A new Special Purpose Vehicle managed by Imagine H2O will provide recoverable grants and loans to de-risk water and climate solutions faster. Pilot financing will be deployed alongside a technical assistance facility to support project success. Oceankind and The Coca-Cola Foundation are among the original financial supporters with additional philanthropic supporters to be announced later this year.
Over 90 per cent of climate-related disasters, such as droughts, floods, storms, and other extreme weather events, are caused by disruptions to the water cycle. As these threats facing our cities, economies and watersheds intensify, progress towards achieving universal access to water and sanitation is alarmingly off course. By 2030, an estimated 2 billion people will still rely on unsafe drinking water sources. Across other dimensions of the UN goals, from treating and reusing wastewater to protecting water-related ecosystems, many countries making headway now risk backsliding.
Accelerating the uptake of innovation is urgently needed to transform how we monitor, treat, and restore our water resources impacted by the climate crisis. In response to an increased demand for new solutions, the supply and quality of water tech entrepreneurs is improving. In 2024, 395 water tech startups from 41 countries registered for our innovation programs. More Imagine H2O startups successfully raised venture capital between 2021 and 2023 than the entire previous decade.
Despite this success, many solutions struggle to scale because the risk capital available often does not align with the sector’s long adoption cycles. Investors require a track record to de-risk a new technology or an unfamiliar market. Grants are scarce for market testing and many early adopters are unable or unwilling to pay for demonstration projects. Globally, investment in water is outpaced by other climate tech domains.
In addition, our network of 50+ municipal and industrial partners share common barriers that dissuade them from piloting new technologies. Oftentimes, budgets are tight and procurement rules may be cumbersome. Risk aversion also remains high when a new technology fails to have a local case study or team. As a result, financial support is crucial. Equally important, solutions need on-the-ground support.
The Water Innovation Pilot Fund helps entrepreneurs bridge this challenging commercialisation gap and de-risk their technologies faster. Pilot co-financing is deployed in the form of recoverable grants and loans. Project design and development support is also provided through a technical assistance facility supported by Imagine H2O’s accelerators. The Fund will support three categories of pilots: Early Validation of novel technologies, Solution Development of new features and services, and Market Expansion into new segments and geographies.
Building on Imagine H2O’s Urban Water Challenge supported by Oceankind and the Sustainable Solutions Access Partnership supported by The Coca-Cola Foundation, the Fund now brings together our partners to scale a single, global funding strategy for water solutions.
About the Fund
- Larger awards and more funding opportunities:
Over the next three years, the Fund will co-finance up to 40 projects using recoverable grants and loans. Grants will average US$100,000. - Catalytic capital for different needs:
Startups can use our funding for different purposes, from first-of-its-kind technology validation or new market expansion. - Global sourcing and geographic reach:
Our portfolio of 217 startups and international early-adopter networks help identify the right projects with the right partners. - Hands-on project design and development:
A growing network of technical and market experts are activated to advise startups on implementation to increase likelihood of pilot success. - Resources for learning and exchange:
Dedicated support to document and share project insights with peers and partners to incentivise wider adoption. - Grant recovery and Fund sustainability:
A Special Purpose Vehicle will recycle funds to sustain more pilots. Larger, impact-linked loans will be launched at a later date. - Impact across all dimensions of the water crisis:
Projects will address one of Imagine H2O’s impact pillars: health, equity, circularity and climate. UN SDG 6 indicators will be used to measure direct and long-term impact.
We invite new funding partners to join us.
Learn more here: www.imagineh2o.org/pilot-fund.
About The Coca-Cola Foundation
The Coca-Cola Foundation’s mission is to make a difference in communities around the world where The Coca-Cola Company operates and where our employees live and work. We support transformative ideas and institutions that address complex global challenges and that leave a measurable and lasting impact. Our giving is focused on sustainable access to safe water, climate resilience and disaster risk preparedness and response, circular economy, economic empowerment, and causes impacting our hometown community. Since its inception in 1984, The Coca-Cola Foundation has awarded grants of over US$1.6 billion in service of its mandate to strengthen communities across the world.
About Oceankind
Oceankind’s mission is to improve the health of global ocean ecosystems while supporting the livelihoods of people who rely on them. The organisation advances the policy, science, and technology necessary to reverse the growing threats facing our oceans. Oceankind’s team leverages experience in innovation and environmental philanthropy to promote the development of policies, organisations, and technologies that can scale to help solve the enormous challenges facing the ocean.
About Imagine H2O
Imagine H2O is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organisation that mentors and funds entrepreneurs building transformative solutions for the future of water. The organisation’s water innovation programs provide startups with the resources, insight, and visibility to launch and scale water technologies. Since 2009, Imagine H2O has supported 217 startups who have deployed their solutions in 50+ countries and have raised more than US$1 billion in investment. In 2019, Imagine H2O launched Imagine H2O Asia, a Singapore-based regional hub that connects global startups to new markets, partners and pilot support across South and Southeast Asia.
Contact:
Annamarie Martin
Manager, Imagine H2O Asia
annamarie@imagineh2o.org
Publish your content with EB Publishing
It's about who you reach. Get your news, events, jobs and thought leadership seen by those who matter to you.
