The Water Game is a preincubation program developed in Quito, Ecuador, aimed at promoting innovative solutions for the decontamination of urban rivers, with a particular focus on the Machangara River. The program is implemented in collaboration with the Metropolitan Public Water and Sanitation Company of Quito and is funded by the Inter-American Development Bank. It is part of an open innovation strategy that brings together the public sector, academia, the private sector and the entrepreneurial ecosystem around a shared goal of improving water and sanitation management through applicable, sustainable and scalable technical solutions.
Between September 2025 and February 2026, the program supports six entrepreneurial teams selected through a rigorous technical process from more than thirty applications.Throughout this period, the teams receive comprehensive support that combines technical training, strategic advisory, assumption validation, business model development and interinstitutional coordination. The process is structured around several components, including in person bootcamps, virtual follow up sessions, individual coaching spaces and networking activities with key actors from the innovation and water ecosystem.
The program focuses on generating technical and market evidence to strengthen solutions before scaling. Each team develops validation exercises tailored to its proposal,either through pre-feasibility studies or minimum viable products. At the end of the process, teams present their results in a pitch format, from which one winning solution is selected with the opportunity to be piloted at a larger scale together with the water utility. Beyond the final selection, the program seeks to build lasting capacities among all participating teams, strengthen their business models and consolidate a collaborative ecosystem for water and sanitation innovation in Quito and the wider region.
For more information (only in Spanish version), please click here.