Electric motorcycle start-up Kiri Energy on Tuesday trounced nine rivals to win the Kenyan stage of the EDF Pulse Africa Tour.
This books the firm a slot in €15,000 continental grand finale to be held in Paris, France on December 2. At least 12 energy focused innovations in Africa will be competing for the top innovation prize.
The EDF Pulse Africa competition supports its most promising innovative start-ups to meet Africa's current energy challenges and contribute to its economic development.
''During the Kenyan finale, Kiri Energy and Baridi stood out, demonstrating the diversity of the Kenyan entrepreneurial and start-up ecosystem,'' EDF Pulse Africa said.
Baridi creates and commercializes systems of conservation of meat by the cold fed by solar panels, in a “Pay-as-you-store "fashion.
Launched in 2019, The EDF Pulse Africa Tour is conducted in partnership with African incubators and other EDF institutional partners to meet innovative start-ups on the ground.
The award now in fourth edition is redoubling its ambition after a growing success over the last five years, with 79 profiles selected in 2017 against 536 in 2019, spread over more than half of the 54 African countries.
It will award three prizes as well as a "jury's coup de coeur" to African start-ups and SMEs proposing innovative solutions in Off-grid power generation, electricity services and uses Access to water.
"EDF Pulse Africa is at the core of EDF dedication to the renewal of energy offering in Africa, pushing and supporting innovation to foster the emergence of locally produced solutions," Luc Koechlin, EDF vice chair Southern and Eastern Africa.
These awards were launched in 2012and fostered 1,500 innovative projects in France, the UK, and Italy.
They are part of EDF's strategy to identify potential partners, develop its ecosystem and give visibility to young innovative African structures to gain agility and respond more appropriately to market needs.
EDF has been present for 50 years in more than 14 African countries, with more than 500,000 households electrified according to a "low-carbon" model that favours sustainable and accessible energy.
A significant player in the energy transition, the EDF Group is an integrated energy company, present in all businesses: production, transport, distribution, trading, energy sales and energy services.
Leader in low-carbon energies globally, the firm has developed a diversified production mix of nuclear and renewable energy (including hydraulics). It is investing in new technologies to support the energy transition
