Watergate joins Grow London trade mission to LA to explore US expansion opportunities
Watergate has just returned from an energising week in Los Angeles as part of the Grow London Global Trade Mission, run by London & Partners and the Mayor of London. The visit brought together UK-based cleantech innovators with key players across LA’s thriving sustainability and infrastructure ecosystem.
The trip was a chance to learn how a major city is preparing for the challenges of climate resilience, urban sustainability, and global events like the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The programme included meetings with influential organisations such as the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, the City of Los Angeles, LA Metro, the Port of Los Angeles, Jacobs, Parsons, Buro Happold, and the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI). The public bodies were particularly interested in Watergate’s solutions for water utilities.
Throughout the mission, the determination of city leaders, engineers, and sustainability experts to shape a cleaner, more resilient future came through loud and clear. There was also an appetite for international collaboration, with LA actively seeking innovative partners to tackle urban water and climate challenges.
The week was an excellent opportunity to showcase Watergate’s solutions and explore how our technology could contribute to smart city ambitions in North America. The programme was expertly delivered by the London & Partners team – with special thanks to Persephone Godwin, Bradley Reagan, Matthew Kolkin, and James Cummings.
This visit builds on Watergate’s selection for The Water Council’s BREW 2.0 accelerator programme – a US-based initiative that supports water tech scale-ups with mentoring, industry access, and market insights. Together, these two experiences are proving invaluable as we plan our international expansion and bring Watergate’s leak detection, prevention and water-saving tools to new audiences across the US.
Gareth is a self-confessed ‘water geek’ and sits on a number of industry water efficiency working groups. He is Commercial & Communications Director at Watergate.