News

  1. Altech to Drive E-Mobility Expansion in the Democratic Republic of Congo with new Persistent Investment

    May 23, 2024
    Altech, a pioneering solar and e-mobility company in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and its lead investor Persistent, announced that Persistent has made a further investment to finance Altech’s expansion of its e-mobility business. This investment aims to scale up Altech's operations, focusing on the launch of the first full-scale Altech e-Mobility Service Centers (EMSC) in Goma and the introduction of an improved fleet of e-motorcycles.
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  2. Persistent announces its investment in EcoNetix – A global technology company which is building the largest high quality carbon credit portfolio globally

    February 21, 2024
    Persistent, Africa’s Climate Venture Builder, is excited to announce its latest investment in EcoNetix, an innovative global technology company that uses a digital measurement, reporting and verification process (dMRV) to bring back trust and transparency into the carbon market. The company uses a range of digital tools to monitor the progress and impact of its projects to ensure the integrity of carbon credit projects to verify the actual carbon captured or avoided. Econetix closes the financing gap that arises for the emerging countries through the devastating effects of climate change.
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  3. Building a Happy Team: Key Highlights from Persistent’s 2023 Retreat in Naivasha, Kenya

    January 31, 2024
    At Persistent, team bonding isn't just a gathering; it's a celebration of our shared journey as leading climate tech investors in Africa. Our diverse team came together in December 2023 to celebrate the end of another impactful year. In 2024, Our goal is to keep expanding climate tech investments across the African continent through what we do best - Identifying, Investing and building promising climate businesses through our venture building model. We hosted our annual team retreat in Naivasha, Kenya, surrounded by savannas, lakes and wildlife. This event brought together Persistent professionals from 12 nations, including esteemed partners and board members.
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  4. Toukam Ngoufanke Promoted to Partner

    January 9, 2024
    Persistent is pleased to announce that Toukam Ngoufanke has been promoted to Partner. Toukam has been with Persistent for over three years, most recently as Senior Principal and Venture Builder. In that role, he has driven our investing, portfolio management and Venture Building efforts across many of our partner companies in Sub-Saharan Africa. Notably, he has been at the forefront of our investments in the e-mobility sector and played a key role in building these companies. Toukam has also demonstrated leadership both within the firm and in the East African Climate investment community, mentoring other Persistent staff, speaking at industry events and acting as a resource for the community at large.
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  5. Persistent wishes everyone Happy Holidays!

    December 21, 2023
    Having just finished our annual team retreat in Kenya, this is a good time for us to reflect on 2023. After an in-person Board meeting, our team and participating Directors and Observers participated in three days of meetings and workshops to review the year, plan for 2024, and strengthen our bonds with some fun activities. It was a great time that left us all more energized than ever.
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  6. Persistent hosted two “Climate Connects” events during Africa Climate Week and the African Climate Summit

    October 2, 2023
    Persistent held two, "Climate Connects," events as its contribution to the discussions and initiatives of the Africa Climate Summit (ACS23) and Africa Climate Week (ACW23). The events, held on the 6th and 7th of September brought together over 250 investors, industry stakeholders, partners as well as innovative startups and entrepreneurs to foster collaboration and innovation in the African climate sector.
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  7. Persistent hosts its first Climate Venture Building Conference 

    November 7, 2022
    Persistent hosted its first Climate Venture Building Conference, in Nairobi on Thursday, October 26, 2022. The gathering involved over 130 participants from a wide range of organizations active in the climate positive sector in Africa: entrepreneurs, institutional investors, development finance institutions, consultants and experts in the field. The full day event was an example of Persistent’s commitment to have a collaborative approach to accelerate the development of the climate positive sectors, contributing to strengthen the venture ecosystem with knowledge sharing, webinars and publications. 
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  8. Persistent raises $10 Million Equity Round led by Kyuden International and FSD Africa to grow climate venture building in Africa

    July 12, 2022
    New York, Nairobi, Tokyo: Today, Persistent Energy Capital LLC announced that it has raised USD 10M in equity in its Series C round. The raise, which was achieved with the support of two lead institutional investors, Kyuden International Corporation and FSD Africa Investments, will enable Persistent to continue to grow its successful climate venture building business in Africa.
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  9. In Spite of Missteps, PAYGO is Here to Stay

    April 20, 2022
    On April 7 Bloomberg published an article about the failures of the off grid solar industry. The article, entitled “Tesla Backed Startup Made Cheap Power a Debt Burden for the World’s Poorest” was written by David Kocieniewski and Gavin Finch. The article catalogs a series of missteps and seemingly predatory practices in the off grid solar industry in Africa that the authors claim harmed the World’s poorest. This is not our experience.
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  10. FinDev Canada and its 2X Canada facility invest in Energy Entrepreneurs Growth Fund to contribute to Greater Access to Clean Energy in Africa

    January 13, 2022 news category
    FinDev Canada and its 2X Canada facility announced today a participation of up to US$ 13 million in Energy Entrepreneurs Growth Fund (EEGF). The Energy Entrepreneurs Growth Fund offers catalytic financing and technical assistance to early and growth-stage companies that increase access to clean, safe, dependable, and affordable energy for off-grid households and businesses in Sub-Saharan Africa.
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  11. Triple Jump B.V., Persistent, and GreenMax Capital Advisors awarded management of the newly launched Clean Energy and Energy Inclusion for Africa Foundation

    December 14, 2021
    We are excited to announce that Persistent together with Triple Jump B.V. and GreenMax Capital Advisors have been awarded a consortium to provide management services to the Clean Energy and Energy Inclusion for Africa Foundation. The mandate from KfW aims to support new ways to decentralize electricity supply in Sub-Saharan Africa through innovative approaches that include, supplying electricity independently of the power grid, offering financing via digital credit platforms, and providing clean electricity from renewable sources.
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  12. Growth and Evolution in the Year of COVID-19

    December 17, 2020 news category
    Despite the challenges of COVID-19 in 2020, Persistent has been very successful in supporting our partner companies, driving innovation in the e-mobility space, initiating a COVID relief fund for energy access companies, and managing to grow the great team already in place by adding exceptional new talent and existing team members taking on new responsibilities.
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  13. COVID-19 and the Off-Grid Energy Sector

    May 4, 2020 news category
    When we examine the off-grid energy sector, what are we seeing across our solar Pay-As-You-Go portfolio and the sector as a whole? Our observations cover demand for solar systems, customers’ ability to pay, production and supply chains, sales activity in times of social distancing, and investor attitudes toward providing funds.
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  14. Launching the $120M Energy Entrepreneurs Growth Fund to Provide Affordable Access to Energy in Sub-Saharan Africa

    December 9, 2019 news category
    With an initial close of US$45M, the Energy Entrepreneurs Growth Fund will provide catalytic financing for early to growth stage companies in Sub-Saharan Africa operating in the access to energy ecosystem. Triple Jump, an Amsterdam based leading impact-focused investment manager, will act as portfolio manager and Persistent, a Zurich based venture and private equity firm with expertise in the off-grid sector, will serve as investment advisor to the fund.
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  15. SolarWorks! Provides Solar Power to Communities in the Wake of Cyclone Idai

    April 4, 2019 news category
    It has been over two weeks since Cyclone Idai hit Mozambique with a great deal of devastation and destruction to the region, although highly under-reported in the media. Initial government estimates indicate that 1.8 million people have been effected and hundreds of thousands have lost everything. Our partner company SolarWorks! has been working tirelessly to help in the wake of this catastrophe.
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