Komet Austria GmbH

Investment

In September 2022, the Trill Impact Private Equity Fund invested in Komet Austria GmbH.

Komet is an Austrian family-owned manufacturer of sprinklers, regulators and large-scale irrigation systems for centre-pivot and wide-area irrigation applications. Through its established international distribution network, the company primarily serves agricultural markets in Europe, the United States and Brazil.

Komet's products contribute to more water- and energy-efficient irrigation while simultaneously improving agricultural productivity and crop yields required to feed a growing global population.

Organisation

Komet Austria GmbH

Asset Class

Private Equity (including Venture Capital)

Financing Instrument

Equity

Investment Size

Majority stake

Sector

Manufacturing

Impact Themes

Food Security, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Climate Action

Expected Return

Not disclosed

Investment Horizon

4–7 years

Investment Year

2022

Website

www.kometirrigation.com

Impact

Agriculture accounts for approximately 70% of global freshwater withdrawals, while an estimated 75% of agricultural land worldwide is currently irrigated inefficiently.

Komet provides critical components for water- and energy-efficient centre-pivot irrigation systems, contributing to more sustainable agricultural production systems.

Its technology optimises droplet size and water pressure to improve water distribution and irrigation efficiency, resulting in irrigation performance improvements of approximately 20–35% compared with conventional irrigation methods.

At the same time, improved irrigation efficiency contributes to higher crop yields, supporting food security for a global population expected to approach 10 billion people by 2050.

Regions

• Europe
• East Asia and Pacific
• North America
• Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
• Latin America and the Caribbean
• Sub-Saharan Africa
• Central Asia

Core Markets

Europe, the United States and Brazil

Impact Measurement & Management (IMM)

Komet contributes to more sustainable agricultural production by:

1. Expanding the area of efficiently irrigated agricultural land;
2. Reducing freshwater consumption in agriculture;
3. Lowering energy use in agricultural production systems.

Two impact indicators are measured and reported quarterly:

• Efficiently irrigated agricultural area (hectares);
• Freshwater savings achieved (cubic metres).

For each KPI, target values have been established based on predefined baseline scenarios.

Reference Frameworks

• United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

BVII Impact Investing Classification

Genuine Impact Investing

Overall IMP Assessment

• C — Contribute to Solutions
• Komet makes a clear contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals through increased agricultural productivity and reduced water and energy consumption, while addressing the needs of underserved stakeholders, including both society and the environment.
• The investment is therefore classified as:
• C — Contribute to Solutions.

Problem and Solution

Problem

• The global population is expected to increase from approximately 7.5 billion today to nearly 10 billion people by 2050, requiring significant increases in agricultural productivity.
• At the same time, agricultural irrigation already accounts for approximately 70% of global freshwater consumption, making efficient water management a critical challenge for food security and climate resilience.

Solution

• Research demonstrates that irrigation methods — particularly droplet size and pressure management — have a substantial influence on both agricultural yields and water consumption.
• Komet's technologies improve irrigation efficiency while reducing water use and energy consumption, enabling more resilient and sustainable agricultural systems.

Potential Negative Impacts

• Potential adverse impacts associated with the manufacturing and deployment of irrigation components were assessed prior to investment and are currently considered immaterial.
• Nevertheless, particular attention is paid to the energy and resource intensity of production processes, which are monitored through dedicated environmental indicators including:
• Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions (CO₂e).

Impact Achieved

• KPI 1
• Efficiently irrigated agricultural land (hectares)
• Current Status: Impact data currently being consolidated (May 2023).
• KPI 2
• Freshwater savings achieved (m³)
• Current Status: Impact data currently being consolidated (May 2023).

Additionality Compared with the Baseline Scenario

Financial Contribution

• The investment enables expansion into new geographic markets, product development and broader international growth initiatives.

Strategic and Operational Contribution

• As part of the value creation strategy, investors actively support:
• Optimisation of sales processes;
• Expansion of international sales teams in key agricultural regions;
• Enhancement of marketing approaches and customer engagement through impact measurement;
• Continuous development of the product portfolio;
• Professionalisation of organisational structures to support scalable growth.

Investor Contribution

• Capital Mobilisation for Underserved Markets
• The investment supports expansion into new and underserved agricultural markets while enabling continued product innovation and international growth.

Non-Financial Contribution

• Beyond capital provision, investors actively contribute expertise and strategic support through:
• Sales process optimisation;
• Marketing and customer engagement strategies;
• Integration of impact measurement into commercial processes;
• Product innovation and development;
• Building efficient and scalable organisational structures.