023 – RainGrid Inc. wins the World Economic Forum’s UpLink Global Freshwater Innovation Challenge and received a $250k CAD co-investment sponsored by leading global conglomerate HCL. Rain Grid’s climate fintech solution applies next-generation technologies for rainfall retention and reuse on every property to build climate-resilient communities. Building off this seed investment, Toronto-based RainGrid is launching the Global Circular Rain Challenge.

“RainGrid is on a mission to capture the value of rain. Our system of Intelligent Rain Retention and Reuse (IR3) complements the natural infrastructure cities need to achieve flood and drought resilience,” says founder Kevin Mercer.

HCL provides the patient capital necessary to scale the development of new climate tech and supports UpLink Aquapreneurs such as RainGrid, to expand into global markets where property-level smart circular rainfall networks are a critical piece of achieving flood and drought resilience.

As an UpLink Aquapreneur, RainGrid is launching the Global Circular Rain Challenge to put its ambitious mission on the world stage for adoption by cities with the support of global leaders in insurance, water utility engineering, ecosystem finance and environmental policy.

The property-based digitally-managed networks virtually eliminate stormwater runoff, regenerate watersheds, save on stormwater treatment and generate verifiable ecosystem credits while helping communities adapt to a changing climate.

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For more information on RainGrid Inc. and the Global Circular Rain Challenge contact Natalija Vojno, Director, Business Development Natalija.Vojno@raingrid.com, +1 416 868 1983.