Helping Make Access to Water for All: Meet Laura Stocco, Co-Founder & CTO of Openversum
Here is a glimpse into the life and story of Laura Stocco - Co-Founder and CTO of Openversum. Their mission? Shaping a world where people do not die from drinking dirty water.
Laura, what is your personal narrative? What key moments in your life led you to where you are?
I was very fortunate to be born in Switzerland, where you can drink from fountains on the streets, anywhere! Access to quality water is a taken. Of course, challenges such as pollution of water bodies are present, but you never have to wonder if your stomach ache and fever come from your glass of water. I loved the water and wanted to protect it from pollution and plastic waste, so I decided to study environmental engineering. It was only then that I realized the extent of the drinking water crisis. The numbers I saw made no sense to me – 2 billion people still do not have access to safe water. 2 billion! How could that still happen despite the tremendous number of technology and solution we already had? Providing access to safe water to all became the driving force of my 20s, and all I did started revolving around water then.
As the founders of Openversum, what sparked your desire and passion to create this organization?
I love people. And sometimes, in engineering, we tend to focus on the technology, forgetting its users. Do they even want it? Do they have the tools and knowledge to repair them? Is this high-tech solution fit for a tropical context when developed in central Europe? As a result, I observed many filter technologies or UV treatments fail in South-East Asia and Africa. I wanted to find a solution for the underserved, and that is when I met Olivier and his water filters. First, I did not think much about technology. “Another filter?”. Sure. A more efficient, cheaper, climate-friendly filter, but I was already thinking about all the hurdles the others meet in the field. But Olivier had thought it through. He told me: “ It is designed so that we can distribute it through microfranchising!”. Everything fell into place – he created ownership, jobs, ensured maintenance, carried out capacity building, and fostered entrepreneurship… It was a solution thought to run by itself and empower communities globally! I was in, and we started building our business together. I made sure my team understood the importance of women in the water sector. They are disproportionately affected by water issues, manage water at home instead of having a chance to go to work or school, and do not get the opportunity to break out of poverty. But women are fantastic planners, great entrepreneurs, and invest readily in future generations! Therefore, we shifted our work to women entrepreneurs.
What goals and vision do you have for the future work of Openversum?
Our goal is to provide marginalized communities in rural areas with the chance to access safe water through our drinking water filters and to break out of poverty. We foster entrepreneurship, especially in women, through microfranchising. We give them the tools and knowledge to assemble filters, successfully run a business, and take ownership of their water solution. We envision a world where people do not die because of contaminated water, where women regain the time to go to work, where children are healthy and can go to school, and where communities can finally take action for societal change.
We have more than 400 filter users in Ecuador and Colombia and will keep strengthening our action there. We will then scale to Latin America, Uganda, and Somalia, where we already have partners. We know we can scale fast thanks to microfranchising – we did not even have to set foot in Ecuador to carry out a successful pilot! We need funding to make that happen, and are working hard on it.
What advice would you give to future Inclusive Inspirational Leaders?
Seize every opportunity, and do not be afraid to ask for one! The worst that can happen is to get a "no". If I had not taken risks and made phone calls to directors of companies and NGOs I had never met, I would have never gone to remediate sites in Denmark or sailed the Mediterranean to sample microplastics. It takes work, it takes guts, but it pays off. Rejections are normal - do not let them discourage you.
The second piece of advice would be: do not be afraid to say no and set boundaries. You know what is best for you. Even if you think you do not know, you will figure it out when things go wrong. The world is rich with possibilities, do not stay stuck in something that makes you unhappy. If I had not quit a job I hated despite the financial risks, I would have never met Olivier, and Openversum could have been someone else's project. Becoming a social entrepreneur is the most rewarding and exhausting thing I have ever done, and I would not go back.
