One Acumen Fund investee is changing the game for what it means to provide water to the people who need it most. At this month’s Cleantech Forum in New York hosted by the Cleantech Group, WaterHealth International (WHI) was named as a member of the Global Cleantech 100 for 2010, a list highlighting the most promising private clean technology companies from around the globe. These companies, in the eyes of the world’s cleantech experts, represent the most promising models to achieve significant market impact over the next five to ten years.
There are significant challenges to operating a for-profit business that offers the poor clean water at a price they can actually afford; but WHI is proving that a sophisticated model that can penetrate markets, provide world-class technology, and apply commercial financing skills can make a substantial impact on this enormous global problem.
Photo by Rob Katz, Portfolio Associate (India)
WHI’s model focuses on the long-term operation and maintenance of WaterHealth Centers, which provide rapid access to cheap, safe water in underserved areas. WHI has installed over three hundred systems around the world and is currently serving over one million people. “We are now poised to achieve significant scale and are installing new systems in about fifty communities every month. This rate will increase in the future and our ability to scale makes us confident that WaterHealth will play a leading role in addressing the global safe water crisis,” said Sanjay Bhatnagar, CEO.
The Global Cleantech 100 is the most rigorous evaluation and acclaim program for leading cleantech companies worldwide. Having received 4,616 nominations this year from 3,260 unique sources, the panel of sixty world-renowned judges had their work cut out for them to name this year’s list.
Acumen Fund first invested in WHI in 2004, and has continued with follow-on investments to help the company access mainstream capital. This honor for WHI from the Cleantech Group represents one of the many ways in which socially responsible businesses who are serving the BoP are being recognized by the private sector.
“This year’s expert panel involved a greater level of corporate participation than last year’s, and we also saw an increased presence of companies from China in the Top 100 list – both trends that we at VantagePoint see as critical signs of the times,” commented Stephan Dolezalek, the CleanTech Group Leader at VantagePoint Point Venture Partners.
We are proud to see momentum in WHI’s goal of building a “blue revolution” for clean water in the developing world. While the revolution is still just under way, we look forward to more benchmarks of their success to come.
Taylor Ray is a Business Development Fellow at Acumen Fund.
Tags: awards, cleantech, global cleantech 100, India, water, WaterHealth International
Very interesting research
Shalom Aid is a non-profit charitable NGo working for the development of the society in the
fields of Hunger,Education,Employment,Health and Medical care. we had launched many
programmes for the welfare for the community especially economically and socially weaker
section.we are planning to set up a pure drinking plant with the help of WHI.we already write
letter for this connection and awaiting their reply.For this project we need some financial help.who will help us?International finance corporation help us or not?In what ways Acumen fund help us?please arrange send the reply.we are awaiting your reply.Thank you,faithfully,
Mathew Chacko(,president,Shalom Aid)
Hi Mathew, and thanks for sharing your work with Shalom Aid. Acumen Fund invests in a variety of different businesses supplying affordable drinking water to the base of the economic pyramid. For more information on the types of businesses we invest in, I invite you to scope out our Water Portfolio page, and for a glimpse into our investment criteria, you might want to check out our Investment Discipline page as well. Thanks very much, and we wish you the best of luck in your funding search.