Cleveland Water Alliance (CWA) has established Ohio as a premier destination for freshwater innovation. In addition to attracting global technology companies to our region, CWA also assists U.S. companies looking to enter international markets. Through our network of global partnerships, CWA helps domestic businesses scale their reach and unlock new international opportunities. Most recently, CWA sponsored a trip for Cleveland-based tech company, Sorbster Inc., to attend Singapore International Water Week (SIWW), one of the largest and most influential water conferences in the world.

Global Exposure at Singapore International Water Week

Singapore International Water Week featured representation from over 65 countries, providing an ideal platform for Sorbster’s Founder & President, Brimman Frazer, to showcase their innovative solution to new markets. With the support and entry backing of CWA, Sorbster was selected by conference organizers as one of just eight global finalists for the Tech Xchange session, a premier platform connecting scale-up companies with the Asian market. At the event, Brimman presented their advanced water filtration solution to an international audience of industry leaders, utilities, and investors, while also hosting a dedicated exhibition booth during the half-day showcase.

Brimman highlighted the networking opportunities the trip provided:

"We received some great publicity, and made some strong connections; it was quite successful. It was a very high-powered conference with a lot of treatment plant operators, policymakers, and government officials."

Sorbster’s Technology: Water Filtration Media

Sorbster specializes in removing toxic heavy metals from water. Traditional water filters often struggle to capture trace contaminants or fail to trap them permanently, meaning toxins can eventually leach back out into the environment.

Sorbster solves this problem by manufacturing small, chemically activated beads. As contaminated water flows through these beads, a permanent chemical bond is formed, trapping dissolved metals like mercury, selenium, and hexavalent chromium at incredibly low concentrations (parts per trillion). Because the bond is permanent, the used filtration media can be disposed of safely as non-hazardous waste. Originally co-developed in conjunction with the U.S. EPA, the technology is currently used in industrial manufacturing, wastewater treatment, and large-scale civil construction projects.

A Collaborative Ohio Ecosystem 

The trip to Singapore opened doors to international markets, but Sorbster also remains focused on expanding its market share within the United States. Ohio provides a highly supportive ecosystem for growing an innovation-based business, with a variety of local entities that work collaboratively to help tech companies scale up. CWA is committed to partnering with these entities to help Ohio and U.S.-based water tech innovators advance their technologies, scale operations, and successfully enter new commercial markets.

For Sorbster, CWA's ability to offset both the logistical and financial hurdles of international travel proved to be a critical resource:

"We found the relationship and the help from CWA to be of great value. Not only the introduction, but they also helped subsidize the travel cost, which was nice, because getting to Singapore isn't easy. And it made it so that we could go there and take that risk in a more cost-effective manner." -Brimman Frazer, Founder & President of Sorbster Inc. 

Connecting Regional Innovation to Global Markets

Sorbster’s trip to Singapore highlights the importance of regional support networks for growing tech companies. By mitigating the risks and facilitating the connections for international market entry, CWA helps high-impact technologies scale efficiently to solve global water challenges.