10 energy startups from 5 African countries (Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Uganda) have gone through Startup|Energy’s Energy Camps in the last 12 months. They were selected from a total of 156 applications received. Their business areas are: Energy storage, battery recycling, cooling, health, agriculture, e-mobility.

All early-stage startups received several weeks of intensive one-to-one coaching from experienced entrepreneurs as part of the Startup|Energy accelerator programme. In addition, their business model was discussed and further developed in joint workshops.

Eight of these Startup|Energy Fellow startups presented their business concept to nearly 60 investors, manufacturers and foundations in Kigali on 19 October 2022.

These are the eight startups:

• The innovations of Drop Access (Kenya) are the products “Koyo” and the “VacciBox”: portable, solar-powered refrigerators that enable cool storage and safe transport of vaccines and medicines on the one hand and agricultural products on the other.
  Represented by Norah Magero, CEO
• Inno-Neat (Kenya) manufactures Solar Ready Repurposed Lithium Ion Batteries from recycled cells for use in Solar and E-mobility application. The startup thus offers a practical solution for the old batteries of Africa’s millions of solar home systems.
  Represented by Godfrey Simiyu Katiambo, CEO
• SLS Energy (Rwanda) builds energy storage systems from batteries salvaged from e-waste or retired from electric vehicles. They are currently providing energy storage-as-a-service to telecommunication towers.
  Represented by Leandre Berwa, CEO
• Solakilimo (Kenya) provides solar powered cold rooms for fish, fruits and vegetable farmers on a pay-as-you preserve model.
  Represented by Raphael Asiba, CEO
• Thinkbikes (Nigeria) manufactures electric road bikes and cargo bikes locally and makes them available for ride-share and lease to individuals and businesses in urban and rural communities to provide affordable, clean mobility.
  Represented by Tolulope Olukokun, CEO
• TryKe (Kenya) combines the introduction of electric mobility in rural areas of Kenya (Boda-Boda, Tricycles) with a unique logistical offer for small scale farmers.
  Represented by Alex Makalliwa, CEO
• Worldtech Consult (Ghana) designs, manufactures and brings to the market turn-key, modular, off-grid and hybrid cold chain solutions and rural electrification.
  Represented by Julius M. Dzah, CEO
• Zuhura Solutions (Kenya): Their product, the Halisi Trolley, is a completely solar-powered street food vending trolley that allows vendors to eliminate the time and cost of sourcing and maintaining charcoal to heat their food.
  Represented by Lloyd Gitau, CEO

A special element of Startup|Energy’s accelerator programme is the permanent support over a longer period of time. This also includes the peer-to-peer exchange between the startups, which is unique in this form and has already led to the first economic cooperations between them. As a Fellow of Startup|Energy, the startups continue to receive our support in building up their company, as well as in finding partners and investors.

Further startups will be included in the Startup|Energy accelerator programme from spring 2023.

Startup|Energy is an initiative of the Stiftung Solarenergie and the University of Freiburg to promote startups in the field of decentralised energy technology in Sub-Saharan Africa and Germany.