Hydro Venture Partners
Hydro Venture Partners is a Colorado-based venture capital firm founded in 2008 that invests exclusively in early-stage water technology and distributed infrastructure companies through Series A and Series B rounds, leveraging deep water-sector operating expertise and a high-profile advisory board.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersBoulder, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Hydro Venture Partners does
Hydro Venture Partners is a private venture capital firm founded in 2008 and based in Colorado (with city listed as Boulder in firmographics and Denver in operating descriptions), specializing exclusively in early-stage investments in the water sector. The firm operates two interconnected investment platforms: a Technology Platform targeting Smart Water, Water Quality, and Water Reuse and Conservation themes, and a Distributed Infrastructure Platform focused on Alternative Water Supply and Off-channel Water Storage. It sources deals through strategic partnerships and capital syndications, targeting Series A and Series B rounds with deal sizes of $1M to $5M and investment sizes of $150K to $1M over a 3-5 year horizon. Its portfolio includes one active investment in Cerahelix (PicoHelix ceramic membrane technology) and three exited investments — NC Water LLC, NC Water Operations, and Valor Water Analytics — with the exits occurring in 2016 and 2017.
The firm is led by two partners: Kinney Johnson, a founding partner with 30+ years of venture capital experience including prior founding roles at Capital Health Venture Partners and Sequel Venture Partners, four public-company board seats, and 30+ personal early-stage investments; and John Chahbandour, who brings 25 years of operational water sector experience including founding MWH Global's Strategic Water Management practice and serving as President of North America for Schlumberger Water Services. The firm is augmented by an advisory board that includes Bob Burgess (former CEO of Pulte Homes), Stephen McConahey (Co-Founder of Iron Gate Capital), and Addison Piper (former CEO of Piper Jaffray), providing cross-sector executive reach for deal sourcing and capital formation.
Hydro Venture Partners makes money through venture capital returns — equity stakes in early-stage water technology and distributed infrastructure companies exited via acquisition or IPO over a 3-5 year horizon. There is no disclosed revenue, fund size, AUM, management fee schedule, or LP base in the available source material, and no funding rounds have been documented for the firm itself. The firm maintains a small team of 1-10 employees, an active website, and an operating status, but no investment activity is documented after 2017.
Hydro Venture Partners firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Hydro Venture Partners
- Legal name
- Hydro Venture Partners
- Website
- https://hydrovp.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Hydro Venture Partners is a Colorado-based venture capital firm founded in 2008 that invests exclusively in early-stage water technology and distributed infrastructure companies through Series A and Series B rounds, leveraging deep water-sector operating expertise and a high-profile advisory board.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Hydro Venture Partners industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Venture Capital
- NAICS
- Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)
- SIC
- Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies (6211)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Environmental & Resource Efficiency Funds (Water, Waste, Recycling, Efficiency) (FSANAEAE)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Corporate Strategic Real Assets & Infrastructure Venture Investing (FSANAHAN)
Keywords
Where Hydro Venture Partners is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Boulder
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Hydro Venture Partners business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Venture Capital Returns: Returns generated through equity investments in early-stage water technology and distributed infrastructure companies, exiting via acquisitions or IPOs over a 3-5 year investment horizon
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Series A investments |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Series B investments |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
Hydro Venture Partners product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Hydro Venture Partners is a venture capital firm that invests in early-stage water-sector companies through two distinct platforms: a Technology Platform targeting smart water, water quality, and water reuse/conservation opportunities, and a Distributed Infrastructure Platform targeting alternative water supply and off-channel water storage. The firm deploys deal sizes of $1M–$5M with individual investment sizes of $150K–$1M, primarily at Series A and Series B stages, with a 3–5 year investment horizon.
Product overview
Hydro Venture Partners is a venture capital firm operating a unified investment platform focused exclusively on the water sector. The firm offers two interconnected investment platforms: (1) a Technology Platform investing in early-stage water technology companies covering Smart Water, Water Quality, and Water Reuse/Conservation themes; and (2) a Distributed Infrastructure Platform investing in Alternative Water Supply and Off-channel Water Storage solutions. The firm's portfolio includes active investments such as Cerahelix (PicoHelix ceramic membrane technology) and exited investments including NC Water LLC, NC Water Operations, and Valor Water Analytics. Investment criteria target deals of $1M to $5M with investment sizes of $150K to $1M in Series A or Series B rounds with a 3-5 year investment horizon.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Water Technology Investment Platform A venture capital investment mandate targeting early-stage companies in smart water, water quality, and water reuse/conservation technologies. Aimed at entrepreneurs and founders in the water-technology sector seeking Series A or Series B equity capital.
- Distributed Water Infrastructure Investment Platform A venture capital investment mandate targeting alternative water supply and off-channel water storage infrastructure projects and companies. Aimed at operators and developers of distributed water infrastructure assets seeking Series A or Series B equity capital.
Companies that use Hydro Venture Partners
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments7 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Hydro Venture Partners technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Hydro Venture Partners partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Hydro Venture Partners competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Equilibrium Capital: Sustainable infrastructure investment manager with significant water and resource-recovery focus. Comparable in water-infrastructure thesis, though typically operating at later stages and larger check sizes than HVP.
- XPV Capital: Water-focused growth equity firm investing across the water value chain from treatment to smart water/IT. The closest pure direct peer to Hydro Venture Partners given shared water-only thesis and similar stage focus on commercial-stage water companies.
- Sequel Venture Partners: Colorado-based early-stage venture firm where Hydro Venture Partners' founding partner Kinney Johnson is also a founding partner. Directly comparable in stage, geography, and generalist-leaning clean tech/health/IT orientation, though HVP is more narrowly water-focused.
- Burnham Sterling & Co. Specialist investment bank and capital advisory firm focused on water, power, and transportation infrastructure. Comparable as a water-sector specialist intermediary that connects investors to infrastructure deals, overlapping HVP's distribution-infrastructure platform.
- Elemental Impact Partners: Impact-oriented investment platform focused on water, waste, and resource recovery infrastructure. Comparable as a mission-driven, water-and-infrastructure-focused investor with overlapping portfolio themes in distributed and alternative water supply.
- CleanTech Capital Partners: Clean-tech focused venture and growth firm with water, energy, and sustainability exposure. Comparable as a clean-tech specialist investor with overlapping water portfolio themes, though broader in sector scope.
Emerging players
- Water Foundry: Water-focused venture platform and accelerator connecting startups with water industry corporates and investors. Comparable as a water-specific deal-sourcing and venture platform, though more accelerator-oriented than HVP's lead-investor model.
- Inherent Group: Climate-and-water focused private investment platform spanning venture and growth. Comparable as a water/climate specialist investor, though broader in climate scope than HVP's pure water mandate.
Broad incumbents
- Brookfield Renewable Partners: Large-scale alternative asset manager with a significant water, renewable power, and infrastructure portfolio. Comparable as a major allocator into water-adjacent infrastructure, though operating at vastly larger scale and later stage than HVP.
- KKR Global Infrastructure: Major infrastructure platform investing across digital, energy transition, and water/utilities assets. Comparable in water-infrastructure exposure, but at fund sizes and stages orders of magnitude larger than HVP's Series A/B check range.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Hydro Venture Partners social profiles
Digital presenceHydro Venture Partners financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Hydro Venture Partners leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Hydro Venture Partners subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Hydro Venture Partners funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Hydro Venture Partners 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 Hydro Venture Partners
What does Hydro Venture Partners do?
Hydro Venture Partners is a venture capital firm that invests in early-stage water-sector companies through two distinct platforms: a Technology Platform targeting smart water, water quality, and water reuse/conservation opportunities, and a Distributed Infrastructure Platform targeting alternative water supply and off-channel water storage. The firm deploys deal sizes of $1M–$5M with individual investment sizes of $150K–$1M, primarily at Series A and Series B stages, with a 3–5 year investment horizon.
Is Hydro Venture Partners a public or private company?
Hydro Venture Partners is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Hydro Venture Partners founded?
Hydro Venture Partners was founded in 2008. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Hydro Venture Partners based?
Hydro Venture Partners is headquartered in Boulder, United States, in the North America region.
How does Hydro Venture Partners make money?
One revenue line is on record: venture Capital Returns.
Who are Hydro Venture Partners's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Equilibrium Capital, XPV Capital, Sequel Venture Partners, Burnham Sterling & Co., Elemental Impact Partners and CleanTech Capital Partners. Emerging players are Water Foundry and Inherent Group. Broad incumbents are Brookfield Renewable Partners and KKR Global Infrastructure.
Does Hydro Venture Partners have an API?
No public API is recorded for Hydro Venture Partners.
What industry is Hydro Venture Partners in?
Hydro Venture Partners's product category is Venture Capital. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAEAE, Environmental & Resource Efficiency Funds (Water, Waste, Recycling, Efficiency), with a secondary code of FSANAHAN, Corporate Strategic Real Assets & Infrastructure Venture Investing. Its NAICS code is 5259 and its SIC code is 6211.