Impact Investing

What It Is, Why It Matters And How You Can Get Involved

A Guide to Impact Investing

Whether you are familiar with impact investing or just hearing about it for the first time, impact investing is something that is shaping the world we live in both today, and for decades to come. Impact investing is something investors should consider to both diversify their investment portfolios and, positively change the world. Here’s why.

The world we live in is changing and the issues faced by some have worldwide consequences for all. Over the last few decades, faced with this reality, investors began searching for a way to align their investments with their values. A term which came into popular vernacular around 2007, impact investing, represents the idea that one can “do well while doing good” with one’s investments. According to the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN), impact investments are defined as, “Investments made into companies, organizations, and funds with the intention to generate social and environmental impact alongside a financial return.”

With investors increasingly seeking investments that drive “triple bottom line” impact (social, environmental, and financial), impact investing is building momentum. The Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment projects that impact investments will grow to $9 trillion by 2020. As investors increasingly look for investments that offer the desired financial and social impact, the question becomes – where do these opportunities exist, and who is best positioned to create and manage the vehicles that bring together investors and the social enterprises in need of capital?

Find the Right Way to Make an Impact...

WaterEquity is the first-ever impact investment manager dedicated to ending the global water crisis, with an exclusive focus on raising and deploying capital to water and sanitation enterprises throughout Asia, Africa, and Latin America. WaterEquity’s funds invest in a portfolio of water and sanitation enterprises in emerging markets— enabling them to scale, meet increasing market demand, and deliver universal access to safe water and sanitation. Co-founded in 2017 by social entrepreneur Gary White and actor Matt Damon, WaterEquity combines decades of financial and in-market experience to provide investors a unique opportunity to drive positive social and financial impact.

For investors who believe markets can deliver financial returns while solving social challenges, WaterEquity represents an unprecedented opportunity to make a profound and lasting effect on today’s global landscape through impact investing.

See our Impact.

Learn how WaterEquity’s funds drive positive impact towards Sustainable Development Goals.

Discover our Experience.

Learn about WaterEquity’s experience over 25 years working with water and sanitation projects.

Meet Our Team.

Meet the Team
behind WaterEquity.

"In India, micro, small, and medium enterprises account for more than 80% of total industrial enterprises. According to the last census (2007), 87% of these enterprises did not have any access to finance and were self-financed."

– World Bank

"In India, the market for “toilet loans” has grown rapidly and the loans have high repayment rates. Loans have helped households build more durable latrines by spreading the costs over time."

– World Bank & UNICEF

"For people without access to water, the cost of purchasing from vendors or drilling wells for self-supply can cost 10-15 times more than what is charged by service providers."

– World Bank

"In emerging economies, 1/3 of all healthcare facilities lack a basic water source."

– World Health Organization & UNICEF

"Extending basic water and sanitation services to the unserved will cost $28.4 billion per year from 2015 to 2030, or 0.10% of the global product of the 140 countries included. Current levels of financing can cover the capital costs of achieving universal access to basic water and sanitation by 2030, provided resources are targeted to the needs."

– World Bank

"1 in 3 people lack access to a toilet."

– Progress on Drinking Water and Sanitation: 2017 Update and SDG Baselines. World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), 2017.

"1 in 9 people lack access to water."

– Progress on Drinking Water and Sanitation: 2017 Update and SDG Baselines. World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), 2017.