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Jibu is a for-profit social enterprise operating across Africa, establishing a network of locally owned franchises to provide affordable, safe drinking water and essential household goods. As of 2021, the organization supported approximately 150 franchisees operating 500 outlets and 4,000 points of sale, collectively serving 800,000 daily consumers across eight countries. These franchises utilize point-of-sale filtration and reusable bottles for water, alongside selling complementary products such as LPG and fortified porridge. Key investors include Danone Communities, which has provided support since 2019, the Stone Family Foundation, and Spark+ Africa Fund, which notably invested $2 million. Jibu was founded in 2012 by Galen Welsch and Randy Welsch. Its business model centers on franchise model where franchisees pay upfront license fees for exclusive territories, Jibu provides turnkey storefronts, eco-friendly filtration equipment, training, and charges a flat rate per liter of processed water to recover costs.
Jibu has raised $9.0M across 2 funding rounds.
Jibu has raised $9.0M in total across 2 funding rounds.
Jibu has raised $9.0M in total across 2 funding rounds.
Jibu's investors include BOM Brabant Ventures, Yago Arbeloa, AAIC, Corinne Bazina, Maclellan Foundation, NRD Capital, Segal Family Foundation, Stone Family Foundation.
Jibu has raised $9.0M across 2 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $2.0M Series U in May 2019.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1, 2019 | $2M Series U | — | BOM Brabant Ventures, Yago Arbeloa | Announced |
| Feb 1, 2018 | $7M Series B | — | AAIC, Corinne Bazina, Maclellan Foundation, NRD Capital, Segal Family Foundation, Stone Family Foundation | Announced |
Jibu is a social enterprise that empowers local entrepreneurs in emerging markets by capitalizing, equipping, and training them to operate self-sustaining franchises providing affordable access to safe drinking water and other essentials.[1][2][3] With drinking water as its anchor product, Jibu serves high-density urban and peri-urban communities in regions like East Africa, addressing critical shortages of clean water through a network of over 180 locally owned franchises that have distributed nearly 591 million liters of safe water.[2][3] The company solves the problem of unsafe water access by enabling franchises to purify local sources and sell at affordable prices, while also offering additional products and services for financial independence.[1][3] Founded in 2012 and headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado (with operations in places like Kampala, Uganda), Jibu has raised $10.1 million in Series C funding, employs around 540 people, and generates $17.2 million in revenue, demonstrating strong growth momentum through scalable franchising.[1][2]
Jibu was founded in 2012 as a pioneering social enterprise to revolutionize access to basic necessities in emerging markets, starting with safe drinking water.[1][2] The idea emerged from recognizing that traditional aid models often failed to create lasting impact, leading to a franchise-based approach that equips local entrepreneurs with water treatment technology, financing, training, and business support to build independent operations.[1][3] Key early traction came from scaling in East Africa, where Jibu established its first franchises; pivotal moments include collaborations like with EY Ripples in 2024, which helped organize financial and operational playbooks for rapid expansion across eight countries.[2] This evolution from a water-focused initiative to a broader essential services model (including clean cooking fuel) underscores its commitment to self-sustaining community development.[2][3]
Jibu rides the wave of impact tech and franchise tech in emerging markets, leveraging affordable water purification and IoT technologies to tackle global challenges like water scarcity affecting billions in urbanizing regions.[2][3][4] The timing aligns with rising demand for sustainable development goals (SDGs), particularly clean water access, amid climate pressures and rapid urbanization in Africa and beyond, where market forces like local entrepreneurship and tech scalability favor decentralized models over centralized infrastructure.[1][2] By influencing the ecosystem through job creation, financial inclusion, and collaborations (e.g., with corporates like EY for VC access and AI leveraging), Jibu demonstrates how tech-enabled franchises can hyper-scale impact startups, opening doors to new markets and resources.[2]
Jibu is poised for further international expansion, potentially integrating AI and advanced IoT for hyper-scaled operations in water, energy, and beyond, building on its 180-franchise network and recent momentum.[2][4] Trends like corporate-impact partnerships, climate-resilient tech, and emerging market digitization will shape its path, evolving its influence from water pioneer to a broader essentials platform that redefines sustainable franchising. This positions Jibu to amplify its role in equipping entrepreneurs for lasting community transformation, echoing its founding mission of revolutionary resource leverage in developing economies.[1][3]
