New Investment : Solarbox
What they do:
Solarbox is an electric mobility and energy company focused on providing a sustainable transportation and energy solution for the African market. The company assembles utility electric vehicles (EVs) locally in Senegal and plans to deploy a network of solar-powered EV charging stations, enabling customers to dramatically reduce transportation fuel costs.
They provide a complete solution from solar energy generation in countries with lower access to electricity through to utility electric vehicles (2-3 wheelers) and software for managing the entire system.
Why we Invested:
Solarbox presents a compelling opportunity to back an industry-defining company in the electric mobility sector in Africa. By providing an integrated, locally adapted solution spanning vehicles, energy and software, they can address key ecosystem challenges and accelerate adoption. They adopt a B2B strategy that facilitates easy entry into new markets without requiring pre-existing infrastructure since charging points can be installed at the customer location.
The founding team has strong entrepreneurial experience in Africa with the right mix of skills across engineering, sales and operations to execute. Early commercial traction is highly promising.
When we Invested:
The Investment in Solarbox was made in Q1/2024
The Founder:
Tijan Watt is the Founder of Solarbox. He has enjoyed a 20 year career as both an operating entrepreneur, creating dynamic companies in Senegal and in the US, and an investor, working in investment banking at Goldman Sachs and Private Equity at Nigerian firm Travant Capital Partners. Tijan graduated summa cum laude and phi beta kappa from Howard University in Mathematics / Computer Science and holds an MBA from Harvard University.
Tijan, co-founder and Managing Partner of Wuri Ventures (www.wuri.vc) has spent two decades devoted to promoting entrepreneurship in Africa, and has built and operated several startups on the ground in Africa, and is an active writer (www.tijanwatt.com) on business in Africa.
Active in:
Senegal
