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5:00 PM: Check-in & dinner
5:40 PM: Introduction to MIT Water Innovation Prize
5:45 PM: Keynote by Ashley E. Randle, Commissioner at the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR)
6:10 PM: Finalist Pitches and Q&A
8:00 PM: Networking break & judge deliberation
8:30 PM: Award announcements & dessert
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$50,000+ in prize money
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Bruce Crawford - Co-founder and CEO of NONA Technologies
Jonathan Cruysberghs - Director of Innovation at Veolia
Shayna Harris - Co-founder and Managing Partner of Supply Change Capital
Charmaigne Lee - Regional Operations Lead at Enveritas
Ravi Kurani - Founder and Director of Product at Sutro & Host of Liquid Assets
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MIT Media Lab
Bartos Theater
75 Amherst Street
Cambridge, MA 02139
Meet our 2025 finalists
Anomaly Bio: We harness advanced fermentation technology and filamentous fungi to produce high-value protein ingredients that have the potential to strengthen supply chain resilience and improve the climate adaptability of food systems.
Cocoa Potash: At Cocoa Potash we transform agricultural waste (from cocoa, palm nut and coconut) into 95% purity organic potash and potash fertilizer using eco-friendly technology. Our potash is used by food processing companies, laboratories and manufacturing industries while our potash fertilizer is used by vegetable crops and cocoa farmers.
High Degree: Steam technology to revolutionize pest management on the farm.
Kira: Our team treats water using electrodialysis (ED) desalination in remote settings via our innovative energy management strategy compatible with renewables.
Pacific Carbon: Pacific Carbon develops innovative methodologies to measure, report, and verify (MRV) carbon sequestration in Indigenous Hawaiian agriculture and aquaculture systems, generating carbon credits to finance biocultural restoration in Hawaiʻi.
SmArT Aerosol Technologies: A high-tech enterprise that is focused on advancing smart, precision agriculture using SmArT nanocomposite enhancing food production by using ten times less fertilizer, reducing run-off and water use.
SmartHarvest: A climate adaptation platform that delivers personalized crop recommendations and precise income forecasts to empower Thai farmers.
Keynote: Ashley E. Randle
Ashley E. Randle was appointed the twenty-first and first female Commissioner at the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) on March 6, 2023.
Ashley was born and raised on a fifth-generation dairy farm, Indian Acres, in South Deerfield, Massachusetts, where her passion for agriculture and advocacy was first sparked. Ashley obtained her B.S. in Applied Economics & Management and Animal Science from Cornell University in 2011, and her Juris Doctorate from Western New England University School of Law in 2014. She is a licensed Massachusetts attorney.
Upon graduating from law school in 2014, she launched her career in government with the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, tasked with the research and development of a sustainable recognition program for the Maine farming community. Prior to joining the MDAR team, Ashley worked for the Northeast Dairy Producers Association (NEDPA) and served as Member Services Director, engaging in public policy work for the dairy industry and building relationships among industry members. Ashley began her career at MDAR in 2018, serving as Deputy Commissioner/Legislative and Policy Director.
