Country: Senegal
Sector of activity: Digital, Tech, Energy
Status: Seed funding
Associed fund: I&P Digital Energy
Entrepreneur: Tijan WATT
In portfolio since: 2024

Solarbox is a small Senegalese company that began operations in 2022. The company operates in the electric mobility sector, more specifically in the production of 2- and 3-wheel electric vehicles for transporting goods or people. Solarbox's electric vehicles feature a digital component for tracking and data collection. The offer is easily accessible thanks to a monthly leasing model.

The entrepreneur

Tijan WATT, co-founder and Managing Partner of Wuri Ventures since 2017, is the CEO of Solarbox. A dual Senegalese and American national, he graduated from the prestigious Harvard Business School in 2007 with an MBA. He has more than 15 years of professional/entrepreneurial experience to his credit, as well as solid fund-raising skills.

Partnership with I&P and Teranga Capital

Solarbox is supported by I&P Digital Energy, a 4.8 million euro program to finance and support a dozen start-ups and SMEs in Sub-Saharan Africa offering digital solutions for access to affordable energy, backed by AFD and the EU.

 In Senegal, this program is implemented by Teranga Capital.

The objectives for this start-up are to :

  • Support the company in strengthening its production of electric vehicles to effectively meet the needs of its market 
  • Help the company to develop its B2B portfolio as a priority, by boosting the sales function. 
  • Support the company in strengthening its R&D in order to develop its offer. 
  • Help the company move its product from a niche market to the mass market