CAMBRIDGE, MA / ACCESSWIRE / December 27, 2021 / Safar Partners, a seed- to growth-stage venture fund investing in technology companies, today announced its participation in Gradiant's Series C funding round alongside Warburg Pincus and Schlumberger New Energy. Gradiant, an MIT spinout and one of Safar Partners' first portfolio companies, is a leading global end-to-end cleantech water solutions provider and project developer.
In this Series C round, Gradiant raised over $100 million in funding and was oversubscribed from its initial target of $65 million. Safar Partners was joined by Australian pension fund Hostplus in this round, which was led by Warburg Pincus and Schlumberger New Energy. The new investment makes Safar one of the largest shareholders in Gradiant, with Safar principals and LPs having been among the first seed investors in the company.
Gradiant develops and delivers advanced water and wastewater treatment projects around the world. Its focus is the rapidly growing Asia Pacific region for global brand owners and manufacturers with mission-critical needs in cleantech water and sustainable operations.
"We are proud to have been among the first investors in Gradiant and have witnessed incredible growth as the company's solutions are adopted by manufacturers and other users in the textile and pharma sectors, municipalities, oil and gas producers, and desalination providers," said Nader Motamedy, a Managing Partner at Safar Partners. "This is a proof-point of Gradiant's business model, meeting market needs for cleantech water solutions and creating value for customers to achieve sustainable solutions in their operations."
Gradiant offers a broad portfolio of proprietary and patented technologies for end-to-end cleantech solutions that focus on water reuse, resource recovery, brine concentration for minimum and zero liquid discharge, and digital solutions for systems optimization. The company offers flexible delivery models for the design-build, operate-maintain, and financing of projects based on customers' specific needs and situations.
"Alongside Safar Partners, Hostplus congratulates Gradiant as the world increasingly values clean water and the need to mitigate climate change," said Hostplus CEO David Elia. "Gradiant's solutions in water reuse, resource recovery, and advanced wastewater treatment enable manufacturers to reduce their environmental footprint and achieve a circular economy. Today's announcement of our investment in Gradiant, through our valued partnership with Safar Partners, further demonstrates our commitment to companies with strong financial growth opportunities that also make the world better."
Hostplus is an anchor investor in Safar Partners and one of the largest pension funds in Australia - representing more than 1.4 million members in the hospitality sector. The $78 billion fund's investment in Gradiant is part of Hostplus' commitment to a venture capital program through which it supports companies that are committed to enabling positive change worldwide.
"Gradiant enables its customers to achieve sustainability in their water-intensive operations. Water and resource recovery are essential for the world's mission-critical industries ranging from semiconductors and pharmaceuticals to food and beverage and mining," said Gradiant's Co-Founder and CEO, Anurag Bajpayee. "Safar Partners believed in our team and our technology from the early days, and we have enjoyed their support and now the participation of Hostplus. Safar brings a wealth of experience in growing cleantech and infrastructure companies and is helping further our mission to solve the world's most important water challenges."
About Safar Partners
Safar Partners is a seed- to growth-stage venture fund investing primarily in technology companies out of MIT, Harvard, and the University of Rochester. Safar takes advantage of the principles of private equity to create value as our companies scale beyond initial prototypes. We accelerate the scaling of our portfolio companies through the formation of spinouts or joint ventures to address additional markets, industries, or geographies. For more about Safar Partners, visit https://www.safar.partners
About Hostplus
Founded by the Australian Hotels Association and the United Workers Union in 1988, Hostplus has grown to be one of the largest super funds in Australia. With 1.4 million members, more than 250,000 employers and $78 billion in funds under management (as of 30 November 2021), our scale and ongoing growth allow for low member costs and a broad range of investment opportunities. For more information, please visit https://hostplus.com.au/.
About Gradiant
Gradiant is a world-class solutions provider and developer of cleantech water projects. In leading the way to solve the most important water challenges, we drive progress for our environment, society, and economy. With our robust technologies and the top minds in water, we serve our customers' mission-critical operations in the world's essential industries. At Gradiant, we create new possibilities for our customers and the communities they serve to ensure a safer and more promising tomorrow. Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, and Singapore, Gradiant serves its global clients from offices located across ten countries. For more information, please visit www.gradiant.com.
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SOURCE: Safar Partners
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