Egypt’s shortage of fresh water is so acute that its supply could run out next year. To help rural communities address water scarcity, Giza-based NoorNation makes solar-powered desalination and irrigation systems that remove salt infiltrating fresh water supplies.
NoorNation’s LifeBox system also provides farmer households with power for lighting and running appliances and data to better manage their water resources.
The company serves farmers in Egypt and Rwanda and launched a water purification pilot project in Tanzania.
NoorNation secured an investment from KBW Ventures, a venture fund founded by Saudi prince Khaled bin Alwaleed. KBW Ventures joined BFA Global’s Catalyst Fund in NoorNation’s seed equity round.
Climate tech in Africa
Despite a difficult fundraising environment, Africa’s climate tech startups did relatively well compared to other startups last year, raising nearly a third of the $3 billion in venture equity and debt on the continent. Off-grid solar companies take in the largest share of Africa’s climate tech venture capital.
The biggest deals are coming from south of the Sahara; Egypt’s startup scene – the fourth largest on the continent – is dominated by fintech, health tech and logistics tech.
