What Lightwell does

Lightwell (legal entity LightWell International Ltd.) is a New Zealand-based for-profit social enterprise, founded in 2009 with 11–50 employees, that designs, manufactures, and distributes off-grid water purification and solar power systems for remote and underserved communities. The company sells two hardware products: LightWell Lite (LWL), a compact standalone unit delivering 1,000–3,000 liters of drinkable water per day from sources such as rainwater, wells, rivers, or municipal supply, and LightWell Village (LWV), a modular community-scale system designed for villages of 10–100 houses with expandable water and power capacity. Both products are built around an ultra-filtration membrane with a 0.04 µm pore size that removes 99.99% of pathogens and reduces turbidity to 0.1 NTU, exceeding the WHO 5 NTU standard, and are paired with solar PV, military-grade battery storage, and LED lighting rated at 50,000 hours.

The company's go-to-market is indirect: hardware is sold through regional distributors — a Jakarta-based partner with 12 branches across Indonesia for SE Asia, and Clean Water Technologies covering Fiji and the South Pacific — with direct enterprise sales from Auckland handled by a Partnership Manager. Revenue derives principally from hardware sales of filtration and solar units, supplemented by a 2-year warranty and after-sales service supplied via local distributors, and a social-enterprise development service in which Lightwell helps disadvantaged communities establish local drinkable-water businesses. Pricing is not publicly disclosed, and the company's installed base is evidenced by only two case studies (SMK Prakarya International in Bandung, 2018, and MIS School in Suva, 2020), both in the education segment, with stated activity spanning schools, emergency relief, remote public offices, industrial users, and residential customers across the Pacific and Southeast Asia.

Name

Lightwell

Legal name

LightWell International Ltd.

Website

https://lightwell.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Lightwell (LightWell International Ltd.) is a New Zealand social enterprise that designs and distributes off-grid water purification and solar power systems — LightWell Lite and LightWell Village — for schools, communities, and emergency relief users in remote Pacific and Southeast Asian markets, selling through regional distributors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water Treatment Systems

NAICS

Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213), Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (22131)

SIC

Water Supply (4941), Pumps & Pumping Equipment (3561)

akta.pro primary industry

Advanced Treatment & Purification Utilities (MF/UF, RO, AOP, UV) (EUANAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Onsite/Decentralized Reuse Utilities (District/Building‑Scale Reuse as a Service) (EUANAGAH), Water Softener, Filtration & Treatment System Installation (HSAOAAAH)

Keywords

• Water purification systems
• Solar power systems
• Ultrafiltration membranes
• Off-grid water solutions
• Community water supply

Headquarters

HQ city

Auckland

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Water Filtration System Sales: Sale of LightWell Lite and LightWell Village water filtration units with capacities ranging from 1000-3000+ liters per day. Product is roof, wall, or tank mounted and includes ultra-filtration technology for pathogen removal.
2. Solar Power System Sales: Integrated solar power systems providing lighting and charging capabilities for communities. Systems include PV panels, battery storage, intelligent controllers, and LED lighting for houses (2 units @ 5.3W) and community halls (3 units @ 30W).
3. Social Enterprise Development: Business development assistance helping local disadvantaged communities establish social enterprises in drinkable water supply, generating recurring revenue from local water supply operations.
4. After-Sales Service and Warranty: Comprehensive 2-year warranty on all products against faulty parts or labour. Local distributors supply spare parts and provide technical support including troubleshooting guides.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Lightwell designs, manufactures, and distributes solar-powered water purification systems that combine an ultra-filtration membrane (claimed 99.99% pathogen removal) with integrated solar power generation to deliver safe drinking water in off-grid and underserved communities. The portfolio includes the LightWell Lite (LWL) compact unit for households and small community use, and the LightWell Village (LWV) community-scale water and power solution.

Product overview

Lightwell offers two water filtration and solar power products: LightWell Lite (LWL) for smaller applications (schools, homes, offices, emergency relief) providing up to 3000 liters of drinkable water daily, and LightWell Village (LWV) designed for larger communities of 10-100 houses with expandable water and power capacity. Both products use ultra-filtration membrane technology for pathogen removal and solar panels for power generation, built in a modular format to accommodate growing community needs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• LightWell Lite: Roof, wall or tank mounted water filtration system providing 1000-3000 liters of drinkable water per day, suitable for schools, small rural communities, offices, emergency relief centers, with 99.99% pathogen removal using ultrafiltration membrane technology.
• LightWell Village (LWV)

Products and services

• LightWell Lite (LWL)
• LightWell Village (LWV)

Quantifiable outcome

• 663 million people worldwide lack access to safe drinking water
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Clean Water TechnologiescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorClean Water Technologies serves as the Pacific Region Distributor for Lightwell products, covering Fiji and South Pacific countries. They provide local technical support, spare parts supply, and installation services for Lightwell water filtration and solar power systems in the region.
• Jakarta Distributor (Local Manufacturing)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal manufacturing distributor based in Jakarta, Indonesia with 12 branches across the country. Provides comprehensive technical support, spare parts supply, and installation services for Indonesian customers.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• LifeStraw (Vestergaard): LifeStraw manufactures household and community water filtration products for developing regions, including hollow-fiber membrane filters. Direct competitor in portable/community water purification with similar humanitarian distribution model.
• Sawyer Products: Sawyer produces hollow-fiber membrane water filters for outdoor, humanitarian, and developing-market applications. Competes in the same ultra-filtration category and serves schools, communities, and emergency relief deployments.
• d.light: d.light designs and distributes affordable solar power systems for off-grid households in Africa and Asia. Comparable to Lightwell in targeting energy access in developing markets, with an overlapping solar power component.
• Greenlight Planet (Sun King): Greenlight Planet sells pay-as-you-go solar energy products to off-grid households across Africa and Asia. Competes for the same off-grid household customer base needing combined water, light, and power solutions.

Broad incumbents

• PATH: PATH is a large global health organization deploying water filtration and household water treatment solutions in developing countries. Overlaps with Lightwell's mission of providing safe drinking water to underserved communities.
• P&G Children's Safe Drinking Water: Procter & Gamble's program distributes water purification packets globally through NGOs. Operates as a broad incumbent with established distribution, competing for the same humanitarian and community-scale water treatment market.
• Water.org: Water.org finances and enables small-scale drinking water solutions in developing countries. Comparable as a large-scale water access organization operating in similar geographies with overlapping beneficiary communities.
• WaterAid: WaterAid is a major international NGO focused on water, sanitation, and hygiene in developing regions. Overlaps with Lightwell's customer segments (schools, rural communities) and addresses the same global safe water access problem.

Emerging players

• Barefoot Power: Barefoot Power provides solar lanterns and home solar systems in Africa and the Pacific. Competes with Lightwell's solar lighting component in similar off-grid markets with comparable distribution-led GTM.
• Hydraid: Hydraid manufactures bio-sand water filtration systems for households and communities in developing countries. Comparable in providing decentralized community-scale water purification with a similar humanitarian impact mission.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/lightwell
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lightwell-international-limited

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 Lightwell