At Acumen’s Energy Summit in London, we chatted with sector experts about the current state of investing in off-grid energy. Collectively, we examined the types of capital required to scale off-grid energy companies and the magnitude of investment needed to achieve universal energy access.

Led by Daniel Goldfarb, CEO of Lendable, and Amar Inamdar, Managing Director of a growth fund for off-grid energy startups in East Africa, the conversation identified and addressed often overlooked barriers standing in our collective pathway to scale off-grid solutions.

There were three key threads that emerged.

  1. To reduce risk, understand your customer.
  2. Sobering perspective on “real” market maturity.
  3. There is a need for the right kind of capital.