A decade, 23 iterations, and numerous challenges later, Wateroam became the first recipient of Temasek’s newly-launched T-Ignite fund, and is now poised to amplify its impact.
Standing in the heat of the Cambodian summer in 2012, volunteer teacher Lim Chong Tee paused to take a swig of his bottled water. Mere steps away, his student cupped his hands and drank from a worm-infested well.
“It was really disturbing – the difference between what he was drinking and what I had,” remembers Chong Tee, then an engineering student at the National University of Singapore.
The disparity clearly went deeper than a single well. Conversations with the school, local clinics and religious leaders surfaced widespread problems caused by contaminated water, from illness to school absenteeism. “I knew I needed to do more,” he says.
The two billion people who don’t have access to clean water aren’t just a statistic, they are human beings who deserve this fundamental right.
Lim Chong Tee
Chief Marketing Officer, Wateroam
On-the-go quality check: Chong Tee (centre) shows field workers on the Myanmar-Thailand border how to use Wateroam's Basic Water Test kit. Image: Wateroam
That “dissonance” eventually led Chong Tee to team up with two schoolmates – business student David Pong and engineering student Vincent Loka – to try to address a water crisis that impacts one in four people globally. Through an accelerator programme in 2014, they began to design a water filtration system, leading to the founding of impact enterprise Wateroam.
The breakthrough portable water filter ROAMfilter Plus can produce 300 litres of clean water per hour without the need for electricity, putting access to safe drinking water within reach of hundreds of thousands in remote villages and disaster zones in over 40 countries. But the journey to get there was one of bootstrapping and relentless iteration, recalls Chong Tee, the company’s Chief Marketing Officer.
By 2018, Wateroam had a working prototype and partnered with disaster relief agencies to test it on the ground. Practical challenges surfaced: smaller versions could not deliver on volume, and bigger, vehicle-mounted systems could not navigate mountains or jungles.
Simple and effective: The bicycle pump-inspired mechanism makes the lightweight ROAMfilter Plus easy for anyone to use, even these young villagers in Chhnok Tru, Cambodia. Image: Wateroam
The “Eureka” moment came when Chief Technology Officer Vincent, after seeing a villager pump up his bicycle tyre, applied a similar mechanism to pressurising ROAMfilter’s system, eliminating the need for electricity. The result was a 5kg hand pump fitted with an ultrafiltration membrane, and as easy to use as a bicycle pump. It found quick favour with humanitarian organisations like Red Cross and World Vision – but funding remained a perennial issue, especially as Wateroam sought to keep pace with needed product improvements and market expansion to remain commercially viable.
In 2016, Wateroam received early support from DBS Foundation’s Social Enterprise Grant Programme, during its prototyping stage. “Wateroam’s commitment to provide safe drinking water for communities in need, and its vision to scale resonated,” explains Claire Wong, Team Lead for Business for Impact at DBS Foundation (DBSF). Funding and strategic guidance laid the groundwork for further growth – and recognition. In 2019, Wateroam clinched the DBSF x SIF Social Impact Prize for the use of technology for impact. Three years later, it won the water champion accolade of the Zayed Sustainability Prize.
However, like many impact enterprises, Wateroam then found itself in the proverbial “valley of death” – it had outgrown its startup roots but lacked the heft and returns that would attract traditional investors. It was not an unfamiliar challenge in the impact sector – and was one on Temasek’s radar.
DBS Foundation saw how T-Ignite could take Wateroam further and put it forward for consideration. “It takes a village to grow an enterprise,” says Claire.
T-Ignite, funded out of Temasek’s community gifts, was designed as a bridge for enterprises like Wateroam.
It offers “patient capital” of up to S$500,000, repayable over three to five years, giving impact enterprises time to improve their operations and business models, and achieve greater financial sustainability. Recovered capital is recycled to support other impact enterprises, amplifying the effectiveness of the same philanthropic dollar.
As Temasek evaluated potential T-Ignite recipients for both commercial viability and impact, Wateroam’s understanding of global water challenges and alignment with Temasek’s vision for building resilient communities stood out. Late last year, it was named T-Ignite’s first beneficiary.
A vision within reach: T-Ignite enables Wateroam to scale up production, grow its team, and put safe drinking water into the hands of even more communities in need, says Chong Tee. Image: Wateroam
For Wateroam, T-Ignite is more than just a grant. It comes with access to Temasek’s networks and knowledge in navigating global business landscapes, and the insights of professionals like Di Fu, Vice President of Temasek’s Impact Investing team, who volunteered as a grant advisor during the T-Ignite evaluation process. “The product is good, the business is impactful, the motivations are clear, and the founders are passionate,” says Di, who visited Wateroam’s Batam production facility in 2024.
Yet, she recognises the challenges ahead as it aims to pivot from sporadic relief efforts to a sustainable model capable of meeting steady demand. Wateroam wants to grow its team and increase production tenfold, from the current 100 to 200 units a month to 1,000 to 2,000 units, while simultaneously deepening market penetration. “T-Ignite will give Wateroam a leg up and help them scale, bringing them closer to achieving financial sustainability,” says Di.
It will also allow Wateroam to push closer to its ambition of putting clean water in the hands of 30 million people by 2030. For Chong Tee, now a young father, the stakes have never been higher.
Every child, every human being, deserves access to safe drinking water. I want to do my part in making the world a place my daughter looks forward to, one with less suffering. With T-Ignite, Wateroam can take our vision to the next level, and leave a better world for the next generation.
Lim Chong Tee
Chief Marketing Officer, Wateroam
Temasek’s journey in building social capital started over 20 years ago, when it adopted a deliberate and structured approach, anchored on the twin pillars of governance and sustainability, to give back to communities.
Since 2003, Temasek has been setting aside a portion of its net positive returns above its risk-adjusted cost of capital for community gifts.
These are approved by the Temasek Board and then donated to partners to achieve Temasek’s community objectives of Connecting People, Uplifting Communities, Protecting the Planet, and Advancing Capabilities.
Temasek Trust (TT) has been the primary beneficiary of Temasek’s gifts. TT disburses grants for programmes to be developed and delivered by Temasek’s non-profit ecosystem, including Temasek Foundation, Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory, Stewardship Asia Centre, and Mandai Nature. To date, Temasek’s gifts to TT have impacted about 3.7 million lives across Singapore and beyond.
In addition to Temasek Trust and our non-profit ecosystem, Temasek also works directly with partners from the Public, Private, and People sectors to advance our community objectives, where our philanthropic capital, network, and industry insights can make the most impact.
