On the journey toward the impossible, many things become possible. On March 3-5, 2026 the first EriCa Reactor cohort gathered in Espoo, Finland for the program’s onsite kickoff at Crazy Town EriCa.
Seven startups and research-based spin-offs from five countries came together around a shared goal: turning new water technologies into solutions that can scale to real markets.
The participating teams are:
- Anferra, Sweden
- CAAMA / University of Oulu, Finland
- Countertrace, USA
- NPHarvest, Finland
- P-Agro Minerals, Latvia
- Spectromarine, Netherlands / Latvia
- Wellmatix, South Korea
A shared mission: enabling clean water globally
EriCa ecosystem (thanks to Kemira’s solutions) already help enable access to clean water for over 400 million people globally. The ambition behind the ecosystem and Reactor is to extend that impact further: how can innovations emerging today scale to serve billions of people in the future?
Each team is developing technology that tackles a different part of the global water challenge — from detecting trace contaminants and monitoring water quality to recovering nutrients and turning industrial waste streams into valuable resources.
Even though the technologies differ, many of the questions are the same. Most teams are moving from research or early pilots toward real markets, and that transition brings new challenges. They need to identify the right first customers and use cases, define a clear value proposition, and understand where their solution fits in the industrial value chain. Another key question is the business model: should the company sell a product, offer a service, license the technology, or combine several approaches?
Many founders also want to understand how large corporations operate between research, product development, and sales. This adds question: Where external innovation can realistically fit?
It’s a people game – building social capital
The kickoff started with something simple but essential for innovation ecosystems: building relationships.
Alongside roadmaps and commercialization discussions, we made sure there was time to build social capital. That means trust, connections, and open dialogue between startups, Kemira experts, investors, and ecosystem partners.
Conversations continued well beyond the formal sessions. People shared contacts, introduced potential partners, and pointed each other toward opportunities that could help move things forward.
From technology to real market value
During the sessions, teams looked closely at market drivers and industry needs. One conclusion was clear: new technology alone is not enough. For a solution to succeed in industrial markets, it must create clear value. It needs to solve real problems for customers and fit into existing processes and value chains.
In practice, that usually means delivering something tangible, such as:
- better performance or reliability
- lower costs or higher efficiency
- access to new markets or use cases
- solutions to problems that existing technologies cannot address
This adds lots of burden of proof for the startup to convince customers and partners. Participants also highlighted resilience, safety, and stability of water systems as priorities that customers and societies increasingly care about.
Collaboration with Kemira
For Kemira, EriCa Reactor represents a new way of collaborating with emerging technologies and startups.
Each participating team works with dedicated Kemira hosts and coaches, many of whom operate at the intersection of research, applications expertise, and market development. This helps startups understand how their solutions could integrate into real industrial processes and customer environments.
Kemira’s leadership was also present during the kickoff, joining both official sessions and informal discussions. The aim is not only to support the participating companies but also to explore where joint development opportunities could emerge. They will be available for teams to meet throughout the program.
Through these interactions, a few common areas quickly became visible where the program can support the teams as they scale, such as:
- Commercialization: refining go-to-market strategies, defining clear value propositions, and deciding whether the model should focus on products, services, licensing, or hybrids.
- Technology scaling: preparing industrial pilots and moving from laboratory validation to real operating environments.
- Investor readiness: strengthening the case for funding by demonstrating clear pathways to scale and market traction.
- Team development: many companies are still R&D-heavy and are beginning to build stronger commercial leadership.
Investors and ecosystem partners involved
The kickoff week also included engagement with investors and the wider innovation ecosystem.
During the Kemira Night gathering, startups had the opportunity to meet business angels and venture capital representatives interested in water technology and deep-tech innovation. Investors joining the discussions included Kustaa Valtonen (Finest Love VC), Paavo Räisänen (Maki VC), Pontus Stråhlman (Voima Ventures), Henrik Keinonen (Innovestor), and Matti Rönkkö (Kiilto Ventures).
In addition, Heli Hiden from City of Espoo, Miska Hakala from Enter Espoo, and Inka Orko from VTT introduced opportunities for collaboration beyond the immediate program network, helping companies understand how they can connect with research infrastructure, industry partners, and regional innovation initiatives.
Teams — welcome to the community
During the program, all participating teams are also startup members of the Crazy Town EriCa community, which provides access to additional mentors, networks, and collaboration opportunities.
Crazy Town coaches Mikko Korpela and Toni Pienonen work closely with the teams, helping connect them with partners and opportunities across the broader innovation ecosystem.
In the end, programs and technologies matter, but it is always people who make the difference. And they work best when built together.
Thank you. This was a great start and we will share highlights along the way.
Demo Day of EriCa Reactor Cohort 1 will take place in August 2026. EriCa Reactor is implemented by Crazy Town in partnership with Kemira.
