Habitat for Humanity invests in Cambodian water-access startup TapEffect
2022年8月11日 - 4:37PM
JCN Newswire
Habitat for Humanity's Terwilliger Center for Innovation in
Shelter announced today a US$300,000 equity investment in
TapEffect, a Cambodia-based startup which provides clean and
affordable tap water to underserved rural and semi-rural
communities. The investment also marks the fifth anniversary of
Habitat's Shelter Venture Fund, launched in 2017 to accelerate
innovative startups tackling affordable housing challenges
worldwide.
It is estimated that 110 million people in Southeast Asia lack
access to safe drinking water. In Cambodia, one third of the
population rely on water from impure sources. TapEffect, founded in
2018, started from the desire to bring safe water to rural
communities in Cambodia, while addressing the systemic barriers
often faced by local providers, such as set-up costs and ongoing
maintenance. The company designs, builds and operates
self-sustaining piped water systems that can each support more than
10,000 people, and uses Internet of Things technology for remote
monitoring and payment management, which reduces cost and increases
operational efficiencies.
TapEffect offers a market-based solution where families pay a
fraction of the cost for water compared to bottled or truck-in
water options. Their initial demonstration system, built in 2020,
serves over 14,000 people in 19 villages, and connects 12 schools
and two healthcare facilities to clean and safe water.
"TapEffect's model combines technology, engineering and blended
finance to create a holistic approach that can be easily
replicated. By employing local contractors and construction teams,
we also build capacity within local communities," said Hourt Vuthy,
general manager at TapEffect. "We have been partnering with Habitat
for Humanity since joining the ShelterTech Southeast Asia
accelerator in 2020. The investment will help to bring the solution
to more families across the region who still lack access to clean
water and sanitation." TapEffect is also an investee of World Hope
Social Ventures, which supports market-based, community-driven
enterprise solutions.
Habitat's Shelter Venture Fund aims to nurture businesses with
solutions that can improve housing conditions for low-income
families. "We realized that high-potential enterprises often face a
pioneer gap in their early stages of growth, when they are
considered too risky by impact investors," said Luis Noda, Habitat
for Humanity's Asia-Pacific vice president. "Through the Fund, we
also send a message to the market that profitable opportunities
exist in supporting entrepreneurs that are driving social change
through innovation."
Twelve startups have received investments from the Shelter Venture
Fund to date globally, supporting over 5 million people in
accessing improved housing-related products and services. The
portfolio includes Tvasta - builder of India's first 3D-printed
house; Meridia - which uses mobile-based technology to improve land
documentation and tenure security in Africa and Asia; and BURN -
which impacts lives and the environment through the design,
manufacturing and distribution of clean-burning cook stoves.
Since its launch, Shelter Venture Fund investees have catalyzed
over US$34 million in further investments. At present, 40% of the
portfolio focuses on solutions that are less damaging to the
environment than market alternatives, such as water saving and
reduced carbon emission technologies. The 12 ventures are also
responsible for the creation of over 600 jobs in the locations
where they operate.
About Habitat's Terwilliger Center for Innovation in Shelter
The Terwilliger Center for Innovation in Shelter, a unit of Habitat
for Humanity International, works with housing market systems by
supporting local firms and expanding innovative and
client-responsive services, products and financing so that
households can improve their shelter more effectively and
efficiently. The ultimate goal of the Terwilliger Center's market
systems program is to make housing markets work more effectively
for people in need of decent, affordable shelter, thereby improving
the quality of life for low-income households. To learn more, visit
habitat.org/tcis.
About Habitat for Humanity
Driven by the vision that everyone needs a decent place to live,
Habitat for Humanity found its earliest inspirations as a
grassroots movement on an interracial community farm in South
Georgia, U.S.A. Since its founding in 1976, the housing
organization has since grown to become a leading global nonprofit
working in more than 70 countries. In the Asia-Pacific region since
1983, Habitat for Humanity has supported millions of people to
build or improve a place they can call home. Through financial
support, volunteering or adding a voice to support affordable
housing, everyone can help families achieve the strength, stability
and self-reliance they need to build better lives for themselves.
Through shelter, we empower. To learn more, donate or volunteer,
visit habitat.org/asiapacific.
To set up interviews, receive photos or further information, please
contact:
Julia Ferraz
jferraz@habitat.org
+852 61001806
Source: Habitat for Humanity International
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