Building an Inclusive Circular Blue Economy for the Great Lakes with Current's Kalindi Parikh

In this Interview, we meet Kalindi Parikh who is the Strategy Director at Current, a Water Innovation Hub based in Chicago, Illinois. Current is dedicated to growing an inclusive blue economy, accelerating innovation, and solving pressing water challenges both locally and globally.

ONE-LINER:

"Our mission is to solve pressing water challenges while creating an inclusive economy that benefits all communities."

Pitch/Reverse Pitch:

Don’t miss Kalindi’s Pitch for Current and its initiatives, which you can find on the video from [4:26] to [13:27].

Discussion:

After the pitch, we discuss:

• The development and impact of Current’s Upstream Illinois strategy, designed to build an inclusive blue economy across the state by 2033.
• The launch of the Great Lakes Renew initiative, funded by the National Science Foundation, aimed at creating a circular blue economy through resource recovery and environmental justice.
• The importance of collaboration and building regional partnerships to address water challenges, with a focus on supporting women, people of color, and environmental justice communities.

Insights:

At [21:07], Kalindi discusses the challenges water startups face in piloting their technologies and how Current is working to bridge this gap through its industry consortium and partnerships.

Advice:

At [36:09], Kalindi advises water startups to connect with their local water innovation hubs, emphasizing the value of building relationships with industry and investors, and the importance of collaboration on a regional and global scale.