Introducing Kingo: a tech company that is unlocking access to solar energy worldwide.

Kingo´s innovative service model allows users to purchase electricity without the need to buy or maintain equipment, and at half the cost of candles and kerosene. Much like buying a candle, Kingo sells prepaid energy at any corner store, delivering it through unique energy codes that only match the Kingo system. This technology does not need Internet connectivity, allowing it to reach the most marginalized populations, including those who lack access to both electricity and cell phone coverage (50% of the population off-grid).

It’s the combination of Kingo’s software, hardware and commercial innovation, that is allowing it to pioneer the fight against energy poverty and to empower the future of many marginalized communities, while creating the largest clean energy user base in history.

Much solar equipment available today, rapidly falls into disrepair or suffers from battery degradation because users can´t afford the necessary maintenance costs.

Kingo´s innovative service model allows people to purchase electricity without the need to buy or maintain equipment, and at half the cost of candles and kerosene. Thanks to its cloud-based platform called Ant, users just pay for the energy they need, either by the month, week, day or hour. Much like buying a candle, Kingo sells prepaid energy at any corner store, delivering it through unique energy codes that only match the Kingo sysyem. This technology does not need an Internet connection, making it accessible to some of the most marginalized populations, including those who lack access to both electricity and cell phone coverage (50% of the population off-grid).

The platform also provides usage data to track and manage users´energy consumption, as well as to upgrade the hardware and/or software as the users´energy needs increase, improving capacity over time.

Kingo has created a scalable global solution to one of the world´s grandest challenges: ENERGY.

The company has experienced dramatic growth over the last 3 years: from a 450 home pilot in 2015 to 60,000 homes in 2018. Its vision is to reach 100 million users by 2035, making it the largest provider of renewable power in HISTORY. Regarding capital, it has raised $35MM of the $150MM needed to execute its strategic plan to reach 1 million homes by 2020.

Through the traction generated to date, Kingo has raised capital from the largest utility in the world (Engie), the largest utility in LATAM (EPM), two of the largest banks in Europe (FMO and Proparco). It has also established a partnership with Xprize, to launch the “Energy of the Future” Xprize, and has attracted one of the most relevant environmental activists in the world, Leonardo DiCaprio, as shareholder and Advisor.

Kingo´s innovative technology and service model is revolutionizing the energy sector worldwide, through pioneering the fight against energy poverty and empowering the future of many marginalized communities, while creating the largest clean energy user base in history. By bringing solar energy to those who can´t afford it, Kingo is literally turning lives ON. More importantly, Kingo is contributing to help solve the grand global challenge of energy, resulting in a tremendous impact on climate change and on the future of planet earth.

• February 2015, hardware and software development

• June 2015, first pilot tests in Guatemala

• April 2016, first pilot tests in South Africa

• February 2017, software update

• March 2017, launch to market

• April 2017, first pilot tests in Colombia

• November 2017, hardware update

There are more than 1.3 billion people around the world that live in the dark, without access to electricity, making them the poorest people on earth. These people live in some of the most remote locations of the planet, making it impossible for the traditional energy companies to reach them. Even as solar power is becoming more and more affordable, ironically enough, this 17% of the world’s population pays for the most expensive energy substitutes (candles/kerosene/diesel), which are not only dangerous and expensive, but are also significantly limiting their development.

If the sun shines for all of us, why can´t we all benefit from it?