WaterConnect
WaterConnect is a Water.org-founded project development company that co-finances and structures bankable water and sanitation infrastructure projects in low- and middle-income countries, partnering with utilities, developers, technology providers, and DFIs.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2024
- HeadquartersKansas City, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What WaterConnect does
WaterConnect is a private project development company founded in August 2024 and headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri. It is an initiative of the global nonprofit Water.org, co-founded by Gary White and Matt Damon, and operates as part of a portfolio that includes Water.org and WaterEquity to address the global water and sanitation investment gap. The company co-develops water and sanitation infrastructure projects with infrastructure developers, utilities, and technology providers operating in low- and middle-income countries, taking projects from concept through feasibility, environmental and social impact assessment, financial structuring, and into financial close.
WaterConnect does not build proprietary technology itself; instead, it facilitates the deployment of partner innovations such as Flocean's deep-ocean reverse osmosis desalination, Hiraya Water's smart water management, Absolute Water's wastewater treatment, and mini-grid powered water supply systems. Its service offerings comprise four pillars: co-financing project preparation, technology pilots, technical expertise in legal and financial structuring, and access to construction financing and investment. Active projects include a ~€93 million PPP for the Naivasha Special Economic Zone bulk water and wastewater project in Kenya (with Haskoning, RebelGroup, PIDG, and AWID) and a subsea desalination project in the Maldives (with Flocean and MWSC).
The business model is professional services combined with project economics: WaterConnect shares development costs and risk with partners, recovers preparation costs, and earns developer success fees when projects reach financial close, plus retains investment rights in the projects it helps develop. The company employs 1-10 staff and serves government utilities (e.g., MWSC, Naivasha SEZ Consortium), private infrastructure developers (Haskoning, RebelGroup, Impact Water Solutions), technology providers (Flocean, Absolute Water, Hiraya Water), and development finance institutions (PIDG, BII/Metito via AWID), with priority markets in Brazil, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico, Peru, Philippines, South Africa, the Maldives, and Malawi.
WaterConnect firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- WaterConnect
- Legal name
- WaterConnect
- Website
- https://waterconnectglobal.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2024
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- WaterConnect is a Water.org-founded project development company that co-finances and structures bankable water and sanitation infrastructure projects in low- and middle-income countries, partnering with utilities, developers, technology providers, and DFIs.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
WaterConnect industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Water Infrastructure Development Services
- NAICS
- Utility System Construction (2371), Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (22131), Environmental Consulting Services (54162)
- SIC
- Water, Sewer, Pipeline, Comm & Power Line Construction (1623), Water Supply (4941)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Water, Wastewater & Hydraulics Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Water Supply & Wastewater Utilities Administration (BPAIACAG), Water Reuse & Reclamation Infrastructure Construction (Recycled Water Systems) (IMAFAGAH), Water Source Development & Conveyance (Intakes, Canals, Pipelines) (AFACAFAH)
Keywords
Where WaterConnect is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Kansas City
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
WaterConnect business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Project Development Services: WaterConnect generates revenue by co-financing project preparation activities and sharing project development costs and risks with partners. The company recovers development costs and earns developer success fees when projects reach financial close. It also gains investment rights in projects it helps develop.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
WaterConnect product offering
Product offeringCore offering
WaterConnect partners with infrastructure developers, utilities, and technology providers operating in low- and middle-income countries to co-develop water and sanitation infrastructure projects. The company brings projects from concept through financial close and construction by sharing project development costs and risks, providing co-financing, technical expertise (legal and financial structuring, feasibility studies, ESIA), facilitating technology pilots, and unlocking access to construction financing and investment.
Product overview
WaterConnect is a project development company that develops water and sanitation infrastructure projects in low- and middle-income countries. The company offers a portfolio of services including co-financing project preparation, technology pilots, technical expertise, and access to construction financing and investment. WaterConnect partners with infrastructure developers, utilities, engineering firms, and technology providers to co-develop infrastructure projects from concept to financial close and construction. Their service offerings include: Co-financing project preparation (sharing of project development risk and cost with partners from concept to financial close); Technology pilots (introducing and scaling innovative solutions through partnerships with technology providers); Technical expertise (legal and financial structuring, feasibility studies, water resilience, social impact); and Access to construction financing and investment (facilitating access to capital for project implementation). Projects span the water value chain from bulk water to distribution to wastewater treatment and reuse, serving municipal or commercial water and sanitation needs.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Co-financing project preparation WaterConnect shares project development costs and risks with infrastructure developers, utilities, and technology providers, co-financing the preparation of water and sanitation infrastructure projects from concept to financial close. The offering is designed for partners operating in low- and middle-income countries who face capital constraints and risk aversion in taking projects to investment readiness.
- Technology pilots WaterConnect introduces and scales innovative water and sanitation technologies by partnering with technology providers and utilities to deploy pilots and demonstration projects. The service targets water technology vendors facing market entry barriers in emerging markets and utilities seeking to test new solutions before full-scale deployment.
- Technical expertise WaterConnect provides in-house technical expertise covering legal and financial structuring, feasibility studies, water resilience embedding, and social impact assessment to support partners developing water and sanitation infrastructure projects. The service is designed for infrastructure developers, utilities, and technology companies that need external capacity for project preparation.
- Access to construction financing and investment WaterConnect facilitates access to construction financing and investment capital for water and sanitation infrastructure projects it helps develop, leveraging the Water.org and WaterEquity networks and investor relationships. The offering is aimed at partners who have completed project preparation and need capital to move to construction.
Quantifiable outcome
- 270,000+ people to benefit from improved water and sanitation in Kenya
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use WaterConnect
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
WaterConnect technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
WaterConnect partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- FloceancoreFlocean, a Norwegian water technology company, partnered with WaterConnect to advance a subsea reverse osmosis desalination project in the Maldives. The project will deploy Flocean's deep-ocean reverse osmosis technology which draws seawater from depth and uses natural hydrostatic pressure to drive the desalination process, significantly reducing energy consumption compared to conventional desalination. WaterConnect provides co-financing and supports project preparation activities including feasibility study, technical surveys, environmental and social impact assessments, capital raise, and project structuring.
- HaskoningcoreHaskoning, an infrastructure developer, partnered with WaterConnect and other consortium partners to advance the Naivasha Special Economic Zone and Domestic Bulk Water Supply and Wastewater Project in Kenya. The privately initiated proposal was approved by the Kenyan PPP Directorate in May 2025.
- RebelGroupcoreRebelGroup partnered with WaterConnect and other consortium members to develop the Naivasha SEZ bulk water supply and wastewater PPP project in Kenya, contributing to financial structuring and project development expertise.
- Africa Water Infrastructure Development Ltd. (AWID)coreAWID, the water platform owned by British International Investment and Metito, partnered with WaterConnect and other co-developers to advance the Kenya water infrastructure project, contributing resources and expertise to environmental and social impact assessments, feasibility studies, technical design, and financial structuring.
- Malé Water and Sewerage Company (MWSC)coreMWSC is the national utility in the Maldives and serves more than 50% of the Maldivian population. The company partnered with Flocean and WaterConnect for the subsea desalination project to strengthen long-term water security for Malé and Hulhumalé.
- Impact Water SolutionscoreImpact Water Solutions, a private developer, partnered with WaterConnect to assist with preparation of a proposed water mini-grid project in Malawi. The project is expected to provide piped water access to 15,000 people and 26 tourist lodges.
- Absolute WaterminorAbsolute Water, a wastewater treatment technology provider, partnered with WaterConnect and BCL Synthesis to demonstrate a low-cost wastewater treatment technology in Indonesia. The project treated effluents from a commercial mall and slaughterhouse to meet regulated discharge standards.
- BCL SynthesisminorBCL Synthesis, a local engineering firm in Indonesia, partnered with WaterConnect and Absolute Water to co-design and implement a wastewater treatment demonstration project for commercial and industrial sectors.
- Hiraya WaterminorHiraya Water, a smart water management company, partnered with WaterConnect to demonstrate its technology to a local utility in the Philippines. The project demonstrated potential for reducing water losses and improving energy efficiency through an innovative contracting and payment structure.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights4 records
WaterConnect competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- FMO (Dutch Entrepreneurial Development Bank): FMO is a Dutch DFI that finances private-sector water and sanitation projects across emerging markets, including development-phase support. Its blended-finance and project-preparation activities overlap directly with WaterConnect's mandate.
- British International Investment (BII): BII (formerly CDC Group) is the UK's development finance institution, with substantial water infrastructure commitments across Africa and South Asia. Through AWID it directly co-invests with WaterConnect and represents the broader DFI peer set.
- International Finance Corporation (IFC): IFC is the World Bank Group's private-sector arm and a dominant emerging-market infrastructure financier. It provides project development, concessional capital, and investment across water and sanitation globally, representing the institutional incumbent WaterConnect must partner with or compete against.
- Suez Water Technologies & Solutions: Suez is a global water and waste-management operator with municipal concessions and project development arms across Latin America, Africa, and Asia. A WaterConnect regional director previously ran Bal-Ondeo, its JV with Bal Group in Mexico, illustrating overlapping market focus and execution scope.
Regional players
- Manila Water Company: Manila Water is a Philippine-based water utility and infrastructure operator expanding concessions across Southeast Asia. Several WaterConnect regional directors previously held senior roles there, and it represents a comparable utility-side operator in overlapping geographies.
Direct peers
- Metito: Metito is a global water solutions developer and investor with deep presence in the Middle East and Africa, including desalination and wastewater PPPs. It co-owns AWID with BII and is a direct project-development peer active in many of the same geographies.
- Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG): PIDG is a multi-DFI facility that finances and develops private infrastructure in emerging markets across Africa and Asia. It directly co-develops PPP projects like WaterConnect and is already a partner on the Kenya Naivasha project, making it a primary direct comparable.
- WaterEquity: WaterEquity is the sister asset manager under the Water.org umbrella, founded by the same principals (Gary White, Matt Damon). It invests directly in water and sanitation enterprises and SMEs in emerging markets, making it the closest analogue to WaterConnect's project development and investment-rights model.
- Global Water Development Partners: GWDP is a BlackRock- and Rolls-Royce-backed platform focused on developing and investing in water infrastructure in emerging markets. It pursues a similar co-development and equity-co-investment strategy to WaterConnect, particularly in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia.
- Africa Water Infrastructure Development Ltd. (AWID): AWID is a joint water platform of British International Investment (BII) and Metito focused on developing and investing in African water infrastructure. It is a co-developer alongside WaterConnect on the Kenya Naivasha PPP and exemplifies the larger, well-capitalized project developer WaterConnect competes with.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks1 record
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
WaterConnect social profiles
Digital presenceWaterConnect financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
WaterConnect leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles15 records
WaterConnect funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
WaterConnect 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 WaterConnect
What does WaterConnect do?
WaterConnect partners with infrastructure developers, utilities, and technology providers operating in low- and middle-income countries to co-develop water and sanitation infrastructure projects. The company brings projects from concept through financial close and construction by sharing project development costs and risks, providing co-financing, technical expertise (legal and financial structuring, feasibility studies, ESIA), facilitating technology pilots, and unlocking access to construction financing and investment.
Is WaterConnect a public or private company?
WaterConnect is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was WaterConnect founded?
WaterConnect was founded in 2024. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is WaterConnect based?
WaterConnect is headquartered in Kansas City, United States, in the North America region.
How does WaterConnect make money?
One revenue line is on record: project Development Services.
Who are WaterConnect's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are FMO (Dutch Entrepreneurial Development Bank), British International Investment (BII), International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Suez Water Technologies & Solutions. Manila Water Company is listed as a regional player. Direct peers are Metito, Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG), WaterEquity, Global Water Development Partners and Africa Water Infrastructure Development Ltd. (AWID).
Does WaterConnect have an API?
No public API is recorded for WaterConnect.
What industry is WaterConnect in?
WaterConnect's product category is Water Infrastructure Development Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAIAD, Water, Wastewater & Hydraulics Engineering Consulting, with a secondary code of BPAIACAG, Water Supply & Wastewater Utilities Administration. Its NAICS code is 2371 and its SIC code is 1623.