Businesses
Social businesses built to growimpact in the rural WASH market
The businesses we incubated serve the aspirational BOP consumer with modern products across Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Bangladesh, and beyond.
WaterSHED Ventures
HappyTap
Hydrologic
TerraClear
WaterSHED Ventures is a water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) products company that offers modern choices for the aspirational BOP consumer. Based in Cambodia, the team has introduced Paradise Shelter – the world’s first flat-packed permanent latrine shelter for the rural consumer. It also distributes the award-winning LaBobo portable sink.
2014: Established as a subsidiary of WaterSHED NGO in Cambodia
2015: Designed and launched the Paradise latrine shelter — the first prefabricated toilet shelter for the BOP market, winner of the Reed Elsevier Environmental Challenge
2016: Began production and test selling the Paradise shelter with WaterAid Cambodia
2017: Now marketing brands include: Tuek Amret household drinking water filters, Paradise latrine shelter, LaBobo handwashing station, and Happy Child child potty — winner of Grand Challenges Canada Stars in Global Health
HappyTap Co. is a social business headquartered in Singapore that advocates for the ‘new normal’ in hand hygiene. They also design and market portable sinks designed to encourage consistent handwashing with soap.
2013: Established HappyTap Co. with USAID DIV, to distribute the portable sink locally branded LaBobo; a top three finalist of the World Design Impact Prize, and top ten finalist of Sankalp Southeast Asia Awards
2014: Retails in 12 provinces in the Mekong Delta region & Ho Chi Minh City
2016: National retail presence across Vietnam
2017: Expansion to Bangladesh
2021: Expansion to several new regions around the globe.
HappyTap
Hydrologic is the first WASH company incubated by WaterSHED, and our largest investment to date. Today, the small business has grown to become the leading producer and distributor of household drinking water filters in Cambodia.
2009: Incubated Hydrologic to become a social enterprise with funding and direct technical assistance
2010: Invested in a rural sales force; consumer, market, and technical studies, and product and marketing enhancements, and a new factory in Kg Chhnang that doubled Hydrologic’s manufacturing capacity.
2011: Successfully adapted a carbon credit protocol for cookstoves to be used for household drinking water filters – paving the way for a new revenue stream for clean water products
2012: Registered the production and distribution of water filters as a carbon project under Gold Standard Foundation
2012: Hydrologic wins prestigious Ashden Award for “avoided deforestation”
2012: Successful exit by WaterSHED
TerraClear is a social enterprise that sells locally produced ceramic water filters to families living in rural communities across Laos. It was one of WaterSHED’s first investments outside of Cambodia.
2009: WaterSHED provides technical assistance for new ceramic water filter business
2010: opening of new production facility for ceramic water filters
2010: WaterSHED advises on strategic business model that results in an expansion of TerraClear’s distribution network. TerraClear signs first 20 retail partners in target areas.
2011: WaterSHED successfully exits investment in TerraClear
2012: TerraClear is accepted as a carbon eligible project under the Gold Standard Foundation. Through this initiative, TerraClear receives carbon revenue from each sale of a ceramic water filter.