• Startups and university students with innovative ideas in water security and water management will receive seed funding and specialized guidance to participate in a project incubation program.

• In addition to Grupo Modelo, this edition includes Grupo Herdez® and Niagara Bottling México as partner companies of this national water-talent incubator.

Mexico City, August 26, 2025.– Grupo Modelo, the Centro Regional de Seguridad Hídrica, under the auspices of UNESCO (CERSHI) and in collaboration with UNAM, are launching the call for the 3rd edition of INNODROP, the water talent incubator that promotes innovative ideas for water sustainability in Mexico, to which Grupo Herdez® and Niagara Bottling México join this year.

INNODROP aims to empower startups and university students to develop high-impact, disruptive projects that contribute to the creation of resilient and sustainable water communities. Through seed funding and specialized guidance, participants will have the opportunity to propose disruptive, applicable, and scalable solutions to address water challenges resulting from climate change.

As in its two previous editions, the call includes two categories: startups and university students. For startups, those operating in any state of the country may participate. In the case of students, the call is open to undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral students enrolled in any university in Mexico. Interested students must form interdisciplinary teams of 2 to 5 people.

Selected teams will participate in in-person activities in Mexico City, where they will receive support from mentors, experts, and a high-level jury to strengthen their ideas and turn them into viable projects.

All projects must aim to contribute to building a water-secure Mexico and address one or more of the following priority topics:

• Healthy ecosystems

• Resilient communities
 

• Efficient agricultural production
 

• Circular industrial processes

“With the third edition of INNODROP, we renew our commitment to innovation as a key to addressing the challenges of water security. At Grupo Modelo, we believe that sustainability is the essence of our business, and this is the space where we can sow and grow the talent that generates solutions capable of transforming reality toward a more sustainable tomorrow,” said Soqui Calderón, sustainability director at Grupo Modelo.

The winning projects will participate in a six-month incubation program, where they will receive mentoring, workshops, and the opportunity to present their results to key stakeholders in the water sector. In addition, they will receive seed capital of up to $140,000 mxn (one hundred forty thousand pesos) to develop their ideas, and in the case of startups, the possibility of implementing a pilot within one of the participating companies.

Registration and key dates

• Idea submission on the online platform: August 26 to October 17, 2025 at https://innodrop.cershi.org/

• Idea acceleration event: November 3 and 4, 2025

• National Final: November 11, 2025

• Incubation and follow-up: 6 months starting after the event final in November.

Fernando J. González Villarreal, director of the Centro Regional de Seguridad Hídrica under the auspices of UNESCO (CERSHI), stated that “promoting entrepreneurship and innovation is the way to advance toward solving national water challenges. INNODROP is a high-impact initiative that builds on collaboration between academia and the private sector, designed to offer a platform to young entrepreneurs and link them to the solution of the challenges our country faces in water matters.”

Luis Julián Hernández, director of public affairs, esg and sustainability at Niagara Bottling México, said that “at Niagara Bottling, we believe innovation only makes sense when it generates real well-being for communities. By joining InnoDrop, we reaffirm our commitment to supporting young talent and developing solutions that strengthen the country’s water security. We want more families in Mexico to have access to safe, high-quality, and affordable water, and we know that collaboration between academia, government, and companies is the way to achieve it.”

Andrea Amozurrutia Casillas, finance and sustainability director at Grupo Herdez, added that “at Grupo Herdez, we are convinced that water security is a fundamental pillar for sustainable development. By participating in INNODROP, we aim to drive innovation, trusting in Mexican talent from which, without a doubt, disruptive and applicable ideas will emerge that will benefit both the industry and communities, while contributing to the development of sustainable finance in Mexico and to progress toward the goals of the 2030 Agenda.”

In the two editions of INNODROP held to date, more than 50 startups from 14 states of the country have participated, along with 350 university students at all academic levels, organized into more than 90 teams from 50 universities across Mexico.

About Grupo Modelo

Grupo Modelo, founded in 1925, is a leader in beer production, distribution, and sales in Mexico and is part of Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world’s leading brewing company. The company currently offers 17 domestic brands, including Corona Extra, Corona Cero, Negra Modelo, Modelo Especial, Pacífico, and Victoria. It exports seven Mexican brands to much of the world. It imports Budweiser, Bud Light, Goose Island, Michelob Ultra, Beck’s, and Stella Artois into Mexico. Through a strategic alliance with Nestlé Waters, it produces and distributes the bottled water brands Sta. María, Nestlé Pureza Vital, Perrier, and S.Pellegrino in Mexico, among others.