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Solar-De-Mufasa

Shittu Gbolahan Fuad, 27th July 2026

  • Company name: SunCulture
  • Year founded: 2012
  • Founders: Samir Ibrahim, Charles Nichols
  • Operational in: Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Zambia, Côte d’Ivoire, Togo
  • Total raised since founding year: USD 80 million+

 

Funding breakdown

Year Stage / financing type (if available) Investors / financiers (if available) Amount raised & notes*
2015 Grant GSMA

100,000 pounds

*Funding supported designing an affordable solar pump, RainMaker 1.

2016 Grant Shell Foundation

300,000 pounds

*Funding supported piloting the PAYGrow (pay-as-you-grow) model.

2018 Convertible note EDF

Not disclosed

*Funding supported expanding the PAYGrow business line.

2018 Grant Shell Foundation

800,000 pounds

*Funding supported developing a more affordable solar pump, RainMaker 2.

*Also supported improved operational capacity and the development of IT systems.

2020 Series A Energy Access Ventures, EDF, Alphamundi Group, Lion’s Head Global Partners, Acumen Capital Partners, DPI, SunFunder, Triodos Investment Management, Nordic Development Fund. 

US$25 million (US$14 million – equity, US$11 million – debt)

*Funding supported the manufacture and deployment of more than 10,000 solar pumps.

*Also supported expansion into Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia.

2021 Grant  Shell Foundation and UK’s TEA program

500,000 pounds

*Funding supported testing the effectiveness of carbon credits towards reducing solar pump costs.

2021 Debt facility  British International Investment 

US$2 million 

*Funding supported scaling the carbon credits initiative.

2023 Debt financing Nithio, Mirova SunFunder, Triodos Investment Management

US$12 million

*Funding supported the deployment of solar pumps to 9,000 smallholder farmers.

April 2024 Series B Reed Hastings, InfraCo Africa, Acumen Fund, Schmidt Family Foundation, EDF Group, Equator, Savant Group

US$27.5 million

*Funding supported expansion of product offerings and entry into new markets.

*InfraCo Africa invested US$12 million.

February 2025 Equity British International Investment

US$4 million

September 2025 Equity WaterEquity (whose investors Microsoft, Starbucks, Gap Inc)

US$5 million

*Funding is to support more sales in Uganda, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Zambia, Togo.

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