Davos 2023: HCLTech's Roshni Nadar Malhotra Wants To Unlock 'Aquapreneurs'
Her company has partnered with the WEF innovation platform UpLink for the 'Aquapreneurs Innovation Initiative'.
Developing countries like India will find it easier to scale fresh water initiatives to address conservation issues, according to HCLTech Chairperson Roshni Nadar Malhotra.
The billionaire businesswoman and philanthropist is attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, where her company has partnered with WEF innovation platform UpLink for the 'Aquapreneurs Innovation Initiative'.
"We want to unlock aquapreneurs all over the world. These are entrepreneurs working in fresh water innovation and solutions with businesses and provide them with a platform at WEF," she told NDTV Profit's Niraj Shah.
The $15 million investment over five years will help to build an ecosystem of innovation that sources aquapreneurs, connects them to existing initiatives and water networks, and unlocks funding opportunities to scale their vital work, according to a WEF report.
The initiative funded 10 companies with $3 million in 2023, but those have now managed to unlock an additional $50 million of funding in a year, Malhotra said. "In five years, we will have 50 such aquapreneurs."
"Each year, we will be finding 10 aquapreneurs from different parts of the world, who have innovative and ready-to-scale solutions in fresh water," she said.
"Once you put numbers and data to these solutions, they are able to sell it to urban planning agencies and consultancy firms working with government. It is helping these entrepreneurs connect with buyers, into a B2B setup," she said.
Watch the full conversation here:
