When Meena Sankaran was a child growing up in India, her mother boiled the water — once a day for bathing and three times for drinking.

Access to clean water was not as simple as turning on a tap. Tankers pulled up to Sankaran's neighborhood to provide households with their daily supply of water, and the family had exactly one hour to fill up their buckets. This experience taught Sankaran to never take water safety for granted.

And as she pursued her career in engineering, Sankaran knew she wanted to use technology to solve one of the world's greatest challenges: access to clean and safe water. Today, she's the founder and CEO of KETOS, a San Francisco-based startup whose goal is to make water safe and sustainable now and for future generations. Founded in 2015, KETOS has automated critical water monitoring and safety testing that is used by industrial and agricultural companies as well as public works departments for cities and towns.

KETOS' flagship product, the KETOS SHIELD®, is an intelligence platform that integrates the hardware, software, reporting and analytics necessary to help water operators efficiently measure and monitor water to ensure that it meets EPA-quality and safety standards. This platform monitors for over 30 environmental parameters of water, such as temperature, pH and metals. Most importantly, it detects dangerous contaminants before they reach communities.

This fully automated solution streamlines slower, more costly methods that require the installation of monitoring hardware and the manual collection of water samples that then need to be sent elsewhere for testing.

KETOS demonstrates how double-bottom line companies can thrive while effectively tackling global challenges, and Sankaran, at its helm, is also forging a path forward for women in engineering and tech.

Supporting companies creating innovative solutions to help address some of society's most pressing challenges is a priority for Citi, which is why Citi invested in KETOS through the Citi Impact Fund. Through the $500 million Impact Fund, Citi uses its own capital to make equity investments in "double bottom line" U.S.-based private sector companies that are applying innovative solutions to help address some of society's most pressing challenges, and actively seeks to invest in those owned or led by women and/or minority entrepreneurs.

Life and Money by Citi talked to Sankaran about KETOS' innovative technology and finding a team that's just as passionate as she is about water safety and sustainability standards.

Why did you choose to work with the Citi Impact Fund?

When I interviewed investors to discuss our impact, I paid attention to their reactions. The Citi team wasn't afraid to learn. They did their due diligence with an open mind, and that tells me a lot about the kind of investment community they're building. Citi reached out with meaningful questions like, "Why do you think this is going to make a difference? How can we help?" They genuinely meant what they said. That was a gift.

Citi invested in us during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, which by itself is a great testament, and it also meant that we were able to build the foundation to scale as we come out of the pandemic. Then, as we're getting into this period of market volatility, Citi stepped up again and invested in us again. They said, "We're here. How are you growing? What do you need?"

How do you know if a candidate is a good fit for the KETOS team?

I look at what they're made of. Do they have resilience? Do their experiences show grit? I focus on the attitude of the person, what they think of themselves and how they want to be perceived. But also, what do they bring to the table in terms of collaboration? I'm looking for someone who has the humility to know what they don't know, is willing to learn and wants to be part of a community. That has served us well. We currently represent 16 countries as a team, and we speak about 25 languages.

You wear many hats as a CEO, mom, non-profit executive and women's empowerment group leader. Is work-life balance possible?

Honestly, I think work-life balance is a myth. I think people need a better way to recharge. I made a list of things and said: What's depleting me? What's rejuvenating me? And how do I get more of what rejuvenates me in the day? When I spend time with my little one, that's absolutely rejuvenating. Physically exhausting? Yes, but I love it because it's nothing but true joy.

As founder and CEO of KETOS, do you feel like you've made it?

No, not yet. The way I measure myself every year is by how many roles my staff are doing for me. It's not about piling tasks on my plate. If people still come to me for a lot of decisions, I'm like, "Hmm, I'm not there, yet." Becoming sustainable would be the "I made it moment," when I know KETOS is completely sustainable and cash-flow positive.