KawiSafi, the energy transition, clean transportation, and nature-based carbon solutions investor across Africa, has secured $90 million for its second fund to invest in climate solutions across Africa.

Managed by Acumen, the global impact investor building markets to solve poverty, KawiSafi fund II has $90 million in approved capital, including $40 million in committed capital, for its for-profit investment strategy.

“Securing $90 million for a successor KawiSafi fund is a major milestone and a signal to the market: capital can and must flow toward a more inclusive, low-carbon future,” said Amar Inamdar, Managing Director of the KawiSafi funds. “We are backing the entrepreneurs who are building scalable business models that turn climate challenges into growth opportunities across Africa.”

Anchor investors include the African Development Bank’s Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA), the Green Climate Fund, the Schmidt Family Foundation, and Quadrature Climate Foundation.

KawiSafi II follows the predecessor KawiSafi fund, a $67 million clean energy fund launched in 2016. KawiSafi fund will provide catalytic equity financing to businesses that build low-carbon pathways to economic resilience in underserved communities. Fund II is channelling capital toward businesses that combine capital appreciation with measurable climate impact.

Climate change disproportionately affects Africa. The continent is home to the majority of the world’s poorest people and receives only 6 percent of global investment flows, while climate shocks, including droughts, floods, and rising seas, could push an additional 100 million people into poverty worldwide.

Fund II supports business models addressing these structural risks. The fund targets use cases such as distributed renewable energy, resilient mobility, clean cooking, and access to carbon finance. It builds on lessons from its predecessor while expanding into new sectors and technologies.

This milestone comes at a pivotal moment in Africa’s energy transition. Expanding access will require investment beyond traditional grids and infrastructure to reach communities historically excluded from energy systems. Fund II is responding by deploying capital to African-based entrepreneurs who are building the foundation of a low-carbon future.

“The KawiSafi funds show that distributed clean energy solutions can drive Africa’s energy transition and economic transformation,” said Jacqueline Novogratz, Founder and CEO of Acumen. “This milestone brings together years of learning, a coalition of committed partners, and the local insight needed to scale climate solutions where they are needed most.”

In Somalia, half the population has no electricity, and those who do often pay around 65 cents per kWh—double the highest rate paid by U.S. consumers. These typically diesel-powered systems are expensive, unreliable, and carbon-intensive. Yet Somalia has over 310 sunny days per year, which is enough to meet most of its energy needs. However, uptake remains low due to high costs and weak infrastructure, which is exactly where patient, catalytic capital can make a difference.

In June, Acumen’s Hardest-to-Reach initiative invested $1 million in KIMS Microfinance, the largest microfinance institution in Somalia, to support the scaling of its off-grid solar financing activities. This investment is anticipated to bring energy access to 17,000 people and reach 440 businesses and large households with productive-use energy, helping to facilitate local economic activity.

Rural communities face the greatest challenges in accessing reliable water, with over 80% of Africa’s rural population using sources that require collecting water outside their home, a huge time burden for mainly the women and girls who are responsible.

Kenya’s SunCulture, a solar-powered water pump company, has raised $5 million to expand rural water access in Africa and help address these challenges in Africa. The $5 million growth equity investment to Savant Group Ltd., parent company of SunCulture, was from WaterEquity, through its Water & Climate Resilience Fund.

According to Aleem Remtula, Head of Private Equity and Infrastructure Investments at WaterEquity, “At WaterEquity, our Water & Climate Resilience Fund is designed to invest in decentralized, resilient solutions that can scale equitably. SunCulture exemplifies the kind of company we seek out – locally grounded, adaptation-focused, and committed to expanding water access to underserved communities.”

Founded in 2012, SunCulture designs and sells solar-powered irrigation systems that make it cheaper and easier for farmers in Kenya to grow high-value fresh fruits and vegetables. In 2017, the firm launched RainMaker1 solar water pump system and a year after launched PAYG financing offering and raised investment from EDF and Energy Access Ventures to expand its operations in Kenya as well as to release further affordable products onto the market. 

In 2019, the firm launched RainMaker2 and ClimateSmart, IoT connected, remote monitoring, ability to power a range of 12v & 24v appliances) and ClimateSmart Direct and Direct Drip the same year. In 2020, the firm launched ClimateSmart + TV offering and in 2021 it launched its My SunCulture digital platform to provide SunCulture’s first smartphone ready digital platform. 

Still, SunCulture’s solar-powered water pumps offer an affordable alternative to diesel and manual water pumps. Designed for irrigation, the pumps are also used by more than 90% of customers to access groundwater for drinking, cooking, and cleaning – helping rural households meet daily water needs more reliably, efficiently, and sustainably. WaterEquity’s investment will enable SunCulture to scale its operations and deepen its impact – aiming to expand water access to millions of farmers and their families in rural Africa.

For it to achieve these, SunCulture raised $27.5 million in 2024 to scale up its solar irrigation solutions throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Nithio, a leading energy finance platform in Africa, also announced an investment in SunCulture. The cleantech start-up was also among seven African ventures recognized by WEF as 2022 tech pioneers.

In 2021, SunCulture received its first disbursement from a new $11m from SunFunder to help it expand solar irrigation in sub-Saharan Africa. In 2020, SunCulture raised $14 million to accelerate direct sales in Kenya, continue to expand internationally, and fund existing product improvements and new product innovation.

Samir Ibrahim, CEO and Co-Founder of SunCulture said, “WaterEquity understands that water investments don’t fall into a single box – scaling water infrastructure can deliver both incredible impact and strong commercial returns. We’re proud to be the first investment from their new fund and look forward to growing our business together.”

The Water & Climate Resilience Fund brings together a diverse group of global investors—including Microsoft, Starbucks, Xylem, Ecolab, Reckitt, Gap Inc, and others – whose leadership demonstrates the growing role of the private sector in closing the water and sanitation funding gap. Their commitment to the first fund in this new strategy underscores confidence in WaterEquity’s team to deliver on innovative investments aimed at improving water quality, increasing access, and reducing the impacts of water scarcity.

“This first investment marks a pivotal milestone for the Water & Climate Resilience Fund, demonstrating how collective action and strategic investing can scale water and sanitation solutions in emerging markets. It reflects a shared commitment among our investors to advancing a water-positive future – one that builds resilience, protects lives, and drives lasting impact in underserved communities.” said Elan Emanuel, Managing Director and ​Chief Investor Relations Officer, WaterEquity.

Operating with a shared vision of safe water and sanitation for all, WaterEquity works with the non-profit organization Water.org – both founded by Gary White and Matt Damon – to deliver innovative, market-based financing to communities who need it most. Water.org is partnering with SunCulture to deliver technical assistance through complementary initiatives, including a water quality education program to help farmers better understand, manage, and protect their drinking water sources. In addition, Water.org is helping SunCulture strengthen its operations through practical tools and assessments, including a greenhouse gas emissions audit that will include practical suggestions to reduce emissions.

With a growing pipeline across Africa, Asia, and Latin America, WaterEquity is positioned to expand its strategy and aims to deliver strong impact alongside risk-adjusted returns.

Accion has announced the final close of a $61.6 million fund for its Accion Venture Lab Fund II and rebranded from Accion Venture Lab to Accion Ventures to invest in early-stage tech startups across Africa, South and Southeast Asia, Latin America, and the United States.

The Limited Partners in the fund include the Dutch entrepreneurial development bank FMO, Proparco, ImpactAssets, Ford Foundation, MetLife, and Mastercard.

According to Michael Schlein, President and CEO of Accion: “This fund seeks to support the growth of early-stage, disruptive companies providing high-quality, affordable financial services that can help reduce poverty and create opportunity for millions of people globally.”

Schlein adds that with the huge uptick in mobile technologies in emerging economies, there is a significant opportunity for the fund to connect many small businesses and low-income consumers to the digital economy for the first time.

Amee Parbhoo, Managing Partner, Accion Ventures, said: “With this new funding, we seek to build on our success to date, finding and scaling some of the world’s most innovative fintech companies that provide a full suite of financial products and services to small businesses globally.”

Established in 2012, $59.4 million has been deployed in 76 companies across more than 30 countries, with 13 full or partial exits across all geographies. The three most recent exits were Apollo Agriculture, a company providing tech-enabled inputs, financing, insurance, and training to smallholder farmers in Kenya and Zambia; Lula, an all-digital small business lender and bank account provider for small and medium enterprises in South Africa; and Pula, a company providing agricultural insurtech solutions to smallholder farmers across Africa and Asia.

Recently, Accion invested in Nigeria’s PaidHR, Foyer in the United States, FinFra in Indonesia, and Flowcart in Kenya.

Beyond deploying capital, Accion Ventures provides hands-on support to startups with access to market expertise, board governance, networking and follow on investments among others.

 “We are excited to support the growth of incredible innovators across the globe in early-stage fintech who are using technologies ranging from satellite imagery to conversational commerce and embedded finance,” Rahil Rangwala, Managing Partner, Accion Ventures. ”We believe we have a strong pipeline and team in place and will continue to leverage our networks to deliver quality, affordable financial services for small businesses and consumers globally.”

According to the Global Findex 2025, worldwide, 1.6 billion people do not have an account with a financial institution or have an inactive account, and the $5.7 trillion annual financing gap for micro, small, and medium-sized businesses represents a huge market opportunity for innovative startups ready to disrupt the traditional financial system. Accion Ventures aims to find and help scale companies at the forefront of the latest trends in fintech, delivering financial solutions leveraging embedded finance, alternative data, and more.

Kenya’s Triply, a Kenyan-based travel-tech company providing software for travel businesses, has integrated Atlas to offer embedded multi-currency payment solutions to clients across Africa, speeding up transactions, reducing costs, and maintaining full regulatory compliance.

The Atlas Suite also includes features critical for the African market, such as local collection accounts, centralized treasury tools, and last-mile payouts via bank transfers or mobile money. These capabilities support businesses in executing bulk payments, including payroll and remittances, in a secure and compliant manner.

“We have witnessed the hurdles businesses face in scaling operations across borders, especially in African markets. Atlas is a transformative solution built to eliminate these challenges and accelerate growth,” says Ola Oyetayo, CEO and Co-founder of Verto.

Triply is just one of the businesses in Africa that that are grappling with fragmented financial ecosystems, regulatory complexity, limited access to local banking services, and currency volatility, challenges that have historically hindered cross-border trade and digital commerce. With the launch of Atlas Suite, firms like Triply address these pain points by offering instant access to local accounts, deep FX liquidity, and a fully compliant infrastructure supporting 49 currencies across multiple markets.

The Atlas Suite is an API platform for cross-border payments for financial institutions, digital marketplaces, and platforms. It aims to empower businesses to offer fully integrated banking, FX, and payment services through a single API integration.

The Atlas Suite comprises distinct offerings:

• Atlas for Fintechs: Designed for fintech companies, digital banks, and financial institutions, this solution allows seamless integration of Verto’s banking, FX, and payments infrastructure, without the need for local licensing or in-house system development. Institutions can provide local virtual accounts in over 12 African markets, execute real-time FX across 49 currencies, and send payments to over 100 countries, all under their business name.
• Atlas for Platforms: Non-financial platforms such as e-commerce, logistics, or travel tech providers can now embed financial services directly into their products using Verto’s infrastructure. This removes the burden of regulatory compliance and technology development, allowing them to offer embedded payments, FX, and account management with ease.
• White Label Broker Services: Atlas also provides an end-to-end white label solution, enabling brokers to offer branded cross-border financial services to their customers. With full control over pricing, brokers can generate new revenue streams without heavy capital or operational expenditure.

MOPO, a UK technology company at the forefront of sustainable energy access, has secured a £5 million from Norfund, the Norwegian Government’s investment fund to scale its solar-powered battery rental model.

The​ investment will help create jobs, improve lives, and support the transition to net zero in developing countries and adds to the backing from Octopus Energy and BII, signalling growing international momentum.

“We’re delighted to welcome Norfund as the Chris  Longbottom,  CEO  of MOPO, “This is a strong signal that our model, combining impact, innovation, and commercial return, is working. With Octopus and BII already behind us, Norfund’s support reinforces the belief that MOPO is a standout solution to the clean energy challenge. Demand is growing fast across Sub-Saharan Africa, and this investment will help us scale even faster to meet it.”

With a presence in Nigeria, DRC, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Chad and Uganda, with over 28 million rentals already completed, the firm will use the funds to scale its pay-per-use battery rental system to more households and businesses.

Its two core products, MOPO50 for lighting, phone charging and small appliances, and MOPOMax for higher-load devices, generators, small businesses and e-mobility, are designed to replace expensive and polluting fossil fuel alternatives.

“We are excited to share that Norfund has invested £5 million in MOPO. MOPO has demonstrated innovation in its offerings, providing climate-friendly solutions improving energy access in underserved areas in particularly challenging markets. Norfund is delighted to back MOPO’s ongoing expansion and its efforts to bring access to sustainable energy to those who need it most,” said Pål Helgesen, Investment Director, Norfund.

With a vast addressable market, as around one billion people in Africa still lack access to reliable electricity, and a proven product-market fit, MOPO is well-positioned for rapid expansion. The $75 billion-a-year petrol generator market, especially relevant for MOPO’s larger MOPOMax battery, is particularly primed for clean disruption.

Notably, MOPO has also recently attracted significant backing from Octopus Energy, the UK’s largest energy supplier, and British International Investment (BII), the UK Government’s development finance institution.

MOPO’s battery rental service is making a huge impact on lives in Sub-Saharan Africa where it already operates in six countries. MOPO’s business is based on the rental of its unique MOPO batteries from solar powered charging hubs that are managed by a network of local agents. Its portfolio includes the MOPO50 battery, which provides basic household energy access for lighting, phone charging and Direct Current (DC) appliances; and the MOPOMax, a 1kWh battery for AC appliances which is used to replace fossil fuel generators.

Each MOPO battery can be tracked via the MOPO Platform to determine whether it is with an agent, a customer, or has reached the end of its life and is ready to be recycled. MOPO batteries are controlled through integrated technology, ensuring energy is only discharged upon agent payment through the bespoke MOPO App. With committed plans to roll out its service across Africa, MOPO already has operations in Nigeria, DRC, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Chad, and Uganda.

South African education technology company The Invigilator, which provides secure remote exam solutions, has raised $11 million (approximately R195 million) to fuel its international expansion and enhance its AI-driven capabilities.

The funding round was led by Kaltroco, a privately held, family-backed investment firm based in Jersey, Channel Islands. The investment attracted additional backing from professionals in Nashville, Zurich, and Cape Town, reflecting growing global interest in the startup’s technology. Kaltroco’s structure allows for long-term, flexible investment support without external constraints.

Founded in 2020, The Invigilator was created to tackle academic integrity challenges, especially in resource-limited settings. Its platform is used by over 100 educational institutions, including Varsity College, Regenesys Business School, Curro Academy Schools, Eduvos, and Boston City Campus, enabling cost-effective, secure exam monitoring. Earlier this year, the company introduced an AI-powered feature that analyzes student submissions to detect potential over-reliance on AI tools, helping educators maintain evaluation credibility.

The company plans to use the capital to further develop its AI monitoring technology, add multilingual support, expand teams in international markets, and deepen partnerships with schools and corporate clients across North America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

CEO Nicholas Riemer said the investment will accelerate the company’s move toward continuous AI-driven assessment monitoring, expanding access to secure education globally. The Invigilator aims to establish itself as a leader in AI-based remote assessments while highlighting African innovation on the world stage.

Raise, the Nairobi-based startup that digitized equity management for African startups, is closing after seven years of operation, transitioning its users to Carta, the U.S.-based equity management platform.

Founded in 2018 by Marvin Coleby, Tina Nyamache, and Eugene Mutai, Raise aimed to simplify cap table management, equity issuance, and due diligence for startups in Kenya and Nigeria. Despite backing from early-stage investors such as 500 Startups, Microtraction, and Launch Africa, the company struggled to develop a scalable business model in Africa’s emerging venture ecosystem.

Marvin Coleby said in a LinkedIn post that while private equity presented opportunities, it was not enough to sustain the platform long-term. Paid Raise users will migrate automatically to Carta, while free-tier users can transition to Carta Launch, a no-cost option for early-stage startups. Coleby will join Carta as Head of Product for Asia, Middle East, and Africa (AMEA), though the future of Raise’s staff is uncertain.

Raise gained traction after its 2019 alpha launch, and by mid-2020, had facilitated more than $20 million in fundraising transactions. At its peak, the platform supported over 200 companies, managing roughly $150 million in equity, with total startup valuations exceeding $90 million. Clients included Nestcoin, Numida, Accrue, and Workpay.

In 2023, Carta invested in Raise, bridging Raise’s local expertise with Carta’s global infrastructure. The shutdown highlights the challenges of scaling venture-focused fintech in Africa while cementing Carta’s growing presence in the continent’s startup ecosystem.

Tanzanian fintech NALA is making a strategic push into Kenya, bypassing the Central Bank licensing route by partnering with Equity Bank and Pesalink, the instant payments platform owned by the Kenya Bankers Association. The move positions NALA to tap into Kenya’s booming remittance market, which reached $4.94 billion in 2024, the country’s second-largest source of foreign currency.

Under the partnership, funds sent via NALA are routed through Pesalink’s instant payment rails and settled by Equity Bank, allowing recipients to access money in real time via mobile wallets or bank accounts. The arrangement offers a shortcut to market, enabling NALA to compete with entrenched players including Safaricom’s M-PESA, Western Union, MoneyGram, and local banks with established diaspora networks.

Founded in 2017 by Benjamin Fernandes, NALA has built a strong user base in the US, UK, and Europe—key sources of remittances to Kenya. COO Nicolas Eddy said the partnerships are central to the company’s strategy of reducing fees and accelerating cross-border payments. Analysts note that the move reflects a broader trend of fintechs leveraging local partnerships to sidestep regulatory delays while expanding rapidly across Africa.

Officials described the deal as a growth lever for financial inclusion. Kenn Lisudza of Pesalink said it will enhance “inclusion and reliability” in cross-border transactions, while Equity Bank’s Samuel Ireri framed it as part of the bank’s Africa Recovery and Resilience Plan, aimed at driving economic growth.

With a foothold in Kenya, NALA now faces the challenge of competing on speed, cost, and customer experience in a market dominated by established digital and bank-led remittance channels. Success here could signal a new wave of fintech cross-border expansion in East Africa.

Nigerian agri-tech platform, Babban Gona, has received $7.5 to boost food security and climate resilience for smallholder farmers in Northern Nigeria.

The debt investment was from British International Investment (BII), the UK’s development finance institution and impact investor, to help Babban Gona to provide farmers with high-quality agricultural inputs, financial credit, training on climate-smart practices, and support with harvest, storage, and access to market.

According to Kola Masha, Babban Gona’s Managing Director, “We are thrilled to have BII partner with us in this next phase of our journey as we accelerate the impact of our work, with the ambition to become the Earth’s highest-impact business.”

Northern Nigeria produces 50-60 per cent of the country’s maize but smallholder farmers face persistent challenges that limit their productivity and income. Many cultivate small plots of land, with limited access to finance, quality inputs, agronomic training, and reliable markets. These constraints are compounded by growing exposure to climate risks such as floods and droughts, which further threaten yields and income stability. These challenges contribute to post harvest losses of up to 30 per cent, worsening food insecurity across the region.

UK Trade Envoy to Nigeria, Florence Eshalomi MP, said: “Today, I’m proud to stand alongside British International Investment (BII) as we announce a $7.5 million investment into Babban Gona, a pioneering social enterprise transforming smallholder agriculture in Nigeria. This investment will help scale an innovative, tech-enabled model that empowers farmers with access to finance, training, and services, boosting yields and incomes while building climate resilience.”

Babban Gona aims to end this by helping farmers establish and run their own micro-enterprises which provide farmers with inputs and working capital financing. Babban Gona later supports these enterprises to access funding from local banks.

Babban Gona also provides climate-smart agricultural inputs such as drought-resilient seeds and multi-peril area yield insurance, which helps farmers recover from climate shocks.

216 Capital has invested into Addvocate.AI, a Franco-Tunisian startup specialized in optimizing sales performance with artificial intelligence.

Addvocate.AI, the startup redefining intelligent sales will use the funds to help firms manage and optimize their sales and enter a new era of smart automation.

“With the support of 216 Capital, we are equipped to stay ahead, breaking through the limits of traditional CRM and delivering a solution built for impact, not for data entry.” explains Ridha Mami, CEO & Founder of Addvocate.AI.

According to McKinsey, between 35% and 50% of sales opportunities stagnate in pipelines, slowing company growth. This is how Addvocate.AI was born: a copilot designed to prepare salespeople for their meetings through AI and data consolidation.

Mami identified a major gap in supporting sales teams after more than fifteen years as a Sales Leader in B2B SaaS scale-ups, after he kept witnessing the same scenario: countless hours wasted preparing for client meetings, compiling scattered information, and above all seeing entire deals stall without any clear explanation, threatening business predictability.

The startup stands out due to its AI-native architecture, a “Sales Performance OS” that aggregates data, a design centered on natural adoption by sales teams through behavioral nudges and actionable insights that help teams better anticipate and maximize results.

Where Addvocate initially addressed the symptom (preparation), Nudge tackles sales performance before, during, and after meetings. With this approach, Addvocate.AI becomes a trusted partner for salespeople, making their meetings more productive, focused, and effective, while maximizing the chances of closing or quickly moving opportunities forward in the pipeline.

Toward international expansion

Based in France and Tunisia, Addvocate.AI takes a decisive step forward with this funding. From a sales preparation tool, it is becoming an integrated sales performance platform capable of addressing the challenges of modern business.

“This strategic investment from 216 Capital marks a key milestone for Addvocate.AI, enabling it to accelerate innovation and international expansion, with the goal of sustainably transforming sales performance through AI-native solutions designed around sales team efficiency,” says Dhekra Khelifi, Partner at 216 Capital.

Addvocate.AI is now positioning itself as a pioneer in intelligent sales, strengthening its lead in a rapidly evolving global market.

Justyol, Morocco’s cross-border e-commerce platform, has raised $1 million in funding to transform ecommerce across North Africa and to scale its product offerings and meet growing customer demand across the region.

Danis Group, a major Turkish investment group, is providing $600,000 in inventory financing while $400,000 is a strategic equity investment from a distinguished angel investor.

“The confidence shown by our angel investor and the strategic inventory financing partnership with Danis Group reflects the broader ecosystem’s recognition of Justyol’s unique position in the market,” said Ahmed Badran, Co-Founder and CEO of Justyol. “We are building more than just a platform; we are creating the infrastructure that will define the future of cross-border commerce in North Africa, serving hundreds of thousands of customers with unprecedented access to global products at competitive prices.”

With the funds, Justyol aims to expand across multiple fronts, increase its operational capacity and enhance its sales capabilities to serve its customer base and deepen its market penetration in Morocco.

Justyol will also expand into new markets across North Africa and the broader MENA region.

Justyol’s Turkish team brings deep expertise in e-commerce operations and strategic partnerships, while its Moroccan team provides essential local market knowledge and customer insights that drive our regional expansion.

With over 250,000 active customers, representing significant market penetration and more than 30,000 monthly orders with exceptional 300% year-over-year growth, the firm has established relationships with leading global platforms including AliExpress and Trendyol and logistics providers such as Aramex, Cathides, and Colis Privé and payment integrations with CMI and Payzone.

“This milestone package, combining strategic angel investment with Danis Group’s inventory financing, provides us with both the capital and operational support to accelerate our expansion across North Africa. Stay tuned for exciting developments as we continue to build the future of e-commerce in the region,” said Ahmed Rashed, Co-Founder & Chief Growth Officer of Justyol.

The firm is now actively preparing for a Series A funding round in the near future due to its proven growth trajectory, expanding market presence, and strong ecosystem support position it well for this next phase of scaling.

“With this new support, we will further strengthen our logistics network to ensure faster, more reliable deliveries across Morocco and beyond,” added Anas Ahmed, Co-Founder and Head of Logistics at Justyol.

WheelsOn, the UAE’s mobile-first car rental platform, has closed a $12.5 million funding round to expand WheelsOn’s fleet, speed up product development, and grow its market presence.

The funding included $2.2 million in equity from a group of MENA-focused private investors, including partners of Xploration Capital, $6.5M for a fleet expansion round and $4M financing from local banks.

This latest round brings WheelsOn’s total funding to $12.5 million, pushing its valuation near $30 million.

According to Maxim Olivson, CPO at WheelsOn,“Our mission is to rethink car rentals by offering full transparency, digital convenience, and a product that puts users in control. We remove deposits completely, eliminate paperwork and counter queues, and give customers a seamless experience all through our intuitive mobile app and website,” 

WheelsOn is working on advanced AI tools for dynamic pricing, vehicle personalisation, insurance, and rental periods based on user preferences. Upcoming tech features include digital car keys, enabling renters to unlock vehicles directly via smartphones for a contactless rental.

Founded in 2023 by Nikolay Melnichuk, Partner at Xploration Capital, and Adlet Shagirov (Co-Founder & COO), and later joined by Maxim Olivson (CPO), WheelsOn was created out of frustration with the traditional car rental experience. In the UAE, for instance, customers still face steep security deposits, hidden fees, and lengthy paperwork, making the process stressful for locals, expats, and tourists.

Unlike aggregator platforms, WheelsOn owns and directly operates its entire fleet, controlling the complete rental experience to ensure consistent vehicle quality, transparent pricing without hidden fees, and reliable service. The company’s proprietary fleet management and vehicle tracking system monitors each vehicle in real-time, enabling proactive maintenance scheduling and operational transparency that safeguards customers and improves fleet availability.

This technological backbone is a key reason why WheelsOn can eliminate the need for large security deposits and reduce hidden costs: better fleet control and data-driven operations translate into less risk and more trust between renters and the company. WheelsOn’s technology also powers an enhanced customer support loop, integrating user feedback directly into product and service improvements, ensuring rental issues are swiftly addressed and customer satisfaction remains high.

WheelsOn plans to strengthen its footprint in the UAE and expand to other Gulf countries where travellers and residents face similar rental frustrations. it’s presently available in  English, Arabic, Chinese, and several European languages, including French, Italian, Spanish, and German.

WheelsOn caters to locals seeking flexible monthly rentals, business customers who require premium cars or chauffeured vans for events, and tourists looking for convenient airport or hotel delivery.