Thirst Foundation

What Thirst Foundation does

Thirst Foundation, legally registered as Thirst Limited in Hong Kong (trading as Thirst), is a non-profit organization established in 2012 and headquartered in Melbourne, Australia. The organization is dedicated to advancing awareness and policy action on the global water crisis, with an explicit mission to close the gap on UN Sustainable Development Goal 6 (water and sanitation). It operates as an "organizing entity" conceiving, planning, and delivering the work of founder and CEO Mina Guli, a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader and one of Fortune magazine's 50 greatest leaders.

The organization's core deliverables are a portfolio of large-scale awareness campaigns rather than technology products. Signature campaigns include the 7 Desert Run (2016, 40 marathons across seven deserts on seven continents in seven weeks), the 6 River Run (2017, 40 marathons down six rivers in 40 days), #RunningDry (2018, 100 marathons in 100 days, with global supporters completing the remaining distance after the founder's injury), and #RunBlue (March 2022–March 2023, 200 marathons in one year culminating at the UN Water Conference on World Water Day). Education programs — innovation competitions, hackathons, and education modules — have reached more than 2.1 million children, and a free virtual activation model with a dedicated Strava club extends community participation beyond flagship events.

The organization is funded through donations and grants and does not generate commercial revenue. It targets four primary segments: children and youth (via education programs), companies and corporations (corporate water action), governments and policymakers (policy advocacy), and NGOs and civil society (coalition building). Community reach spans more than 200 countries and territories across all seven continents, with cumulative media impressions in the billions through placements in outlets including the New York Times, CBS This Morning, BBC, CNN, and ABC Australia. The team is small (1-10 employees), and the operating model is heavily dependent on the founder's personal profile and athletic execution.

Name

Thirst Foundation

Legal name

Thirst Limited

Website

https://thirstfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Thirst Foundation is a non-profit organization established in 2012 that runs large-scale global campaigns and education programs to advance awareness and policy action on the global water crisis, with a mission to close the gap on UN Sustainable Development Goal 6.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water Awareness Advocacy

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH) (BPAGABAC), WASH (Water, Sanitation & Hygiene) Organizations (HLAJAKAI)

Keywords

• Water awareness campaigns
• Non-profit advocacy
• Sustainability education
• Community mobilization
• Global water education

Headquarters

HQ city

Melbourne

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: As a non-profit organization established in 2012, Thirst Foundation operates primarily through donations and grants to fund its global water awareness campaigns and educational programs. The organization does not generate revenue from product or service sales.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Thirst Foundation is a non-profit organising entity that plans and delivers large-scale global water-awareness campaigns (Run Blue 200 Marathons, #RunningDry, 6 River Run, 7 Desert Run) led by founder Mina Guli through extreme athletic challenges. It runs education programmes for children (innovation competitions, hackathons, education modules) and free virtual activations where individuals, teams and communities worldwide run and walk together for water to advance UN Sustainable Development Goal 6.

Product overview

Thirst Foundation is a non-profit organisation focused on delivering groundbreaking action on water awareness. Rather than a unified software product, the organisation offers a portfolio of global awareness campaigns (Run Blue 200 Marathons, #RunningDry, 6 River Run, 7 Desert Run), education programs for children, and virtual activation events. The campaigns work to build and mobilise a global ecosystem of stakeholders to cure water blindness and close the gap on UN Sustainable Development Goal 6.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Run Blue 200 Marathons Campaign Global water-awareness campaign in which founder Mina Guli ran 200 marathons in one year to put water on the global agenda and inspire action on water from companies and individuals.
• #RunningDry Campaign Awareness campaign in which Mina Guli ran 100 marathons in 100 days to demonstrate 100% commitment to water, with supporters worldwide completing remaining marathons after her injury.
• 6 River Run Campaign 2017 campaign in support of UN SDG 6 in which Mina Guli ran 40 marathons in 40 days down six of the world's great rivers on six continents.
• 7 Desert Run Campaign 2016 campaign in which Mina Guli ran the equivalent of 40 marathons on seven deserts over seven continents in seven weeks to raise awareness of the global water crisis.
• Education Programmes Programmes that equip the next generation to understand and value water through innovation competitions, hackathons and education modules; have reached more than 2.1 million children.
• Virtual Activations Free virtual activations where people, teams and communities worldwide run and walk together for water, with participation enabled through the Strava club and the go.runblue.org sign-up portal.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2.1 million+ children reached through education programs
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• 350.org: International climate-focused non-profit that mobilizes global grassroots campaigns and large-scale public actions to address the climate crisis. Comparable to Thirst because both are awareness/advocacy-led NGOs running international campaigns to move top-of-agenda issues and engaging individuals, communities, and policymakers at global scale.
• Waves for Water: Non-profit that leverages surfers and ocean athletes to distribute water filters to communities in need. Closely comparable to Thirst because it is also an athlete-driven water NGO that turns athletic identity into humanitarian mission, fundraising, and global awareness campaigns around clean water.
• Waterkeeper Alliance: Global non-profit network of on-the-water advocates protecting rivers, bays, and coastlines. Comparable to Thirst because both pursue water resource protection via advocacy and member/affiliate mobilization across many countries, though Waterkeeper focuses on legal/regulatory enforcement rather than awareness campaigns.
• charity: water: Non-profit focused exclusively on bringing clean water to people in developing countries, built around a strong founder/brand identity and large-scale donor community. Highly comparable to Thirst because both are water-only niche NGOs with charismatic founder brands, donor-funded models, and global awareness campaigns — though charity: water funds tangible water projects whereas Thirst raises awareness.
• The Water Project: Non-profit dedicated to providing clean, reliable water across sub-Saharan Africa through wells and sanitation programs. Comparable to Thirst because both are water-exclusive non-profits seeking to drive action on global water access, but The Water Project is a direct-service/implementation organization rather than an awareness advocate.

Broad incumbents

• WaterAid: Large established international NGO focused on WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) access in low-income countries. Comparable to Thirst because both operate in the WASH space and advocate around water access, but WaterAid is a direct-service delivery organization with country programs, whereas Thirst is advocacy/awareness-led.
• UNICEF WASH Programme: The UN children's agency WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) programme delivers water access, sanitation, and hygiene programming globally. Comparable to Thirst because both work in the same WASH domain and reference UN SDG 6, but UNICEF is a large multilateral direct-service operator rather than an awareness advocate.
• Water.org: Founded by Matt Damon and Gary White, Water.org is a high-profile non-profit focused on global water and sanitation access via microfinance-based solutions. Peer to Thirst because both are celebrity/founder-led water NGOs pursuing global water access and operate in the same WASH advocacy space, though Water.org finances solutions whereas Thirst mobilizes awareness.
• Patagonia Action Grants / Patagonia Environmental Grants: Environmental advocacy and grantmaking arm of an iconic outdoor brand, funding grassroots environmental activism including water protection. Comparable to Thirst because both blend brand identity, advocacy, and movement-building around environmental/water stewardship, but Patagonia operates from a for-profit-funded platform at much larger scale.

Emerging players

• EarthEcho International: Environmental non-profit co-founded by Philippe and Alexandra Cousteau focused on youth engagement and water/ocean conservation. Comparable to Thirst because both target youth through education programs and run awareness campaigns around water/ocean stewardship, intersecting on the WASH/youth-advocacy territory though Thirst is more generalist while EarthEcho is oceans-focused.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/thirstfoundation

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 Thirst Foundation