Rensource raises $3.5m to take affordable renewable energy to more Nigerians

·
January 30, 2018
·
2 min read

Rensource, a Lagos-based renewable energy startup, has raised $3.5 million in bridge financing to expand its business. This is coming nearly 2 years after a previous seed round of $1.1m in 2016.

This new round is led by Mauritius-based Amaya Capital Partners, with participation from Omidyar Network and Pule Taukobong's CRE Venture Capital, which previously led Andela's $40m Series C round. Interestingly, CRE Venture Capital participated in the original seed round for Rensource.

Founded in 2015 by Ademola Adesina and Jussi Savukoski, Rensource is hinged on a core belief that distributed power generation will be a critical element in solving the power problem in Nigeria.

Damilola Ogunbiyi, CEO of the Rural Electrification Agency agrees. According to her, "Nigerians spend about $14 billion annually on inefficient power generation. Off-grid alternatives like creating mini grid and solar home systems can easily be at $9.2 billion a year, which will save the Nigerian public and citizens $4.2 billion.”

Advertisement

In March 2017, Rensource introduced a tiered subscription-based business model that enabled customers pay to use energy, rather than own the infrastructure. The idea was to provide affordable renewable energy on a 'Power-as-a-Service' (PaaS) basis.

rensource powerbox
A Rensource Powerbox

The new capital injection will primarily go into expanding operations to Kano and Abuja. There are also plans to capture the B2B market with a 'Powered by Rensource' offering that will enable Nigerian businesses leverage its infrastructure.

“This investment further affirms the growing consensus that renewables-based distributed energy generation -- taking power to the people -- is the future of Nigeria's power industry," says Anu Adasolum, General Manager of Rensource. "Rensource is uniquely placed to lead this charge. We're excited to welcome Amaya Capital and the Omidyar Network on this journey and are proud to be enabling Nigerians' power independence".

READ MORE   ICOs: The best investment opportunities in the world or the biggest scam?

Going by the nature of the investment (bridge financing), it probably is not far-fetched to expect a huge Series A funding round in the coming months, should Rensource deliver quickly on its short-term goals.

I bully myself because I make me do what I put my mind to. Find me on Twitter @MuyoSan.
I bully myself because I make me do what I put my mind to. Find me on Twitter @MuyoSan.
Subscribe To Techpoint Digest
Join thousands of subscribers to receive our fun week-daily 5-minute roundup of happenings in African and global tech, directly in your inbox, hours before everyone else.
This is A daily 5-minute roundup of happenings in African and global tech, sent directly to your email inbox, between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m (WAT) every week day! 
Digest Subscription

Give it a try, you can unsubscribe anytime. Privacy Policy.

I bully myself because I make me do what I put my mind to. Find me on Twitter @MuyoSan.
Other Stories
43b, Emina Cres, Allen, Ikeja.

 Techpremier Media Limited. All rights reserved
magnifier