As we head into 2026, momentum in water tech is finally building. Specialist VCs are leaning into Series A–B+, corporates are stepping up as LPs, and climate investors are treating water as core infrastructure. More capital is still needed — and it will continue to come.
But looking toward 2030, a different challenge is emerging.
More companies are now crossing early validation and entering VC-backed growth, yet slow down afterward. Not because the market isn’t there, but because our sector still lacks the operator layer capable of translating early traction into scalable, PE-ready businesses.
The bottleneck ahead, is increasingly about scaling capability — building repeatable go-to-market plans, navigating complex procurement, executing category strategies, and, where appropriate, consolidating fragmented niches.
And importantly, not every water company should scale. Some markets are local or niche by design. The goal is not universal growth — it’s enabling the right companies to scale when the market supports it.
Capital flows will continue improving, but the strategic question towards 2030 is: Can our scaling capabilities grow quickly enough to match them?
This may become the sector’s defining challenge over the coming years.

We are delighted to welcome Nada Abubakr as Senior Advisor at Water Impact Partners. Nada is a seasoned executive in the global water sector with over 15 years of leadership experience spanning Australia and the Middle East.
She has successfully built and led regional practices, delivered business growth, and advised governments, utilities, and industries on addressing the most pressing water challenges of our time.
She is currently based in the UAE and brings proven expertise in strategy, policy, regulation, governance, and infrastructure. She is recognized for cultivating trusted partnerships, aligning diverse stakeholders, and advancing scalable solutions with long-term societal and economic impact.
“Our focus on the Middle East—and specifically the GCC region—has already proven to be of significant value to our customers globally. By adding Nada to our team, we put even more power behind that journey,” says Jesper Munkholm, Founding Partner and General Manager.
“Nada’s strong experience across regions enhances our global reach and support to water techs, corporates, and investors,” adds Sead Bajrovic, Founding Partner. “She will help our partners accelerate innovation and deliver impact faster.”
We are confident that Nada’s leadership and perspective will further position Water Impact Partners as a trusted advisor to corporate leaders and boards seeking resilient, future-ready water strategies.
Our WIP collective consists of partners with deep expertise within the water sector to support us in customer engagements where relevant. At Water Impact Partners we have a relentless focus on creating value for our customers based on hands on experience, whether it is deep vertical knowledge or general expertise in growing a company. As joint forces we are able to set a team of some of the most experienced people in the industry whether you are a corporate, investor or water tech.
We are therefore welcoming Brine Consulting who brings decades of experience within brine management and Zero Liquid Discharge. Brine Consulting is lead and founded by Christos Charisiadis who is a significant global voice when it comes to ZLD, brine management and next generation desalination.
Alongside Brine Consulting, we are also welcoming apstech advisors lead and managed by Vinod Ramachandran who brings a strong consulting experience from Amane Advisors and have strong innovation experience from SUEZ. Apstech advisors are especially strong within market intelligence as well as due diligence and opportunity scoping.
Brine Consulting and apstech advisors joins our existing partner KMM Consulting based in Switzerland and are highly experienced in fundraise.
We are looking very much forward to work closed with these great partners as well as adding new ones during 2026.