Philip Wilson

Philip Wilson is an inspiring entrepreneur who had already set up successful tech businesses in the USA and Guatemala, but found that something was missing.

Money alone was no longer enough to satisfy him, and referencing Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, he describes how he is ‘now motivated by a desire for something more,  to achieve self-actualisation – to find purpose’.

One in 20 children in Guatemala die before the age of five from drinking unsafe water. Frustrated by a lack of cultural uptake of alternatives such as water purifying chlorine tablets Philip set out to develop a solution that not only makes dirty water clean enough to drink, but is also accepted and liked by the people using it. This solution takes the form of an incredibly simply clay water filter that is fired with cholidal silver. By keeping production costs low, Philip is able to provide clean drinking water for people at the bottom of the economic pyramid and save the lives of children at the bottom of the economic pyramid.

Dig a little deeper and you’ll also learn that the filters also offset the carbon emissions from wood traditionally burnt to boil and sterilise water in poor communities, so they are good for the environment too. A powerful contribution from a product made from local clay, by local people, for local people.

Furthermore, Philip has succeeded in making the same product desirable to customers at the top of the pyramid who already have clean drinking water but like the taste of EcoFiltro. By commissioning local and international designers to create bespoke versions of the filter, Philip has made his product a fashionable, functional, and desirable commodity, expanding his market vertically. This allows him to employ more people in his open aired factory and subsidise filters for the communities that need them most.

Last updated: April 29, 2019

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