Startup mindset for industry pros: moving faster on water and climate

Adapted from a speech by Mike Dixon, 2023

We all get those emails: URGENT. ACTION REQUIRED. DUE YESTERDAY.

Do you do something about them?

Consider this our planet’s URGENT ACTION REQUIRED email.

Not tomorrow. Not next quarter. Now.

Climate change is here

Wildfires, floods, droughts, rising food and energy prices. The signs are everywhere. And behind it all: water.

By 2050:

• 30% of people will face water scarcity.
• Extreme droughts and floods are intensifying, straining infrastructure.
• Water risk could erase $5.6 trillion from global GDP.

Expertise alone won’t solve this. Speed, agility, and mindset do.

“If we don’t move fast, the responsibility, and the blame, will land on us.”

The valuation paradox

It’s a bitter pill to swallow when you see a platform like Snapchat, a masterclass in digital connection and filters, valued significantly higher than the world’s most vital water companies.

Snapchat’s team are geniuses at engineering attention and scaling at the speed of light. But there is a fundamental disconnect when a "nice-to-have" digital experience carries a higher price tag than the literal "must-have" foundation of human life. We aren't selling a lifestyle; we are providing the prerequisite for existence.

But here’s the reality: Value isn't given; it's taken.

We can’t sit around complaining that the world doesn’t appreciate us enough. That’s entitlement, and entitlement is the death of progress.

If we want the world to value water differently, we have to change the way we deliver water solutions. We have to stop acting like we’re entitled to a seat at the table and start acting like the table wouldn't exist without us.

We can’t control the market’s whims, but we can control our speed.

Lessons from the startup world

Eleven years ago, I jumped from a bureaucratic utility to a startup called NanoH2O. It was a culture shock that changed my DNA. Startups don't have the luxury of a ten-year master plan. They don't have "committees"; they have missions.

• “Move fast or die”: In a startup, you must move quickly because there is only so much money to keep you afloat.
• “Good enough, not great too late”: A mantra from Eric Ries’ book, The Lean Startup.
• “Don’t worry, be scrappy”: Early Apple employee Guy Kawasaki’s answer to the slowness of perfectionism.

These lessons played out in my experience founding Synauta. Our initial AI solution wasn’t perfect, but it moved the needle and allowed us to engage with customers. Over time, it grew into something that allowed us to do better as an industry.

Gradiant, which acquired Synauta, also used this philosophy. It grew from an MIT lab to a leader in water treatment through an innovative culture and fast decision-making.

So what can you do? What can we do?

An estimated $1.5 trillion per year is required to address global water infrastructure. This is nearly twice the size of the entire water market today. So we need to act now to make meaningful progress.

A lack of speed comes down to our risk tolerance. Sometimes we need to be diligent, but risk adversity has become a habit, a habit of the industry and a habit of us personally.

It’s important that we embrace change as an urgent matter as water professionals.

Embracing new approaches to projects and new technologies is non-negotiable.

Personal level: stretch your risk, keep your guard

As a leader or founder you're trained to manage risk, it’s your job, and it matters. But sometimes “safe” slows progress. The difference between moving fast and moving nowhere is calculated, smart risk.

• Stretch your risk tolerance: Take bold action where the impact is high, but stay within the boundaries of safety and quality.
• Experiment and iterate: Small, controlled tests let you fail fast and learn faster.
• Impact over perfection: Ask, “Will this move the needle today?” Don’t let perfect slow you down.
• Audit your habits: Identify routines that keep you stuck. Awareness is the first step to speed.

“Stretch your risk tolerance, but stay safe. Smart risk is the difference between moving fast and moving nowhere.”

Company level: build systems that move

Your personal mindset matters, but it won’t scale without supportive systems.

• Streamline approvals: Cut unnecessary bottlenecks without compromising safety or quality.
• Use technology to accelerate: AI, digital twins, and smart data can turn decisions into action.
• Foster an agile culture: Encourage teams to test, share, and scale ideas quickly.
• Reward learning, not just results: Celebrate smart experiments—even the ones that fail.

“Companies that move fast don’t just rely on heroic individuals—they design speed into their culture and processes.”

Industry level: collaborate to raise the bar

No company exists in isolation. Some challenges, regulatory complexity, funding gaps, infrastructure standards, can only be tackled collectively.

• Share knowledge and best practices: Open platforms and data exchange reduce duplication and accelerate progress.
• Align incentives: Collaborate on funding, partnerships, and procurement that reward speed and innovation.
• Influence policy wisely: Engage regulators and stakeholders to create frameworks that enable faster climate adaptation.
• Celebrate wins publicly: Highlight successes to set benchmarks and inspire the whole sector.

“Start where you are. Scale where you can. Influence where you must.”

The planet isn’t waiting. And neither can we.

Move fast and make your decisions and methods matter.