Waterlution

What Waterlution does

Waterlution is a Canadian non-profit organization headquartered in Oakville, Ontario, founded in 2003 by Karen Kun, that designs and delivers water-learning and leadership programs. Its core product is the Water Innovation Lab (WIL), an immersive collaborative-innovation methodology delivered through regional variants in Canada, North America, the Great Lakes region, Lebanon, and Brazil, alongside gender-transformative WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) capacity-building projects such as Água Delas in Brazil and the Adolescent Girl Empowerment program in Mozambique. Supporting offerings include the ACELERA water-sector startup accelerator, World Water Journey knowledge platform, Passos d'Água for ages 12-16, Youth 4 Resilient Communities (Y4RC), and the ART+WTR arts-based community development program.

The organization's technology stack is fundamentally a human-facilitation methodology rather than a software product: the WIL framework, co-created diagnostic tools for gender-equitable WASH, and permaculture-based curricula are the technical core, supported by digital channels (website, Instagram, X, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, podcasts, newsletters, and the World Water Journey platform). Regional operations span offices or program sites in Oakville (HQ), Rio de Janeiro, Nampula, and Cabo de Santo Agostinho, with English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Arabic localizations.

Waterlution's revenue model blends government and institutional grants with tiered program fees. Major funding flows through Global Affairs Canada via the Foundation for Innovation and Transformation (FIT) for Brazil and Mozambique projects, supplemented by co-hosting partnerships with the Canadian Embassy in Mexico and the Commission of Environmental Cooperation. WIL Canada 2023 charges tiered participant fees tied to life circumstances, while partner-funded cohorts such as WIL Great Lakes are offered free. Target beneficiaries are youth and young professionals aged 18-35, adolescent girls aged 12-15 in water-insecure regions, women-led community groups in Brazil and Mozambique, and water-sector startups supported via ACELERA.

Name

Waterlution

Legal name

Waterlution

Website

https://waterlution.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Waterlution is a Canadian non-profit founded in 2003 that delivers water-learning and leadership programs through its Water Innovation Lab (WIL) methodology, serving youth, women-led communities, and water-sector startups across Canada, Brazil, Mozambique, Lebanon, and the USA.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water Education and Advocacy Services

akta.pro primary industry

Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH) Solutions (BPAGALAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH) (BPAGABAC), Water Resources, WASH & Integrated Water Management (BPADALAH)

Keywords

• Water education programs
• Youth leadership training
• Water security advocacy
• Nonprofit capacity building
• Environmental education services

Headquarters

HQ city

Oakville

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Program Fees: Participants pay fees to attend Water Innovation Lab programs. The WIL Canada 2023 page mentions 'We have 3 Fee categories to offer accepted applicants depending on their life situation' and participants are expected to 'pay the fee and support your travel costs to Alberta.'
2. Government and Institutional Funding: Waterlution operates as a Canadian non-profit receiving funding from government agencies. The FIT (Foundation for International Development Assistance) funded projects in Brazil and Mozambique. Global Affairs Canada (GAC) is mentioned as a funding partner. The organization also partners with the Canadian Embassy in Mexico and the Commission of Environmental Cooperation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Waterlution is a Canadian non-profit that delivers water-focused education, capacity-building, and youth leadership development programs, anchored by its flagship Water Innovation Labs (WIL) initiative held globally. Its offerings combine multi-day innovation workshops, community engagement, and youth leadership training to advance water security in partner communities.

Product overview

Waterlution is a water learning organization offering an integrated portfolio of programs and platforms focused on water security and climate adaptation. The core product is the Water Innovation Lab (WIL) framework - an immersive leadership training program with regional variants (WIL North America, WIL Great Lakes, WIL Lebanon, WIL Brasil) - supported by youth development programs (Y4RC, Passos d'Água), gender-transformative WASH initiatives (Água Delas, FIT Mozambique), the ACELERA startup accelerator, and the World Water Journey knowledge platform. The portfolio is unified by collaborative innovation methodology, combining workshops, mentorship, field learning, and arts-based approaches to build water leaders and develop community-driven solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Water Innovation Lab (WIL): Front-running immersive leadership training program designed to accelerate collaborative innovation and develop future water leaders
• Waterlution Brasil
• Gender + WASH
• Água Delas
• Youth 4 Resilient Communities (Y4RC)
• World Water Journey

Products and services

• Water Innovation Labs (WIL)

Quantifiable outcome

• 64% of students in Rio de Janeiro pilot can now speak about water conservation, with average WASH/Climate knowledge doubling after Passos d'Água program
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Centro das Mulheres do Cabo (CMC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeminist organization from Cabo de Santo Agostinho, Brazil serving as local partner for the FIT-funded Água Delas project. Co-designed and implemented gender-focused WASH capacity building program with Waterlution, engaging 133 participants including 96 women and girls in community-led water governance.
• Girl Move AcademycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal partner based in Nampula, Northern Mozambique, working with Waterlution on adolescent girl empowerment through capacity building and water innovation. Designed and delivered permaculture-based workshops for 100 adolescent girls in two schools.
• Commission of Environmental Cooperation (CEC)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrilateral environmental cooperation body co-hosting WIL North America workshop series with Waterlution and the Canadian Embassy in Mexico. Outcomes shared at 2023 CEC Council Session and 2023 NALS.
• Canadian Embassy in MexicoflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-hosting partner for WIL North America, highlighting Canada-Mexico-USA commitments to environmental stewardship and climate change resilience. Supporting youth engagement across North America.
• Instituto IguácoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrazilian water institute partnering with Waterlution Brasil for Passos d'Água pilot program implemented in a Rio de Janeiro municipal school, focusing on collaborative innovation education for students.
• Northwestern Michigan CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnical and geospatial training partner for WIL Great Lakes program. Provided expertise in water quality monitoring, wastewater treatment, and benthic LIDAR mapping during in-person component in Traverse City, Michigan.
• NORDIK InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner contributing to Great Lakes programming with expertise in freshwater research and community engagement.
• BerytechcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLebanese innovation and entrepreneurship organization collaborating on WIL Lebanon Phase II 'Test Zone' workshops for prototype development and proof of concept support.
• CEWAS Middle EastminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerWater and sanitation entrepreneurship support organization partnering on operational and financial strategy development for WIL Lebanon participants.
• UNICEFminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUN agency represented by multiple staff as Resource Guests in WIL Lebanon, providing expertise in emergency WASH, climate change, and youth programming.
• UNDPminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnited Nations Development Programme staff serving as Resource Guests and experts in WIL Lebanon programming on energy, environment, and climate projects.
• UNICEF MozambiqueminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConnected at Quelimane Sustainable Coastal Cities Conference where project methodology and learning was shared with UNICEF representatives.
• SAIT (Southern Alberta Institute of Technology)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnical training partner for WIL Canada 2023, hosting special facilitator training component at SAIT Calgary campus.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Peers

• Global Water Challenge:

Emerging players

• Imagine H2O: Water-innovation accelerator supporting startups and entrepreneurs in water solutions. Comparable to Waterlution's ACELERA startup accelerator component and Water Innovation Lab approach.

Direct peers

• Blue Planet Network: Non-profit coalition supporting community-led safe water and sanitation programs. Directly comparable focus on community capacity building and gender-equity in WASH.
• Circle of Blue: Non-profit journalism and education organization covering water issues globally. Comparable focus on water awareness, education, and storytelling to drive engagement.
• WaterAid: Global non-profit focused on WASH (water, sanitation, hygiene) access and education. Highly comparable to Waterlution's mission around gender-equitable WASH capacity building and community-led water governance.
• WaterCan/EarthWater: Canadian non-profit (now EarthWater) supporting WASH programs internationally. Direct geographic and mission overlap with Waterlution as a Canadian-based WASH-focused NGO.

Broad incumbents

• charity: water: Well-funded non-profit funding drinking water projects globally with strong storytelling and donor-engagement model. Comparable in mission and youth-oriented narrative emphasis to Waterlution.
• Water.org: Large-scale global non-profit providing access to safe water and sanitation through microfinance. Overlaps with Waterlution's WASH mission but operates at much greater scale and through financial-services rather than training methodology.
• UNICEF WASH: UN agency's WASH program delivering water, sanitation, and hygiene initiatives worldwide. Waterlution already partners with UNICEF representatives; comparable mission, vastly larger institutional footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Waterlution
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC2TeBqWf1_tBKYkJ2gkfM6w
• Facebookfacebook.com/Waterlution
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/waterlution-canada
• Instagraminstagram.com/waterlution

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Waterlution