'An enormous opportunity': Northern Ireland AI firm strengthens US ambitions with water tech appointment
International water technology executive joins Northern Ireland-founded analytics company StormHarvester as it strengthens its presence in the North American wastewater market
Belfast-based AI technology firm StormHarvester has appointed a former chief executive of a global water software business as a board advisor, as it steps up its expansion into the US market.
Colby Manwaring is the former CEO of Innovyze, a global leader in water infrastructure software, which was acquired by Autodesk in 2021 in a deal valued at approximately $1bn.
He brings extensive experience in scaling technology businesses, expanding into international markets and developing software solutions for the global water industry. During his leadership of Innovyze, the company significantly expanded its international operations, reaching more than 3,600 clients worldwide and strengthening its position as a leading provider of water infrastructure modelling and simulation software.
His appointment comes as StormHarvester continues to build its international presence, with North America identified as a key market for its next phase of growth.
Founded by civil engineer Brian Moloney, StormHarvester uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to help wastewater utilities identify and prevent network failures before they result in flooding or environmental pollution.
Its technology analyses data from existing wastewater sensors to detect developing blockages, pump station failures and excess inflow and infiltration, helping utilities gain greater operational and asset intelligence across their networks.
The company now analyses data from more than 400,000 sensors across its global customer base and detects more than 10,000 sewer blockages each year.
The appointment follows a period of significant growth for StormHarvester, including an £8.4m Series A funding round in 2025 to support international expansion and the appointment of Greg Brazeau as vice-president for North America in September 2026.
Brian Moloney, founder and CEO of StormHarvester, said: "Colby is someone who has been at the forefront of innovation in the global water industry for many years, and we're delighted to welcome him as an advisor to our Board.
"He has an exceptional track record of growing and scaling water technology businesses, and his experience of the US market in particular will be hugely valuable to us as we enter this next stage of our development.
"We've demonstrated the impact our technology can have and we're now focused on bringing those benefits to a much wider international customer base.
"The US represents an enormous opportunity for StormHarvester. Utilities are facing increasing challenges around ageing infrastructure, environmental compliance and operational efficiency, and there is growing recognition of the role that AI and predictive analytics can play in addressing these issues.
"Having someone of Colby's calibre working alongside our leadership team will help us build on the progress we've already made and accelerate our ambitions in this important market."
Colby Manwaring said: "StormHarvester has developed a genuinely exciting technology with the potential to make a significant difference to the way wastewater networks are managed.
"Across the water industry, there is an increasing need to move away from responding to problems after they happen and towards using data and technology to predict and prevent failures.
"StormHarvester's ability to deliver actionable insights from infrastructure and sensor data that utilities already have is particularly compelling, and I believe there is a substantial opportunity to bring that capability to more operators across the United States and internationally.
"Brian and his team have built an impressive business with a strong technological foundation and a clear vision for the future. I'm delighted to be joining and look forward to supporting the company's continued growth."
StormHarvester's expansion into North America forms part of its wider international growth strategy, building on its established presence in the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.
The company aims to help more wastewater utilities adopt predictive technologies that reduce operational costs, improve network performance and prevent pollution incidents.