Friday, July 8, 2011

Incubator for Promising New Technologies

Proteus acts as an Incubator for promising new technologies that have the potential to benefit the water and wastewater industry. Right now, Proteus has one client in this arena and is having initial talks with four other clients.

As an incubator for a new technology, Proteus provides the following services:
  • Marketing. Introduce the business to water and wastewater clients who need the new technology.
  • Strategic Partners. Help network with other businesses with complementary services to create a strong team.
  • Funding. Review technology and find Federal / State/ Other funding opportunities for project implementation.
  • Training. Train the business leaders on the 'way-to-do-business' with the water and wastewater agencies, municipal organizations, State and Federal government.
  • Business Development. Help with regulatory compliance and permitting. Help chart out the path to future in the water and wastewater industry.
  • Mentor. Help with presentations targeted to clients' needs, help with business basics, technology commercialization advice.
Why does Proteus do this? At Proteus we believe that "You do not invent the transistor while trying to perfect the vacuum tube". Our water and wastewater industry has been too slow to adopt new ideas and technologies. Most of the development in this industry over the last three decades has been trying to perfect what we already have. We have almost as many associations as there are people in the industry and in most of these meetings you find the same kind of presentations and thoughts. We are spinning our wheels! 
With the CleanTech and Social Connectivity revolution sweeping the planet right now, our industry has a lot to benefit from it. There are innovative technologies being developed and some of them have great promise. Proteus wants to introduce these new and fresh ideas to our industry and help the industry and the entrepreneurs find a perfect match. Yes, we are a kind of 'match-making' service!

How do we do this? Proteus is here to help both the entrepreneur with the new idea and the municipal client. We understand and appreciate the issues from both sides. Our core philosophy in operating our business is to help create a win-win situation - the municipal client gets their need resolved with a fit-for-purpose solution, while the entrepreneur gets established as a credible technology provider in the water and wastewater industry. We do not push or peddle a technology where there is no need for it, we are not a sales representative. Rather we are a business consultant to both parties, enabling a perfect fit between 'the need' and 'the solution'. This is how we do it:
  • We will need to know details about your technology, it's promise and it's limitations. We will gladly sign an NDA. Please be very frank with us on the details. We are not here to steal your intellectual property, we are here to help you build a successful product and business.
  • We work with you as a consultant on retainer.
  • We will be your guide and be on a constant look out for opportunities for you. We will be your support for marketing, finding strategic partners, help you look for funding, chart your course through permitting, etc. We will be your friend, through thick and thin.
At Proteus, we have a penchant for sustainable solutions - economic, environmental, and social. The technologies that we support need to be environmentally viable, provide a measurable benefit to the water / wastewater industry, and have a way to ease the life of everyone using the technology.

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