electricity
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The Power Broker Behind the AI Boom
ECP spent two decades learning how electricity actually gets made, moved and financed. Now AI has turned that unfashionable expertise into one of private markets' most valuable specialties.
NRG Wants to Run the Power Plant - and Your Thermostat
NRG spent years becoming a retailer you might meet on an electricity bill. Now it is joining power plants, smart homes and flexible demand into one system - a bet that the winner in the next energy cycle will understand both sides of the meter.
BuyPower
BuyPower is a Nigerian bill-payment platform that lets people buy prepaid and postpaid electricity tokens - plus airtime, data and TV subscriptions - online and through its mobile app, 24/7. Founded in 2016 in Abuja after its founders grew tired of queueing at utility offices, it integrates directly with Nigeria's electricity distribution companies (DisCos) and has grown into a cash-flow-positive business reporting roughly $20.6M in revenue by the end of 2024. It was the first company from Northern Nigeria backed by Y Combinator (W17).
Pylon
Pylon is a Cairo-based smart infrastructure platform that sells electricity and water utilities a subscription-based Smart Metering as a Service (SMaaS). Its software layers on top of any meter - old or new - to cut losses, improve revenue collection and give operators real-time visibility, all at zero upfront cost. Founded in 2017 and backed by Y Combinator (S21), Pylon runs across more than a million metering endpoints in Egypt and the Philippines.
Power Kiosk
Power Kiosk is a Chicago-based SaaS company that runs a cloud-based marketplace connecting retail energy suppliers with the brokers and consultants who buy electricity and natural gas on behalf of businesses. Founded by Northwestern Ph.D. Hamed Babai, the platform pulls fragmented supplier rates, contracts, and market data into one AI-assisted workflow so brokers can quote, compare, and close deals in minutes instead of days. The company says it has managed 16,000+ customers across 34 states and provinces and returned roughly $120 million in savings.