gener8tor
gener8tor is a generalist startup accelerator and early-stage venture fund founded in 2012 in Madison, Wisconsin, that writes a startup's first cheque and runs cohort programs across 45 cities. It backs companies in every sector; (don't) Waste Water tracks two of its water bets, Nyad and Shower Stream.
Compiled by Antoine Walter, (don't) Waste Water, from official filings and direct intelligence in Leviathan.
The take
gener8tor was started in 2012 by two Wisconsin lawyers, Joe Kirgues and Troy Vosseller, who wanted Midwestern founders to get a first cheque and a room full of mentors without moving to San Francisco. It grew into one of the largest accelerator networks in the United States, running programs in 45 cities across 25 states and three countries and backing more than 300 startups a year. Water is not its beat, which is exactly why its two water bets reward a newcomer's attention.
gener8tor's two water-tracked companies come at the same problem, wasted water, from opposite ends of the pipe. Both are software-and-sensors bets, not concrete-and-steel ones. Nyad, a 2025 alum of gener8tor's Bronze Valley accelerator in Birmingham, points a camera and machine learning at the living biology inside an industrial wastewater plant, so operators can finally see the microbes doing the cleaning instead of flying blind. Shower Stream, from a few years earlier, is a wifi-connected shower valve that cuts the water and energy a hotel pours down the drain.
gener8tor writes those first cheques at the earliest stage, pre-seed and seed, when a company is still a few people and a prototype, then hands founders a mentor network and a path to the larger rounds that come later. For a newcomer, gener8tor is what water looks like to a generalist accelerator: not treatment plants and chemicals, but young founders chipping at the unglamorous cost of wasted water. As of 2026 it runs a sustainability accelerator with U.S. Venture and a circular-bioeconomy program, so the cleantech edge of its portfolio is widening; watch whether more water founders turn up in those cohorts.
Water Commitment Score
Compiled from official filings, third-party records, and direct intelligence from investors and founders, in Leviathan · recomputed monthly · as of Jun 2026.
How they invest
Portfolio · 2 water companies
Invests alongside
Highlighted = profiled on (don't) Waste Water.
Frequently asked
- What does gener8tor invest in?
- gener8tor invests across every sector, backing early-stage founders through its accelerator programs and venture funds rather than any single industry. Within that generalist portfolio, (don't) Waste Water tracks two water companies: Nyad, which uses AI to read the biology inside wastewater plants, and Shower Stream, a smart water-saving shower valve.
- Who runs gener8tor?
- gener8tor was co-founded in 2012 by two Wisconsin lawyers, Joe Kirgues and Troy Vosseller, who still serve as managing directors and now focus on strategy and fundraising while regional managing directors run the day-to-day cohorts. Dexter Artienda leads its sustainability and climate-focused accelerator programs.
- What stage does gener8tor invest at?
- gener8tor invests at the earliest stage, writing a startup's first institutional cheque at pre-seed and seed through its cohort-based accelerators, then supporting follow-on rounds. Its two water deals fit this pattern: an early cheque into the wastewater-AI company Nyad and into the smart-shower company Shower Stream.
- Where is gener8tor based?
- gener8tor is based in Madison, Wisconsin, in the United States, and runs accelerator programs in 45 cities across 25 states and three countries. Founded in 2012 and modelled on the US accelerator Y Combinator, it has become one of the largest accelerator networks in the country.
- Is gener8tor a water-focused fund?
- No. gener8tor is a generalist startup accelerator and venture fund, not a water fund. Within its broad portfolio, (don't) Waste Water tracks two water companies, Nyad and Shower Stream, both tackling wasted water, and rates the firm's water commitment Committed.