OpenWater
OpenWater is a cloud-based application and review management SaaS platform purpose-built for associations, foundations, and higher education institutions to run awards, abstracts, grants, scholarships, fellowships, and conference programs, serving 750+ organizations including ASAE and Ford Foundation.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2007
- HeadquartersWashington, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What OpenWater does
OpenWater is a cloud-based application and review management platform purpose-built for associations, foundations, and higher education institutions. Founded in 2007 and headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, the platform consolidates submission portals, multi-round review forms, data collection, automated communications, and reporting into a single system, supporting use cases across awards, abstracts, grants, scholarships, fellowships, general applications, and competitions. Its technology stack includes a drag-and-drop form builder with conditional logic, a multi-round review engine with standardized rubrics, a session and schedule builder with conflict detection for conferences, an Email Wizard for branded communications, and 65+ pre-built integrations with AMS (iMIS, NetForum, Nimble AMS), CRM (Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics 365), engagement platforms (Higher Logic), mobile apps (Guidebook, Clowder), payments (Stripe, PayPal, Authorize.NET), and Zapier; the company also introduced OpenWater AI in 2026, an in-platform prompt-driven summarization and scoring tool, and is rolling out a Participant Manager module in Q2 2026.
OpenWater serves over 750 organizations across verticals including healthcare and medical associations (ASHA), scientific societies (American Physical Society), philanthropy (Ford Foundation), trade associations (ASAE, American Advertising Federation), engineering (IET), public relations (PRSA), legal advocacy (DirectWomen), and higher education (Texas A&M, American Association of Geographers). Notable scale signals include 12M+ submissions processed and $13M+ in claimed client savings since switching from prior approaches; ASAE alone runs 10 programs on the platform with 500+ members and 250+ volunteers using it.
The business model is enterprise SaaS subscription sold via direct field sales with quote-based annual pricing and a sales-led demo motion; the company does not publish pricing, does not offer self-serve, and provides free practice environments for training. Go-to-market relies on content marketing, SEO, webinars, case studies, ASAE Strategic Alliance Partner co-marketing, and G2/Capterra review badge promotion, with no disclosed funding rounds. OpenWater operates as a subsidiary of Advanced Solutions International (ASI), the same parent that owns iMIS, TopClass, and Clowder, giving it cross-portfolio distribution into the association technology buyer base.
OpenWater firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- OpenWater
- Legal name
- OpenWater
- Website
- https://openwater.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2007
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- OpenWater is a cloud-based application and review management SaaS platform purpose-built for associations, foundations, and higher education institutions to run awards, abstracts, grants, scholarships, fellowships, and conference programs, serving 750+ organizations including ASAE and Ford Foundation.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
OpenWater industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Application and Review Management Software
- NAICS
- Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518210), Educational Support Services (611710)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Open Homework Systems & OER-Integrated Courseware (EDAGAJAH)
Keywords
Where OpenWater is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Washington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
OpenWater business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Software Subscription (SaaS): OpenWater operates as a cloud-based SaaS platform offering subscription-based access to its application and review management software. The platform is sold to associations, foundations, and higher education institutions on a per-program or organizational subscription basis with support and training included.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Enterprise subscription for associations and institutions |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels8 records
OpenWater product offering
Product offeringCore offering
OpenWater provides a unified cloud-based application and review management platform that consolidates submission portals, review forms, data collection tools, and communications into one solution. The platform is purpose-built for associations, foundations, and higher education institutions to manage awards, abstracts, grants, scholarships, fellowships, applications, competitions, and conferences with multi-round review workflows, conditional logic, and 65+ third-party integrations.
Product overview
OpenWater is a unified application and review management platform offered as a core platform with integrated modules. The platform combines submission portals, review forms, data collection tools, and communications into one solution. The core product portfolio includes seven distinct modules: Abstract Software (session builder and scheduling), Awards Software, Grants, Scholarships, Fellowships, Applications, and Competitions—all built on the same unified platform providing consistent user experience and customization capabilities. Additional offerings include Conference Management Software, a Training and Learning Portal with certification, the OpenWater Email Wizard for automated communications, and API access for custom development. The platform integrates with 65+ third-party AMS, CRM, payment gateways, and directory tools including iMIS, Salesforce, Higher Logic, and Zapier.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- OpenWater Platform Unified application and review management platform that consolidates submission portals, review forms, data collection tools, and communications into one system. Handles awards, abstracts, grants, scholarships, fellowships, applications, and competitions with consistent user experience and customization capabilities for organizations.
- Awards Software All-in-one awards management platform designed to streamline and simplify entire awards programs. Features include drag-and-drop form creation, multi-round judging, automated communications, and automatic winner galleries.
- Abstract Software Abstract collection, peer review, session scheduling, and mobile app integration software that powers conference management. Includes session builder and scheduling tools with conflict detection.
- Grants Grant submission and reporting software with streamlined grant applications, user-friendly reviewer portal, and features for program administrators managing funding distributions.
- Scholarships All-in-one scholarship software managing the entire multi-step, multi-review process from applicants to scholarship recipients, including fund tracking capabilities.
- Fellowships Fellowship management software for creating fellowship websites, promoting fellows and alumni, and controlling the entire fellowship application and review process in one system.
- Applications Simple application management software for general-purpose application and review processes beyond awards, grants, scholarships, and fellowships.
- Competitions End-to-end competition software for managing product competitions, judging processes, and winner recognition with customizable submission forms and multi-round review.
- Conference Management Software Application and review platform that simplifies speaker selection and attendee recognition for conferences, integrating abstract management and award presentation in one solution.
- OpenWater AI AI-powered workflow capability within the OpenWater platform allowing program administrators to define prompts for summarizing entries, scoring submissions, and flagging issues for review.
Quantifiable outcome
- 12M+ submissions collected through the platform
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use OpenWater
Customer profileNamed customers11 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
OpenWater technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration14 records
AI capability3 records
Feature10 records
OpenWater partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.
- iMIScoreOpenWater/iMIS Bridge enables no-code integration between OpenWater and iMIS association management system. Allows seamless data synchronization between the application management platform and AMS.
- SalesforcecoreVisual field mapper for Salesforce integration enabling bidirectional sync with OpenWater. Connects application and review data with CRM records.
- Higher LogiccoreIntegration with Higher Logic Thrive Platform AI and Automation for enhanced member engagement and communication workflows.
- GuidebookcoreRevamped Guidebook integration for conference programs with mobile app sync support. Enables branded mobile event apps synced from OpenWater.
- ClowdercoreMobile app sync support added in Q1 for Clowder, enabling conference programs with mobile event components to sync data seamlessly.
- Nimble AMScoreIntegration with Nimble AMS association management system for data synchronization.
- ASAE (American Society of Association Executives)flagshipASAE Strategic Alliance Partner since 2016. OpenWater powers ASAE's Gold Circle Awards, Innovation Grants, Scholarly Research, and Diversity Executive Leadership Program. Represents flagship customer reference and market partnership.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves3 records
Expansion highlights5 records
OpenWater competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Strengths4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
OpenWater social profiles
Digital presenceOpenWater financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
OpenWater leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
OpenWater funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
OpenWater M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about OpenWater
What does OpenWater do?
OpenWater provides a unified cloud-based application and review management platform that consolidates submission portals, review forms, data collection tools, and communications into one solution. The platform is purpose-built for associations, foundations, and higher education institutions to manage awards, abstracts, grants, scholarships, fellowships, applications, competitions, and conferences with multi-round review workflows, conditional logic, and 65+ third-party integrations.
Is OpenWater a public or private company?
OpenWater is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was OpenWater founded?
OpenWater was founded in 2007. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is OpenWater based?
OpenWater is headquartered in Washington, United States, in the North America region.
How does OpenWater make money?
One revenue line is on record: software Subscription (SaaS).
Does OpenWater have an API?
Yes. OpenWater offers API access for custom development, enabling developers to build integrations and automate workflows. The platform also supports webhooks, which allow associations to receive real-time event notifications and trigger external actions. API access is mentioned as a feature within the integrations and reporting context, though specific details on auth method, rate limits, and versioning are not publicly stated. Developer documentation is at help.getopenwater.com/en/collections/59217-api-and-developer-documentation.
What industry is OpenWater in?
OpenWater's product category is Application and Review Management Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAGAJAH, Open Homework Systems & OER-Integrated Courseware. Its NAICS code is 518210 and its SIC code is 7372.