Kenyan Agritech SunCulture Secures Additional USD 4 M From BII

Kenyan agritech startup SunCulture has secured an additional USD 4 M investment from British International Investment (BII) to scale its solar-powered irrigation solutions and expand its carbon financing initiative for smallholder farmers.

This follows SunCulture’s oversubscribed USD 27.5 M Series B round in April 2024, which attracted global investors including Reed Hastings, InfraCo Africa, Acumen Fund, The Schmidt Family Foundation, EDF Group, and Equator. That funding was instrumental in expanding SunCulture’s product line, entering new markets, and enhancing its technology platform to improve farmer productivity and climate resilience.

Founded in 2012 by Samir Ibrahim and Charles Nichols, SunCulture designs, manufactures, finances, and services Africa’s IoT-enabled solar energy systems and irrigation equipment, as well as other productive agricultural goods and services. The company boasts a 50% market share for smallholder farmer solar irrigation systems in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The latest investment from BII builds on its 2023 support, which facilitated the distribution of 9,000 solar irrigation systems across Kenya. The funds will now accelerate a carbon financing model, making solar irrigation more affordable for up to 16,000 additional farmers by reducing upfront costs.

BII’s Christopher Chijiutomi, Managing Director and Head of Africa, emphasised the initiative’s role in increasing agricultural output and climate resilience while also attracting private capital to scale the sector.

SunCulture’s solar-powered water pumps have been transformative for smallholder farmers, reducing labor costs, increasing yields, and improving food security while replacing diesel-powered systems and cutting carbon emissions.

With its strong investor backing, market leadership in solar irrigation in Sub-Saharan Africa, and a growing focus on sustainable financing, SunCulture is positioned to expand its impact globally, bringing climate-smart agricultural solutions to even more farmers.