WaterGenix, a NICAT startup from Cohort 6, has reached a global milestone as its founder, Muhammad Shahwaiz Akram, has been invited as a Distinguished Speaker at NanoX 2026 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The invitation gives WaterGenix’s founder a platform to present the company’s research directly to an international scientific and technical audience.
WaterGenix has built its work around sustainable atmospheric water solutions, developing what the company describes as sonic photothermal nanocapsules, a scalable technology designed to address water scarcity. This approach involves extracting water from the atmosphere using materials science innovations, positioning WaterGenix within a specialised segment of deep tech addressing one of the world’s most pressing environmental and resource challenges.
Akram will present the company’s photothermal nanocapsule research at NanoX 2026, an international nanotechnology conference, giving WaterGenix visibility among researchers and industry figures working across nanotechnology and materials science globally. Being invited to speak at such a conference reflects recognition of WaterGenix’s technical work as scientifically significant enough to warrant presentation on an international academic and industry stage, distinct from the more commercially oriented pitch competitions and demo days typically associated with startup recognition.
The company’s work is led by Akram as Founder and Chief Executive Officer focused on materials innovation, alongside Maira Malik handling research and strategic development, according to details shared as part of the announcement. This combination of technical materials science expertise alongside strategic development capacity reflects the kind of team structure often needed to translate deep, scientifically grounded research into a commercially viable startup.
The recognition adds to NICAT’s continued track record of supporting deep tech startups capable of gaining international visibility, following a broader pattern of NICAT companies achieving recognition through competitions, demo days, and now academic conference invitations. The milestone was supported by Ignite National Technology Fund, Ministry Of IT and Telecommunication, NETSOL Technologies, National Aerospace Science and Technology Park, Air University, and Pakistan Aeronautical Complex Kamra, reflecting the institutional network tied to NICAT’s operations, with WaterGenix’s international recognition reinforcing the incubator’s positioning as a source of scientifically substantive, globally relevant deep tech ventures.
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