African tech-driven startups developing innovative energy solutions are invited to apply for the Digital Energy Challenge. This initiative offers up to €150,000 in funding, technical support, and a specialized bootcamp to ventures focused on enhancing energy access and sustainability.
The 2025 Digital Energy Challenge for Start-ups will award 3 to 4 startups that are creating innovative digital projects designed to accelerate access to energy, foster the energy transition, and improve the operational efficiency of stakeholders in Africa's energy access and grid services sectors.
Startup Eligibility Checklist:
- Founded < 10 years ago
- Pre-seed/early-stage (< €1M funding raised)
- Annual revenue < €1M
- 1–99 full-time employees
NGOs can apply if:
- Project operates as a company branch, or
- Has a business plan and targets profitability.
Project must be:
- Digital (telecom, computer, cloud-based)
- Innovative (new locally or globally)
- Local (headquartered or managed in project country)
Benefits for Challenge winners
- Financial support of up to €150K including: Grant funding to contribute to costs for equipment, software, training and recruitment; Technical assistance (awarded on a case-by-case basis), which could include project management support, strategic and technical expertise, and accounting/reporting assistance
- A joint boot camp run by cross-sectorial experts, to support project implementation, provide sectorial insights, foster synergies between project winners and encourage best-practice sharing.
- Widespread communication campaigns piloted by AFD during the selection phase, award ceremony, bootcamp and for a period of time after
