WayPoints - Clean water for millions with new digital technology.

Globally, at least 2 billion people use a drinking water source that is contaminated. Contaminated drinking water is estimated to cause 485, 000 deaths every year (WHO).

Two brothers from Kenya, and their social startup WayPoints, have developed new digital technologies with ambitions to provide access to clean water and improved sanitation to at least 1 billion Africans by 2030.

Headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, Flux is a social enterprise on a mission to accelerate sustainable provision and equitable access to basic human needs. WayPoints, their first product line, is a concept which aims to increase reliable access to clean water in Africa.?

We spoke to Social Shifters Global Innovation Challenge STEM Award Winners, Denis Sigei and Ken Ruto, founders of Flux and creators of WayPoints as well as their mentor Faith Doherty, Senior Business Manager at our partners SThree .

Go on Denis and Ken, give us your elevator pitch??

WayPoints is an innovative STEM business concept which will increase utilities in Africa to build a better quality of life through clean and accessible water supplies. We have developed software that digitises and brings water utility operations in Africa into the 21st century.?

It’s an all-in-one suite specifically designed to empower water service providers to do their best work by streamlining internal workflows. It's an end-to-end solution that guarantees a path to efficient, reliable and sustainable service provision and profitability.

Our innovative software will significantly reduce water loss?in the system and create a reliable water source for communities.

Why WayPoints?

Growing up, we experienced frequent water shortages lasting weeks at a time. We wanted to know what could be done to solve this issue.?

This experience set me on an engineering path to learn technical skills to solve problems across water and sanitation. Years later, I got the opportunity to work with World Vision Kenya in the water and sanitation department to design and implement decentralized water and sanitation facilities in rural areas. Seeing the impact these facilities had on the communities and being able to relate to them based on my own experience, I knew that actively contributing to accelerating sustainable access to water and sanitation for all is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

What’s the most challenging thing about being a social entrepreneur??

For us, the most challenging element of this venture has been funding. It’s been a struggle trying to balance inspiring our team to make the vision of social change a reality, while trying not to worry about the next paycheck or if we can keep our lights on.?

Before transformative ideas such as WayPoints gain traction, they require financial resources to see them through. There have been many times when we simply had to put WayPoints on hold and look for regular jobs because we couldn’t pay our bills. We relied on our personal savings and help from family and friends to keep things afloat. Things finally changed when we won a $25K CISCO prize in 2018. This helped us develop the first version of WayPoints and got us our first paying client.?

Thankfully, the dream never died and now we can focus our time and effort in building a better tomorrow through WayPoints.?

How has your business benefited from being a part of the Social Shifters network?

Through the advisor appointed to us by Social Shifters, we had access to expertise which helped us to refine how we tell our product story, ensuring we are portraying it in a simple and understandable manner while expressing the impact our vision and the benefits our product will bring to so many. The mentorship structure was very effective, and the entire process was well thought out.?

This is an experience that we believe will go a long way in helping us communicate our product to customers and partners. It will ultimately help us grow our business and meet our goals. ?

What have you enjoyed most about working with one of SThree’s volunteer mentors??

Our SThree mentor, Faith, was absolutely the best! It was a joy working with her. She took the time to listen and work with us to refine our pitch. She was very responsive and very receptive to our specific needs. She helped frame our thoughts about WayPoints from a wider perspective. Her wealth of experience helped us to clearly bring our USP to the forefront of our pitch. This was a tremendous help that we believe ensured we won the STEM prize!?

The first time we pitched to her, it was a disaster! She patiently listened through it and then gave us very useful feedback. Three practice pitches later - we nailed it. ?

What advice would you give to other innovators and entrepreneurs who have a passion for social or environmental change??

Own it and live it. First, you need to portray your problem and experience to your would-be team and then to your supporters and investors. In doing so, you create a community of people who are onboard with your vision and will connect to it in a human way. Do this well, and you’ll have an impeccable force behind you to propel you skyward.?

Recognise that there are no overnight successes, and that it will take a lot of time, energy and focus to achieve your aim of social change. Believe in yourself and stay true to your vision. I’m convinced that if you stay true to your vision and do all that it takes, the journey will be worth the effort. Be prepared to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty. Figure out how to balance the needs of your social venture, your team, and your personal life.?

Lastly, do not forget to be present and enjoy the process!?

What’s on the horizon for your project?

We are working to onboard at least 25,000 water utilities from the global south (Africa, South America, and Asia). We are also looking to add another product line, MajiSafe. MajiSafe is a hardware and software solution which will monitor water quality in real time with an early warning system. This will compliment WayPoints as it will help pre-emptively identify leaks by pinging back point source of water contamination and pressure loss thus extensively increasing the turnaround of leak repairs and ultimately ensure safe water reaches the end consumer.?

We hope that our organisation will have grown, with like-minded team members, all passionate about building solutions that will catapult sustainable access to clean water and sanitation for 1 billion people.

What change do you want to see in the world??

We’re sure most of you have heard the saying: “be the change you want to see”. Personally, we struggle with this concept as both individual and community circumstances can place obstacles in the way of change for some. Working on WayPoints has shown us how immensely fulfilling it can be to use technology to build tools that promote social change, inclusion, and development. We envision a world where everyone has access to all basic needs, an equal playing field and a conducive environment that allows them to thrive and become the best that they can be.?

Faith Doherty, Senior Business Manager at SThree, said:?

Working with Ken and Denis enabled me to expand my knowledge of?the utilities industry and software development within STEM. I also learned a huge amount about the scale of the water supply challenges in Africa and I was able to discuss this with my clients of this and what WayPoints were hoping to achieve.?

It was a really rewarding project to work on, and is something I am proud of. I was lucky enough to work with two, inspiring, driven, and hardworking individuals who are seeking to combat a serious global issue.?

The Social Shifters’ support programme has brought me a huge amount of satisfaction and variety. It was a straightforward process, and their team provided me with a lot of information upfront to ensure a smooth transition into the mentorship.?

I’m so grateful to Shifters for selecting me to be a part of this process and to Denis and Ken for welcoming me onto the team!

Social Shifters Global Innovation Challenge (2022)

There has never been a more important time to actively encourage and support the next generation of young leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs to tackle the world’s most pressing social and environmental issues.?

Through access to skilled volunteers, a digital toolkit, and our unique programmes of support we assist young changemakers in driving their impact businesses forward.

Ken and Denis are two from 1000's of young social and environmental innovators who entered our Global Innovation Challenge in 2021.

If you'd like to partner with?Social Shifters , and to know more about how your staff can be a part of the Global Innovation Challenge 2022, message us directly here on LinkedIn, or email?[email protected] !