Selected Media & Institutional References
Grasshopper Water Infrastructure Projects & Investments GmbH, formerly Grasshopper Investments GmbH, has been developing water projects, investment structures and innovative business models for the water sector since 2009.
Our work combines water infrastructure expertise with project development and the structuring of private capital for water. Over the years, Grasshopper, its subsidiary INWASOL – Intelligent Water Solutions GmbH, and dedicated project entities such as SWI Safe Water India GmbH & Co. KG have contributed to international water projects, institutional conferences, investment forums and independently governed water and climate initiatives.
Selected media, institutional and project references are presented below.
BBC TALKING BUSINESS · MAY 2026
Does the world have enough water to keep the economy running?
In May 2026, BBC Talking Business dedicated a full programme to water as a global economic, infrastructure and financing challenge.
The programme brought together three complementary perspectives:
Saroj Kumar Jha of the World Bank Group, addressing the global water challenge, the substantial financing gap and the role of governments, development institutions, regulation and stronger utility structures;
Mareen Schneider, Founder & CEO of Grasshopper Water Infrastructure Projects & Investments GmbH, addressing the question of how water infrastructure can be structured to become accessible and investable for private capital; and
José Manuel Entrecanales, Chairman & CEO of ACCIONA, providing the perspective of an international infrastructure and EPC group developing and operating large-scale water and desalination infrastructure.
Grasshopper's contribution focused on a central challenge in water infrastructure finance: large water projects are often too complex, too long-term and too difficult for private investors to access directly. Rather than attempting to make an entire large-scale infrastructure project investable, Grasshopper's approach is to identify suitable parts within such projects and structure them as clearly defined, standardisable and economically viable infrastructure modules.
In the BBC interview, Mareen Schneider described this approach as “Think LEGO”: instead of treating complex water infrastructure as one indivisible project, it can be broken down into clearly defined building blocks. This can create more transparent risk profiles, shorter and more manageable investment periods and a practical entry point for private capital into real water infrastructure projects.
The programme also presented a second Grasshopper model for regions where central water infrastructure does not yet exist. Through its Safe Water India activities, Grasshopper has developed decentralised drinking-water solutions for rural communities, using carbon-finance mechanisms to support access to safe drinking water for low-income and indigenous populations.
Together, the World Bank, Grasshopper and ACCIONA perspectives illustrated the broader challenge of financing water infrastructure: public funding alone will not be sufficient to meet global investment needs, while private investors still face significant barriers to accessing the sector. Bridging this gap requires not only capital, but structures that translate complex infrastructure into clearly defined and investable opportunities.
The programme was produced and presented by BBC journalist Jonathan Josephs.
WATCH THE FULL BBC TALKING BUSINESS PROGRAMME:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxrNCS6WHLs
JONATHAN JOSEPHS – BBC TALKING BUSINESS:
SMART IMPACT INVESTING EXCELLENCE FORUM · FRANKFURT · MARCH 2026
Why Water, Why Now
Mareen Schneider joined the panel “Why Water, Why Now – The Importance of Water in Impact Investing and across the SDGs” at the Smart Impact Investing Excellence Forum organised by Smart Bridges.
The two-day forum took place on 16–17 March 2026 at Hilton Frankfurt Gravenbruch and brought together family offices, institutional investors, foundations, asset managers and investment professionals.
The panel examined water from different perspectives ranging from the human right to water and humanitarian WASH solutions to river protection and private investment.
Grasshopper contributed the infrastructure-investment perspective: how water infrastructure projects can be structured to become accessible and investable for private capital.
SMART IMPACT INVESTING EXCELLENCE FORUM:
https://www.smart-bridges.com/en/excellence-forum/smart-impact-investing-excellence-forum/
“WHY WATER, WHY NOW” – PANEL REFERENCE:
https://de.linkedin.com/posts/p-brock_smartimpactinvestingforum-activity-7421530022399737856-1Y5_
GOODCAPITALIST · AUGUST 2025
Vom Markt zur Quelle – Wasser ist Leben
The inaugural issue of GoodCapitalist featured an extensive interview with Mareen Schneider under the title “Vom Markt zur Quelle – Wasser ist Leben” (“From Markets to the Source – Water is Life”), starting on page 36.
The interview covers the development from capital-markets expertise to the founding of Grasshopper Investments, the long-term focus on water, and the question of how water projects can be translated into investable structures for private capital.
It also addresses a central challenge that continues to shape Grasshopper's work today: while water is one of the world's most essential infrastructure sectors, private capital remains significantly underrepresented.
READ GOODCAPITALIST – ISSUE 01:
https://www.goodcapitalist.de/ausgabe-01-august-2025
SAFE WATER INDIA · GOLD STANDARD
Safe Drinking Water and Climate Protection in Melghat, India
The Safe Water India programme is implemented through SWI Safe Water India GmbH & Co. KG, a dedicated project company based in Frankfurt with project operations in Maharashtra, India.
The underlying project concept was developed by INWASOL – Intelligent Water Solutions GmbH, Grasshopper's specialised water project development subsidiary.
The project in the tribal region of Melghat combines access to safe drinking water with climate protection. Rural households receive an effective drinking-water disinfection solution, reducing the need to boil drinking water using firewood.
The project has been developed within the Gold Standard framework and combines measurable climate impacts with wider Sustainable Development Goal impacts, including clean water, health, gender equality, climate action and biodiversity protection.
SAFE WATER INDIA:
GOLD STANDARD:
GOLD STANDARD IMPACT REGISTRY:
https://registry.goldstandard.org/
MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI · GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
REDO Water Disinfection Technology
REDO water disinfection technology, represented in India through INWASOL India, is included in official technology publications of the Government of India's Ministry of Jal Shakti.
The Ministry's published list of technologies approved by its Technical Committee includes both:
REDO Mobile Water Disinfection Services
and
REDO Water Disinfection.
A separate Ministry publication on deployed innovative water technologies identifies REDO Water Disinfection under INWASOL India and documents deployment of the technology in Pune, Maharashtra.
INWASOL – Intelligent Water Solutions GmbH is a subsidiary of Grasshopper Water Infrastructure Projects & Investments GmbH and has been responsible for water project development, technology integration and implementation concepts within the Grasshopper group since 2009.
MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI – ANNUAL REPORT 2022–23:
https://jalshakti-ddws.gov.in/sites/default/files/annual-report-2022-23-eng.pdf
MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI – DEPLOYMENT OF INNOVATIVE WATER TECHNOLOGIES:
https://ejalshakti.gov.in/misc/Docs/Locations_Of_Deployment_Details%28Water%29.pdf
REDO WATER DISINFECTION AT INWASOL:
https://www.inwasol.com/redo-water-disinfection/
ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK ANNUAL MEETING · FRANKFURT
Solutions for Urban Water Efficiency
At the 49th Annual Meeting of the Asian Development Bank in Frankfurt, under the theme “Cooperating for Sustainability”, INWASOL and its German project partners from the Indo-German Alliance for Water Efficiency – IGAWE participated with a podium and plenary discussion entitled:
“Solutions for Urban Water Efficiency”
The discussion addressed integrated approaches for emerging water markets, including water-loss reduction, energy efficiency, modular drinking-water disinfection, optimised operations, innovative business models and sustainable financing.
The IGAWE competence group brought together specialised German water-sector partners covering water technologies, pumps, engineering, operations, project development and financing.
Within this structure, Grasshopper Investments contributed the competence for private water project financing, while its subsidiary INWASOL was responsible for project development and technology solutions.
The event documents an approach that has remained central to Grasshopper's development: combining specialised water-sector competence with project structures and sustainable private financing.
ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK – 49TH ANNUAL MEETING, FRANKFURT:
https://www.adb.org/documents/summary-proceedings-49th-annual-meeting
INWASOL – ADB ANNUAL MEETING / “SOLUTIONS FOR URBAN WATER EFFICIENCY”:
https://www.inwasol.com/inwasol-2/
IGAWE – GERMAN SOLUTIONS IN DRINKING WATER:
https://www.inwasol.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/IGAWE-German-Solutions-in-Drinking-Water.pdf
GERMAN WATER PARTNERSHIP
Member of the German Water Sector Network
Grasshopper Water Infrastructure Projects & Investments GmbH is a member of German Water Partnership, the network of internationally active German companies, research institutions and organisations in the water sector.
German Water Partnership's member profile lists Grasshopper under its current corporate name and identifies drinking water as a core competence.
GRASSHOPPER – GERMAN WATER PARTNERSHIP MEMBER PROFILE:
https://germanwaterpartnership.de/en/mitgliederprofile/grasshopper-investments-gmbh/
GERMAN WATER PARTNERSHIP:
https://germanwaterpartnership.de/en/
INWASOL – INTELLIGENT WATER SOLUTIONS GMBH
Water Project Development Subsidiary of Grasshopper
INWASOL – Intelligent Water Solutions GmbH is a subsidiary of Grasshopper Water Infrastructure Projects & Investments GmbH and has been active in international water project development since 2009.
INWASOL combines project development with specialised water-sector competences covering technologies, engineering, operations and implementation models.
The company's work includes public drinking-water infrastructure, decentralised water concepts, water-loss reduction, mobile water disinfection, project development and innovative business models.
INWASOL's website also documents the company's long-standing cooperation with German water technology and engineering partners and the historical development of its international water project activities.
INWASOL – INTELLIGENT WATER SOLUTIONS GMBH:
ABOUT INWASOL:
https://www.inwasol.com/the-company/
SWI SAFE WATER INDIA GMBH & CO. KG
Dedicated Safe Water & Climate Project Company
SWI Safe Water India GmbH & Co. KG is the dedicated project company implementing the Safe Water India programme in the tribal region of Melghat, Maharashtra, India.
The project combines decentralised access to safe drinking water with climate protection, biodiversity considerations, community participation and local implementation partnerships.
Its project concept was developed by INWASOL – Intelligent Water Solutions GmbH and is designed for scalable implementation in rural regions without reliable access to centrally treated drinking water.
SAFE WATER INDIA: