CityTaps

Solution Summary

Many people in poor urban communities don’t earn enough stable income to pay monthly water bills. In turn, utility providers can’t provide service to them, making it more difficult or impossible for residents to access clean water. CityTaps’ solution, CTSuite, transforms the economic relationship between poor utility subscribers and utilities.

CTSuite includes a smart prepaid water meter and cloud billing software that controls water access. Subscribers use mobile money to pay-as-they-go for water service at home, giving utilities the cash flow they need to be financially independent and invest in at-home water service for even the poorest customers.  

Market Opportunity

• Nearly one billion urban dwellers lack home water connections.
• Of the three billion connected to clean water, up to 70 percent are delinquent and risk disconnection.
• Utility processes are costly and labor intensive, leaving billions of US dollars in receivables.
• This lack of cash flow impedes their ability to finance capital and maintenance projects.

Highlights

• 125 working meters deployed with 1,200 on the way in partnership with Veolia’s Niger subsidiary, SEEN, and grant support from GMSA
• Built a multi-disciplinary team across two continents
• €66,000 in revenue in 2017

Organization Goals

• Launch two more pilots in Haiti and Senegal in the 1,000 - 2,000 meter range by December 2018
• Finalizing a USPTO patent application

Existing Partnerships

CityTaps’ current partnerships include:

• Work with Veolia’s MENA division with 125 meters in the field as initial deployment
• Paid contract with Veolia for 1,325 meter pilot in Niger
• Acceptance into Orange Fab France Lab Season 7 Cohort, developing joint offering in West Africa

Partnership Goals

CityTaps seeks:

• Impact investment, either directly in CityTaps or through potential utility customers
• Foundations interested in providing grant capital under a “Bond to Impact” model
• Mentorship on raising funds with a long-term exit strategy for the organization