Burnt Island Ventures
Burnt Island Ventures is the first water-dedicated venture fund of its size. Since 2020 it has backed 34 water companies, typically backing Seed and Series A rounds. (don't) Waste Water rates it an Anchor: a genuine, repeat, still-active water investor, not a one-and-done tourist.
Compiled by Antoine Walter, (don't) Waste Water, from official filings and direct intelligence in Leviathan.
The take
In water-focused venture capital, Burnt Island Ventures stands as a beacon of specialized expertise, exclusively dedicated to water-technology innovation. Founded in 2020 by Tom Ferguson out of the Imagine H2O accelerator pedigree, it was the first water-dedicated venture fund of its size: a bet that sector focus, not generalist diversification, is the edge in water. With a portfolio spanning wastewater treatment, subsea desalination, leak detection and utility software, the fund has now backed 34 water companies since inception.
What makes Burnt Island an Anchor on our scale is behaviour, not branding: it comes back (34 distinct water bets, not one), it stays active (deals through 2026), it leads (about a fifth of its rounds), and it is pure-play water. Led by industry veterans Tom Ferguson, Christine Boyle and Steve Kloos, Burnt Island doesn't just write checks: it architects the future of water alongside investors like Emerald, DCVC and Echo River Capital.
Team · 9 profiled
On the show
Water Commitment Score
Compiled from official filings, third-party records, and direct intelligence from investors and founders, in Leviathan · recomputed monthly · as of Jun 2026.
How they invest
Portfolio · 34 water companies
Invests alongside
Highlighted = profiled on (don't) Waste Water.
Frequently asked
- What companies has Burnt Island Ventures invested in?
- Burnt Island has backed 34 water companies, including CREW Carbon, Flocean, HOPE Hydration, Aquatic Labs, Irrigreen and AquiSense, spanning wastewater treatment, subsea desalination, leak detection and utility software. The full portfolio is listed above.
- What stage and check size does Burnt Island invest at?
- Predominantly Seed and Series A, with a few Series B. The rounds it joins have a median disclosed size of about $4M (range $35K to $33M); Burnt Island leads roughly a fifth of them.
- Who does Burnt Island Ventures invest alongside?
- Its most frequent water co-investors include EPIC Ventures, Emerald Technology Ventures, DCVC, Bentley Systems and Echo River Capital, several of which (don't) Waste Water also profiles.
- How large is Burnt Island Ventures?
- Around $50M in AUM, founded in 2020, with a pure-play water mandate rather than water as a side allocation.
- How do you reach or pitch Burnt Island Ventures?
- Burnt Island backs early-stage (Seed to Series A) water-technology companies; founders can reach the team via burntislandventures.com or the partners' LinkedIn profiles listed below.
- Is Burnt Island Ventures a genuine water investor, or an occasional dabbler?
- A genuine one. With 34 distinct water bets since 2020 and activity through 2026, it sits in the top Anchor tier of (don't) Waste Water's Water Commitment Score, well clear of the majority of investors who make a single water bet and never return.