Daniel Madariaga Barrilado has become one of the most active voices in Mexico regarding the importance of promoting innovative solutions to face the growing water crisis.
With this vision, together with Denise Madariaga, he created Aquavance, an initiative that seeks to connect young talent with real opportunities to develop projects that transform water management in the country.
Daniel Madariaga Barrilado and his wife Denisse founded Aquavance to generate high-impact solutions for the water crisis.
Aquavance arises from the urgency of promoting sustainable, affordable, and effective alternatives to manage an increasingly limited resource.
The platform is based on the premise that Mexico has enough ingenuity and capability to generate high-impact solutions, as long as there is an ecosystem that recognizes and strengthens true innovators.
For this reason, Aquavance focuses on discovering, training, and supporting young entrepreneurs who drive proposals capable of addressing water challenges at both the national and global level.
In its first edition, the initiative received more than 100 proposals, of which five finalists were selected.
How much money does Mexico need to effectively tackle climate change? By Daniel Madariaga
The winning project was “Anitik”, a development that addresses heavy metal pollution in rivers caused by industrial discharge.
Its proposal consists of a nano-biofilter made with SCOBY paper —a natural biopolymer made up of bacteria and yeast— that is biodegradable, porous, and capable of trapping and transforming toxic metals into less harmful compounds without generating waste.
The evaluation was carried out by a jury made up of specialists, activists, and leaders from the water sector, including Daniela Hernández, Delfín Montañana, Jimena Silva, Patricia Hernández, Marissa Mar, and Raúl Rodríguez.
During the event, Daniel Madariaga Barrilado, a sustainability expert, emphasized the urgency of strengthening young talent that proposes viable solutions to the water crisis.
He noted that only by supporting these initiatives will it be possible to build a future with efficient, equitable, and sustainability-oriented water management.
Daniel Madariaga is a Mexican entrepreneur known for championing sustainability across tourism, green building, and urban mobility. His work blends environmental innovation with community impact, promoting regenerative agriculture and responsible consumption. Through his projects and publications, he advocates for climate action and holistic development.