What Uptime does

Uptime is a UK-registered non-profit organisation (operating as Uptime Global) headquartered in Oxford that designs and delivers results-based funding mechanisms to keep drinking water flowing for rural populations in developing countries. Its core offering is a standardised Results-Based Funding Model that links donor and government financing to verified safe-water outcomes via contracts with water service providers, typically structured to deliver service at less than USD 1 per person per year. The organisation runs programmes through a UK charity affiliate, the Uptime Catalyst Facility, and at a national scale through the SafeManzi programme with the Government of Zambia and the University of Oxford, alongside deployments in Malawi, India (Karnataka), and Bangladesh (SafePani).

The technology stack is methodological rather than a traditional SaaS product. It includes standardised contract designs, a public Global Dashboard linking funding to outcomes, AI-Assisted Data Audits for verification (anomaly detection on text-based service records), a Predictive Revenue Model trained on 200,000+ months of service records across 11 countries, and a Decision Support System used by the Government of Karnataka. A "Data Dividend" methodology underpins verification across 6,000 waterpoints in 16 countries. Publications are produced in English, French, and Spanish and co-authored with the University of Oxford, REACH, and the Rural Water Supply Network.

The business model is outcome-based: payments are disbursed only upon verified delivery of safe drinking water services, with more than USD 2.5 million in payments supported to date and over USD 1 million disbursed by the Catalyst Facility during the 2020–2022 pilot. Uptime operates as a sales-led organisation that engages governments, donors, and service providers directly, and is funded primarily through grants and philanthropic contributions rather than commercial revenue. Its stated goal is to reach 100 million rural people with sustainable drinking water services by 2030.

Name

Uptime

Legal name

Uptime

Website

https://uptimewater.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Uptime is a UK-registered non-profit (operating as Uptime Global) that designs and delivers results-based funding contracts linking donor and government financing to verified safe drinking water outcomes for rural populations across Africa and South Asia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Rural Water Services Funding

NAICS

Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (22131), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (9241)

SIC

Water Supply (4941)

akta.pro primary industry

Water Quality Monitoring, Compliance & Reporting (Sampling, Lab, Regulatory) (EUANAAAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Water Resources Administration (Watersheds, Rivers, Groundwater) (BPAIAMAE), Third-Party Water Retailing & Managed Billing Services (outsourced billing, white-label retail operations) (EUANAIAL)

Keywords

• Results-based funding
• Rural water services
• Water infrastructure financing
• Drinking water access
• Water service verification

Headquarters

HQ city

Oxford

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Results-Based Funding Contracts: Uptime connects funders (donors, governments, corporations) to water service providers through standardized results-based contracts. Payments are disbursed upon verified delivery of safe drinking water outcomes, with over $2.5 million in payments supported for safe drinking water at less than $1 per person per year.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Uptime designs and delivers results-based funding mechanisms to keep drinking water flowing for millions of rural people globally. It connects funders (donors, governments, corporations) to water service providers through standardized contracts where payments are disbursed only upon verified delivery of safe drinking water outcomes. The organization supplements these contracts with proprietary tools including AI-assisted data audits, a Global Dashboard, Decision Support Systems, and predictive revenue models for financial planning of rural water infrastructure.

Product overview

Uptime operates as a results-based funding organization that designs and delivers results-based funding mechanisms to keep drinking water flowing for rural populations globally. The core offering consists of a Results-Based Funding Model that connects funding to verifiable water service outcomes across countries and contexts. This is complemented by the SafeManzi programme in Zambia (a government-backed initiative with the University of Oxford), AI-assisted data audit tools for verification, Decision Support Systems for government partners, and predictive revenue models. The organization does not offer a traditional SaaS product but rather a methodology and funding framework.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SafeManzi: A government-backed results-based programme led by Uptime Global and the University of Oxford, improving reliability and water safety across Zambia's rural schools and clinics.

Products and services

• Results-Based Funding Model
• SafeManzi
• AI-Assisted Data Audits
• Decision Support System (DSS)
• Predictive Revenue Model
• Global Dashboard

Quantifiable outcome

• Over USD 1 million disbursed in 2020-2022 pilot
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Government of ZambiacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Government partner for SafeManzi programme improving reliability and water safety across Zambia's rural schools and clinics, including RFP for Results-Based Contract for Water Service Delivery in Central Province.
• University of OxfordcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Co-author of SafeManzi working paper with Government of Zambia, exploring how results-based funding can improve safe drinking water in Zambia's public schools and healthcare facilities at national scale.
• REACH ProgrammecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership proposing standardized contract design with payment for results to accelerate safe drinking water services at scale. Working paper co-authored with Uptime on results-based funding methodology.
• Rural Water Supply NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on global prospects to deliver safe drinking water services for 100 million rural people by 2030, identifying service providers globally that could participate in scaling up results-based funding.
• Oxford Smith School Water ProgrammeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorking paper collaboration on 'Keeping Piped Water Flowing In Rural India' considering global evidence and data from 3,400 villages in Maharashtra.
• SafePaniminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on cost estimates for safe drinking water in schools and healthcare centres in Khulna District, Bangladesh, outlining expected costs for 1700 schools and 300 healthcare centres.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• International Rescue Committee (IRC) - WASH: Large humanitarian organization delivering WASH (water, sanitation, hygiene) programming across many crisis-affected and developing contexts. Comparable to Uptime as a multi-country implementer of rural water services in low-income geographies.
• WaterEquity: Impact investment firm mobilizing capital for water and sanitation access in emerging markets. Comparable to Uptime as a capital-mobilization intermediary in the rural water space, though operating via investment returns rather than donor-funded contracts.

Direct peers

• Water For People: Nonprofit working to ensure everyone has access to safe, sustainable water and sanitation, with presence in multiple developing countries. Comparable as a peer nonprofit pursuing sustainable rural water service delivery in low-income geographies.
• Water.org: Global nonprofit that mobilizes capital and partners to deliver water and sanitation access through financing solutions. Directly comparable to Uptime's mission of channeling capital to sustainable water service delivery and its emphasis on financial innovation rather than purely charitable provision.
• WaterAid: International NGO focused on clean water, sanitation and hygiene in low-income countries. Highly comparable as a UK-rooted, mission-driven nonprofit operating across multiple African and South Asian geographies with government and donor partnerships.
• Evidence Action: Nonprofit that scales evidence-based health and water interventions using monitoring, evaluation, and results-based approaches. Closely comparable to Uptime in its use of rigorous verification and results-linked funding to scale cost-effective development programs.
• charity: water: US-based nonprofit funding clean water projects in developing countries with strong emphasis on transparency, monitoring, and donor reporting. Comparable to Uptime in mission, donor-led funding model, and use of proof-of-impact data to maintain funder confidence.

Emerging players

• GiveDirectly: Pioneer of results-based / cash-transfer aid using rigorous monitoring and evaluation to demonstrate impact. Comparable to Uptime as a model pioneer in performance-linked funding and data-driven verification of development outcomes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/uptimewater

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 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 Uptime