Ugandan Entrepreneur, Philip Kyeswa is among the three entrepreneurs that have emerged as winners of this year’s prestigious SEED Low Carbon Awards (SEED Awards). The two other entrepreneurs were Chad Robertson from South Africa and Bernadette Dzifa Agbefu from Ghana.
The three winners were awarded matching grants of between EUR10,000 (approx. UGX41,780,000) to EUR15,000 (UGX62,670,000). In addition, they will receive tailored one-to-one advisory services for up to a year to scale their operations, as part of the renowned SEED Accelerator program. Meanwhile, the 39 runners-up are to be supported through the SEED Catalyser program, to refine their business models and optimize their impacts while advancing their investment readiness.
For his winning startup, Philip Kyeswa, founded Peec Energy — which offers remote monitoring and smart metering solutions for solar mini-grids and solar home systems in local communities —and it is currently benefitting over 3,800 households.
Peec Energy, founded in 2016 provides PAYG meters to local mini-grid developers, allowing them to sell energy in off-grid locations and to remotely monitor their utility assets, and collect bill payments via central software. Peec Energy on the other hand also provides women and youth with solar and biogas training and certification from the Directorate of Industrial training in Uganda.
Under SEED’s expert guidance, Peec Energy aims to expand throughout Uganda, and cross-borders to Rwanda, and Congo to reach 500,000 connected households, impacting more than 1 million people.
“We are indeed delighted to have been selected winners of the Low Carbon Seed Awards 2021. We would like to thank the Seed Awards team, and adelphi for the technical and financial support,” Peec Energy said.
Chad Robertson founded; Regenize which rewards residents with a virtual currency in exchange for recycled materials, and Bernadette Dzifa Agbefu founded; JVL-YKMA Recycling Plant which processes organic waste and fecal sludge to produce compost for commercial farming and affordable, fuel-efficient briquettes for households and industries.
Notably, in this year’s cohort, 69 percent of enterprise leaders were aged between 18 to 35 years old, and 52 percent were female-led enterprises.
Since their inception in 2005, the SEED Awards have awarded 311 enterprises in 40 countries and have facilitated the disbursement of over EUR1 million in grants. Each individual SEED enterprise has created 28.4M jobs, out of which 32 percent are offered to people at the Bottom of the Pyramid.
The SEED Awards are instrumental for scaling enterprises, equipping the founders with the tools, knowledge, and networks they need to maximize their impact within their local communities and beyond. SEED Award’s Director of Operations, Rainer Agster has strongly encouraged policymakers and financial actors to take a closer look at these eco-inclusive businesses and start or scale support programs for them.
