Solar energy is a revolution, but African businesses are not taking advantage of it.
They suffer from high energy costs, frequent outages, and a desperate lack of support to solve these daily problems.
Yet, African countries are among the richest in solar energy.
We want to break this paradox and unlock our customers' potential.
We have been entrepreneurs in the energy and industrial sectors in Africa for over 10 years.
We are intimately familiar with local challenges, but also with the tremendous opportunities offered by the continent.
That's why we founded kalao.
A symbol of prosperity and good luck, kalao offers its customers simple and effective solutions to benefit from solar energy, sustain their activities, and save millions of FCFA.
oUR TEAMOur team brings together people with diverse backgrounds, with extensive experience in energy, industry and finance.
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It was during his studies at HEC Paris in 2009 that Tristan had the opportunity to discover Benin, as president of a student NGO in Natitingou. This encounter with the country and its people led him, once he graduated, to found Power:On and spend 10 years as a pioneer in the mini-grid and electricity access sector in Benin and West Africa.
Tristan has managed to attract renowned partners such as Akuo Energy, Eranove, SparkMeter, Odyssey Energy Solutions, Millennium Challenge Corporation, and the USTDA.
In 2023, Tristan decided to leverage his expertise in the energy sector to democratize solar energy for the private sector by co-founding kalao.
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With degrees in mechanical engineering from MIT and UCLA, and an MBA from Edhec, Jake chose to become an entrepreneur in Benin after falling in love with the country. For over 10 years, Jake has been producing sodabi under the Tambour brand in the distillery he founded. It is an award-winning version of the national liquor that is exported to Europe and the United States.
Jake has been working on projects for Power:On since 2020 in Benin, Togo and Guinea.
In 2023, leveraging his industry sector expertise, Jake co-founded kalao in order to help solve the energy challenges facing local businesses.
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Audrey holds a degree in International Business from ESCIP and an MBA from IPAG Institute. Originally from Gabon, she has lived in South Africa, France, Spain and Germany.
After starting her career in finance, Audrey switched to energy in 2019 and contributed to the implementation of thermal and solar power plants. She developed policies for universal access to energy and negotiated energy purchase contracts in Togo with the national Electric Power Company and the Ministry of Energy. Audrey has also worked with KPMG Kenya and GreenMax US.
Audrey joined kalao as a partner to allow the company to leverage her expertise in finance and public relations.
kalao is a brand of the Power:On group
Power:On has been active in benin and west africa for over a decade.
Energy is our core business
Our journey began with rural electrification, with the ambition of providing the most remote villages in Africa with access to clean, affordable, 24-hour electricity.
We then expanded our focus to include urban areas, connected to the national grid but still facing the challenge of power outages and high energy costs.
Power:On is proud to contribute to solving one of Africa's most important economic, social and environmental development challenges in urban and rural areas.
Some of our partners
To learn more, please visit en.turnthepoweron.co
