Summary
Pawame believes that affordable, modern energy is the surest foundation for financial empowerment and the gateway to limitless opportunity. Pawame sells off-grid solar home systems across Kenya and to refugees in Kakuma who are already paying for dirty and expensive kerosene or diesel. The solar home systems work on a 19 month rent-to-own model with low daily payments that are cheaper than the solutions that they displace. Pawame customers benefit from improved indoor air quality, longer productive light hours for commerce and study, connectivity, time savings, and cheaper energy. But energy is just the beginning. By tracking repayment, Pawame can confidently offer further loans and product financing to their established customers. Pawame is currently seeking debt financing to expand their operations.
Investment thesis
Pawame is working to provide energy access and finance to communities throughout sub-Saharan Africa while maintaining a commitment for those in greatest need including refugees and internally displaced persons. Currently there are over 150 million households in sub-Saharan Africa without access to electrical grids. These same communities lack access to basic financial and lending services. Pawame offers these communities the ability to bypass traditional power lines with off-the-grid solar, and the ability to build life-changing credit. Utilizing a rent-to-own model, customers are able to affordably purchase a power source which is cleaner, cheaper, safer, and more reliable than kerosene fuel or other lighting alternatives. Pawame has created a digital payments system through their PAYGO platform for customers to pay for their product easily and securely. Proof of these payments unlocks access to a range of previously unimaginable goods and services on secured finance.
Potential refugee impact
Pawame employs refugees as sales agents and is planning to serve 300 refugee households with improved solar energy. With requisite funding, Pawame can serve these geographically removed camps and establish sustainable operations there. Working in partnership with REFUNITE, a non profit focused on reuniting refugees with their families, Pawame is developing a Bluetooth enabled mesh communication network, which will allow free offline communication and information sharing within refugee camps.
Management
Alexandre Skander Allegue – Co-Founder & Chairman
Majd Chaaya – Co-Founder & CIO
Nick Sparks Meng – Co-Founder & CTO
Maurice Parets – CEO
Structure
Pawame is a social enterprise, headquartered in the UAE with operations in Nairobi, focused on delivering new energy technology and financing to sub-Saharan Africa. Led by a diverse team with experience in energy, engineering, and manufacturing, Pawame has designed a business model that meets the needs of millions of underserved customers throughout the continent.