Milwaukee startup Rapid Radicals Technology was selected to participate in the inaugural cohort of gener8tor’s Great Lakes Innovation Accelerator, a new program supporting water technology companies across the region.
The accelerator is backed by a $13.4 million award from the Department of Commerce and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Over the next four years, the program will invest in 60 startups, each receiving $100,000 in non-dilutive funding, intensive mentorship, and access to testing facilities and industry partners. The initiative is part of NOAA’s larger $54.3 million Ocean-Based Climate Resilience Accelerators program, which seeks to strengthen coastal infrastructure and boost economic opportunities through innovation.
Building resilience in Milwaukee and beyond
Rapid Radicals, founded by environmental engineer Dr. Paige Peters and led by CEO Dylan Waldhuetter, develops a wastewater treatment system designed to respond quickly to flooding events and combined sewer overflows. Peters began developing the technology while a graduate student at Marquette University to protect Lake Michigan from pollution during extreme storms.