Emerald’s Global Water Fund II reaches €100 million ($108 million) toward a €150–180 million target to scale water resilience technologies worldwide.
New investors Temasek and Grundfos Foundation join a strategic coalition spanning water technology, chemicals, energy, and industrial players.
Capital will back early to growth-stage companies developing water treatment, reuse, digital monitoring, and emerging contaminant solutions.
Global Capital Moves Into Water Resilience Technologies
Emerald Technology Ventures has reached €100 million ($108 million) for its Global Water Fund II, bringing new capital from Temasek and the Grundfos Foundation into a venture platform focused on water resilience technologies.
The milestone expands the investor base behind one of the sector’s few dedicated venture funds targeting innovation across the global water system. The new commitments add to a group of strategic backers that includes Veralto Corporation, Ecolab, SKion Water and Oxy Technology Ventures.
Together, the investors represent a cross-sector coalition spanning institutional capital, water infrastructure, specialty chemicals, and energy. Their participation reflects mounting concern among governments and industry leaders that water scarcity, contamination and infrastructure strain will become defining economic and environmental risks over the coming decades.
Global Water Fund II is targeting a total fund size of €150–180 million ($162–194 million).
A Platform Connecting Capital, Industry and Innovation
Emerald Technology Ventures has spent more than two decades investing in industrial sustainability technologies, with water emerging as one of the most urgent areas for innovation.
The new fund will invest in early to growth-stage companies developing solutions across the entire water value chain. Target sectors include water infrastructure resilience, advanced treatment technologies, reuse systems, digital monitoring tools, predictive analytics, automation, and technologies designed to address emerging contaminants.
The aim is to bridge the gap between breakthrough water technologies and the large-scale industrial adoption required to address global water stress.
“With Temasek and Grundfos Foundation joining Global Water Fund II, we are bringing together two globally influential organizations with highly complementary perspectives on water resilience. The fund is designed as a platform where this kind of collaboration can take shape – connecting long-term capital, industrial leadership, and breakthrough technologies to accelerate solutions across the global water system,” said Dr. Helge Daebel, Partner at Emerald and longstanding head of its water practice.
Strategic Investors Reflect Growing Water Risk
Water risk has moved rapidly up the corporate agenda as climate volatility intensifies droughts, floods, and contamination challenges.
For multinational manufacturers, utilities, agriculture companies and data center operators, water availability increasingly affects operational resilience and supply chain stability. Governments are also tightening regulation around wastewater treatment, chemical pollutants, and water reuse standards.
The involvement of Temasek, Singapore’s global investment company, reflects rising interest from long-term institutional investors seeking exposure to environmental infrastructure and climate resilience technologies.
Meanwhile, the Grundfos Foundation, owner of Denmark-based Grundfos, the world’s largest pump manufacturer, brings deep industrial expertise to the venture ecosystem.
“Within the water sector, we are convinced that doing business goes hand in hand with doing good. Our investment is a bid to help more water startups grow strong and address global water and climate challenges,” said Executive Director Kim Nøhr Skibsted, Grundfos Foundation.
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Track Record Builds Momentum for Fund II
Emerald’s first Global Water Fund helped catalyze a number of water technology companies that later scaled into global markets.
The firm has previously overseen successful exits of portfolio companies to industrial leaders including SUEZ, Xylem and BASF. These transactions demonstrated how venture-backed water technologies can move from pilot deployments to integration within global infrastructure platforms.
Beyond financial exits, the fund has also served as a collaboration platform connecting technology startups with corporate partners.
One example includes joint work between Microsoft and water technology companies Kilimo and FIDO, where digital tools were deployed to improve water efficiency and monitoring capabilities.
These partnerships reflect a broader shift in the water sector toward data-driven management systems that combine infrastructure, sensors, predictive analytics and automation.
Why Water Innovation Matters for Investors and Governments
For executives and investors, water resilience is increasingly tied to long-term economic stability.
The World Bank estimates that water scarcity could reduce GDP growth in some regions by up to 6 percent by 2050 if infrastructure and governance fail to keep pace with climate change. Meanwhile, regulators across Europe, North America and Asia are tightening rules on wastewater discharge, industrial water reuse, and chemical contamination.
This regulatory pressure, combined with rising climate volatility, is accelerating demand for technologies that can improve water efficiency, monitoring and treatment.
Emerald’s Global Water Fund II positions itself at the intersection of these forces by channeling venture capital into scalable technologies that can support both industrial resilience and climate adaptation.
As water security climbs higher on the geopolitical and corporate agenda, funds dedicated to water innovation are emerging as a critical bridge between policy goals, infrastructure investment, and technological breakthroughs shaping the future of global water systems.
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