ABOUT US
Oolu is one of the fastest growing off-grid solar companies in West Africa.
Our mission is to provide energy solutions and innovative services which improve the lives of our customers, our communities and our planet.
Our vision is to build a future in which West and Central African citizens have access to clean and affordable energy to power their aspirations.
Our model, developed with local communities, allows us to offer high-quality solar products on an affordable financing plan. We are proud of our after-sales commitment, with replacement parts under warranty and customer service representatives who speak the local languages of our customers.
In Wolof, a national language of Senegal, Oolu means ‘trust’. By building trust with the communities in which we work, we can grow together.
OUR IMPACT
Oolu is a venture-backed company with a social mission. We build trust with our clients to have a lasting impact in our communities. Our impact focus is on energy access, education, access to information and job creation.
OUR PARTNERS
Pure Power.
We partnered with Ford to create the Home Integration System, a first-of-its kind technology allowing the Ford F-150 Lightning™ to power a home in the event of a power outage.
FOUNDERS
Oolu was founded by Nilmi Senaratna and Daniel Rosa.
Nilmi was inspired after living and working in a rural region in Senegal in 2012. She saw children struggling with energy poverty, many of them studying under the light of a cell phone or with candles. In November 2014, Nilmi and Dan decided to solve the problem by creating Oolu. They bootstrapped initial capital and completed a small proof of concept, living in the village for 6 months to understand the needs of their clients. In 2015 they moved to Silicon Valley, lead Oolu through YCombinator, a Silicon Valley based business accelerator, and raised a seed round from investors. Later that year, with a small team, they completed their first pilot and officially launched the business in the West African region.
Oolu was one of the first firms to successfully scale PAYG solar technology in the West African market. The company has grown from start-up to market leader in Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger with operations in Nigeria. In 2021, the company raised US $8.5 M in series B funding led by RP Global, an Austrian-based energy investor.
To date, the company has raised >14M in financing.
As Geoff Ralston, Partner at Y Combinator, said:
Oolu has grown impressively quickly in one of the most unpredictable and difficult markets in the world. Nilmi and Dan have proven that they are smart enough, tough enough, and resilient enough to succeed in a challenging and fast-paced emerging market.
EXECUTIF TEAM
Our Executive Team works to solve complex problems in one of the most challenging environments on the planet. The results are some of the best in the industry. Here’s a look at our executive team:
Dan Rosa
Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Nilmi Senaratna
Co-Founder and Strategic Board Advisor
Vincenzo Capogna
Chief Technical Officer — All tech
