South African Clean-energy Startup, Brayfoil Technologies Wins at The GEA Summit

South African clean energy startup, Brayfoil Technologies, in last week’s Green Energy Africa (GEA) Summit in Cape Town, emerged winner in the Energy Investment Village pitch competition. Brayfoil creates turbine blades that change shape to lessen stresses, enabling larger, more effective, more dependable, and more cheap devices. The wind energy, aerospace, sailing, and automotive industries can all benefit from the startup’s innovation.

After the award, the Brayfoil team held a number of meetings with possible investors outside of the GEA Summit. The pitch event was open to international investors with a combined portfolio worth $100 billion. Following the event, several interactions between start-ups and investors will be continued.

The Saldanha Bay Innovation Campus, a program of the Freeport Saldanha development zone, and the consulting firm Research Institute for Innovation and Sustainability have partnered to create Energy Investment Village. Ten sustainable energy start-ups presented their business plans during the event to an audience of potential investors, Summit delegates, and judges from supporting partners. A panel of eight judges adjudicated the start-up pitches looking at aspects such as innovativeness and business merit, among other criteria.

Saldanha Bay Innovation Campus, the Research Institution for Innovation and Sustainability (RIIS), and the GEA Summit collaborated to create the Energy Investment Village. The program’s primary goal is to assist South African companies in obtaining foreign financing for project development.

Brayfoil Technologies won an R20,000 cash prize from FNB as well as a half-day branding and marketing workshop and a year’s business membership with the Africa Scotland Business Network (ASBN).

Following their respective reviews of the finalists, Sasol and the JSE will each present two more awards. This include a spot in the 2024 JSE Enterprise Accelerator Program and enrollment in the Sasol Enterprise Supplier Development Program, each worth R100 000.

The other investment village finalists were:

• Keren Energy, the first green-hydrogen producer in South Africa
• Atlanthia, producers of green hydrogen and green ammonia
• Hydrofuels, producers of a plasma waste gasification solution
• Oceanergy, developers of a Kite Fuel Ship technology
• SeaH4, producers of carbon-neutral biofuels from algae
• SlideLuvre, developers of a smart, two-in-one, sun-tracking solution for solar energy efficiency
• Impact-Free Water, developers of a pump that uses wave energy to pressurise and pump seawater for desalination and electrical power
• Zimi Charge, developers of electric fleet charging via a single app
• Meta Technologies, producers of an air-quality monitor

According to Paul Sinclair, vice president for energy at Africa Oil Week and GEA Summit, the Energy Investment Village is a first for the Green Energy Africa Summit. Sinclair added that the program far exceeded the company’s expectations in connecting innovative, clean-energy start-ups with possible investors and fostering conversations that will last long after the Summit. He noted that the event will definitely be held here again the next year.