Speaker details

Biography

Rob Steiner – Operating Partner, Upwell Water LLC Rob Steiner is currently an Operating Partner at Upwell Water LLC, a global tech-enabled water investment platform focused on water rights acquisition and development, groundwater banking projects, water and wastewater treatment and re-use, and smart water management. Rob has served at the forefront of water innovation and investment for the past 16 years. During this time Rob has launched first-of-their-kind water investment products, water technology companies and water non-profits that aim to innovate and evolve the water sector. Rob was the Senior Investment Director of Summit Global, a water investment management firm that had $1.2bn deployed into water-related investments. Summit was widely recognized as the pioneer in water-specific investing through their creation of investment products for public equities, water project finance and water rights. Rob was responsible for Summit’s project sourcing and management efforts in decentralized water and wastewater treatment and reuse and oilfield water management and recycling. While at Summit, Rob helped develop the $250M diversified water rights fund, the first ever of its kind. Prior to Summit, Rob co-founded WaterSmart, a venture-backed company whose water analytics technology platform combines water usage data with behavioral science to determine water conservation strategies in water districts throughout the United States. This has resulted in over 2 billion gallons of water saved through reduced public consumption. Prior to launching WaterSmart, Rob was the Director of Water Research at Aquillian Investments, a San Francisco based investment advisory and research firm focused on sustainability-related investments including renewable energy, water technology, and sustainable agriculture. Rob is on the Advisory Board of Splash.org, a Seattle-based nonprofit whose mission is to change the lives of vulnerable children in impoverished urban areas by providing clean, safe drinking water to orphanages, schools, children’s hospitals, street shelters, and rescue homes. Prior to his work in the private sector, Rob was a Lieutenant in the US Public Health Service and served within the Department of Health and Human Services, specifically as a Special Assistant to Secretary Tommy G. Thompson and a Special Assistant and Advisor to Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona. While serving as a PHS Officer, Rob was deployed to ground zero following the 9/11 attacks and to Banda Aceh following the Tsunami of 2004. Rob holds a MS in Public Health from George Washington University with a concentration in Global Health Policy for water and sanitation. Rob received a BS from the School of Natural Resources and Environment at the University of Michigan.