Acumen invests $5 million in Sun King to scale pay-as-you-go solar energy access in Zambia
Acumen’s equity investment is aimed at catalyzing local currency debt and providing energy access to nearly 5.6 million people.
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- Renewable energy
- Sub-Saharan Africa H2R
NEW YORK CITY (September 23, 2026) — Acumen’s Hardest-to-Reach (“H2R”) Catalyze initiative has closed a $5 million equity investment in Sun King’s Zambia subsidiary. The investment will support Sun King’s expansion in Zambia, a market with significant unmet demand, while helping unlock local currency financing for its growth. With Acumen’s support, Sun King is expected to electrify nearly 5.6 million people over the next five years, including up to 4.5 million people gaining access to electricity for the first time in Zambia.
Sun King designs, finances, distributes, installs, and services solar systems for households and businesses with zero or limited access to electricity. Sun King provides a range of products spanning entry-level solar kits that deliver lighting and phone charging, to multi-kilowatt solar inverter systems capable of powering large homes, modern businesses, schools, and public health centers. Their PayGo model allows customers to buy a system on a loan repaid over 12 to 24 months in daily, weekly, or monthly installments by mobile money, from as little as $0.26 a day.
“Since launching in Zambia, we have confirmed there is tremendous unmet demand for reliable, affordable solar energy in communities the grid hasn’t reached,” said Krishna Swaroop, Chief Financial Officer at Sun King. “Acumen’s investment gives us the capital and the confidence to continue our nationwide rollout. We’re proud to bring our products to more Zambian households and businesses, and grateful to Acumen for making this the first equity investment into one of our country-level businesses.”
Zambia is one of the target markets for Acumen’s Hardest-to-Reach Initiative, with a significant need for reliable and affordable electricity. Only about half of the population currently has access to electricity, with access substantially lower in rural areas. In recent years, severe droughts have further strained the country’s power system by reducing hydropower generation, which supplies the majority of Zambia’s electricity.
“Sun King’s proven track record across other markets, combined with the clear demand for affordable, clean energy in Zambia, gave us confidence that its model could scale quickly in this newer market,” said Sandra Halilovic, Head of H2R Catalyze. “Our investment was designed to help accelerate that scale and close the energy access gap faster, while also crowding in local currency debt from local financial institutions. By providing equity capital that helps unlock additional financing from local lenders, we can extend the impact well beyond our own investment.”
About Acumen
Acumen is a global impact investor focused on tackling poverty by backing entrepreneurs and innovators in underserved markets. Founded in 2001 by Jacqueline Novogratz, Acumen uses Patient Capital and moral imagination to build sustainable businesses that serve the poor. It has improved more than 500 million lives and continues to push the frontier of how capital can serve long-term social change. Learn more at www.acumen.org.
About Sun King
Sun King is the world’s largest off-grid solar energy company with cutting-edge product design, affordable financing, and a grassroots installation model to provide energy to the 1.8 billion people across Africa and Asia who lack access to reliable electricity. Founded in 2007, Sun King sets the gold standard for off-grid solar performance and design as part of its mission: powering access to brighter lives. For more information, please visit: www.sunking.com.
About Hardest-to-Reach
Acumen Hardest-to-Reach is a $250 million initiative designed to activate clean energy markets in 17 of Africa’s underserved geographies. Using a variety of financial instruments, H2R invests in off-grid solar companies working to provide energy access for unelectrified households. Over the next 10 years, Acumen’s goal is to help achieve universal energy access in sub-Saharan Africa by electrifying 72 million people with solar products and avoiding 5 million tons of carbon emissions.
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