Brooklyn-based climate tech company Cobalt Water Global opened its new European headquarters at Water Campus Leeuwarden on November 1, 2025. The startup has developed intelligent software that helps wastewater treatment facilities reduce greenhouse gas emissions during the treatment process. From its Leeuwarden base, the company aims to accelerate its European expansion.
“The main reason we chose Leeuwarden and Water Campus is the unique innovation ecosystem that’s already been established here,” says CEO Jose Porro. “It provides direct access to investors, customers, partners, and R&D facilities and funding. For us, that’s invaluable as we scale our impact.”
Founded in 2020, Cobalt Water Global helps wastewater treatment facilities dramatically reduce emissions of nitrous oxide (laughing gas). This gas is released during wastewater treatment and is far more harmful as a greenhouse gas than CO₂—it also depletes the ozone layer and poses risks to air quality and public health.
Cobalt Water Global’s solution is the N2ORisk DSS platform. This software estimates and predicts nitrous oxide emissions in real time. The system measures critical water parameters and uses artificial intelligence to identify optimal process adjustments that reduce nitrous oxide emissions. “It’s an all-in-one solution for measuring, reducing, monitoring, and financially valuing nitrous oxide emission reductions,” according to Cobalt Water Global. The company says the technology can lead to reductions of up to 90 percent, while nitrous oxide (N₂O) can account for as much as 80 percent of a treatment facility’s total emissions.
Betty Postma, Investment Manager at NOM (the Northern Netherlands Investment Agency), is enthusiastic about the American company’s arrival. “Jose has been working on greenhouse gas reduction for years. He’s built an outstanding international reputation. Having his company choose Leeuwarden for its European expansion is an honor—and clear proof that our ‘value over volume’ strategy is working.”
Postma refers to NOM’s focus on companies that add significant value to the economic ecosystem of the three northern provinces, with an emphasis on businesses that fill a missing link. “We’re really making progress on this,” Postma explains. “A few years ago, we only invested in Dutch companies—now we also invest in foreign companies when we see strong potential for Northern Netherlands.”
Reinder de Jong, who as Project Manager for Internationalization at NOM is often the first point of contact with foreign companies, shares that enthusiasm. “We’re thrilled to welcome Cobalt Water Global to the North. We’ve worked closely with the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency on this, and it’s incredibly rewarding to attract a company that’s using AI to drive real sustainability in the water sector.”
Evelien Walstra from the City of Leeuwarden shares that pride. “We have a vibrant startup climate here, and we do a lot to strengthen it. But it’s equally valuable to welcome a company like Cobalt Water Global—an enterprise with a proven track record and deep market knowledge. That’s a real asset for WaterCampus.”
For CEO Jose Porro, the Netherlands and Europe are familiar territory: he studied at the University of Girona and Ghent University and has built a strong European network. About his ambitions on the European continent, he says: “Within three years, we hope to have substantially scaled our operations and impact throughout Europe, thanks in part to the support of NOM, the municipality of Leeuwarden, and the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency.”
Source: https://www.nom.nl/
Photo: Paul Kleijne – NFIA Chicago
