PayGo Energy
PayGo Energy builds patented IoT smart meters and SaaS platforms that enable pay-as-you-go LPG distribution for low-income households in emerging markets, partnering with established gas distributors; acquired by Sun King in 2023.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersNairobi, Kenya
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What PayGo Energy does
PayGo Energy is a Nairobi-based technology company that builds hardware and software solutions to digitize LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) distribution in emerging markets, with the stated goal of serving the 2.6 billion people globally who lack access to clean cooking. The company's core product is the Cylinder Smart Meter (CSM), an IoT device that attaches to LPG cylinders and measures consumption at gram-level precision using a time-of-flight principle; the CSM communicates wirelessly with PayGo's cloud platform and shuts off gas flow when prepaid credit is exhausted, enabling pay-as-you-go gas purchases via mobile money in increments as small as Ksh 50. The CSM is the first and only LPG smart meter to achieve ATEX Zone II certification and is the only product compliant with the Kenyan Bureau of Standards LPG Smart Metering Standard, with granted patents and design registrations across 10+ jurisdictions including China, Italy, Nigeria, OAPI, Europe, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, and Japan.
The company monetizes through three streams: hardware sales of CSM units to LPG distributors, subscription-based access to the Tag & Trace platform (a web and mobile application providing end-to-end cylinder fleet visibility, inventory management, and predictive replenishment analytics), and downstream pay-as-you-go gas payments collected from end users via mobile money. Its go-to-market is channel-partner-led: PayGo works with established LPG distributors and retailers such as Rift Gas Ltd (Kenya), Saisan (Asia), and BBOXX/USAID (DRC), providing technology while partners handle last-mile distribution and retail. The end-customer segment is low-income households in informal settlements — over 80% of PayGo's customers are first-time gas users transitioning from charcoal and kerosene, and customers spend an average of $1.80 per week on cooking gas. In 2023, PayGo was acquired by Sun King, the largest off-grid solar company in Africa and Asia, with PayGo's 40-person Nairobi team forming Sun King's new Clean Cooking Team.
PayGo Energy firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- PayGo Energy
- Legal name
- PayGo Energy Inc.
- Website
- https://paygoenergy.co
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Acquired
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- PayGo Energy builds patented IoT smart meters and SaaS platforms that enable pay-as-you-go LPG distribution for low-income households in emerging markets, partnering with established gas distributors; acquired by Sun King in 2023.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
PayGo Energy industry classification
Industry- Product category
- LPG Smart Metering and Distribution Technology
- NAICS
- Totalizing Fluid Meter and Counting Device Manufacturing (334514)
- SIC
- Totalizing Fluid Meters & Counting Devices (3824), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Home Energy & EV Charging (HEMS, Smart Meters, Batteries, Chargers) (HSAPAQAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- NGL/LPG Pipeline Pump/Compressor & Metering Stations Operations (TLAGAEAL)
Keywords
Where PayGo Energy is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Nairobi
- HQ country
- Kenya
- HQ region
- Africa
Offices3 records
Markets served
PayGo Energy business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Cylinder Smart Meter Hardware Sales: IoT devices sold to LPG distributors for attachment to cylinders. CSM enables pay-as-you-go functionality.
- Pay-As-You-Go Gas Payments: Customers pay for gas in small increments via mobile money. Average customer spends $1.80 per week on cooking gas and tops up more than once a week.
- Tag & Trace Platform Subscription: LPG distributors and retailers pay for access to the Tag & Trace platform for digital distribution and retail management.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Custom enterprise pricing for LPG distributors |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Pay-as-you-go gas payments for end consumers |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
PayGo Energy product offering
Product offeringCore offering
PayGo Energy builds and sells the Cylinder Smart Meter (CSM), an IoT device that attaches to LPG cylinders to measure consumption by the gram and to enable pay-as-you-go LPG purchases via mobile money, together with the Tag & Trace web and mobile platform that gives LPG distributors full visibility and control over their cylinder fleet, inventory movements, restocking, maintenance, and retail performance. The combined solution lets LPG operators serve low-income households with micro-payments while digitizing their supply chain.
Product overview
PayGo Energy offers two core products under one unified platform: the Cylinder Smart Meter (CSM) and Tag & Trace. The CSM is an IoT hardware device attached to LPG cylinders enabling pay-as-you-go gas purchasing via mobile money with real-time consumption monitoring. Tag & Trace is a complementary web and mobile platform for digital LPG distribution providing end-to-end visibility and control of cylinder fleets, inventory management, and supply chain optimization. Together these products enable LPG distributors to grow markets for LPG in emerging markets while providing affordable, accessible clean cooking solutions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Cylinder Smart Meter (CSM) IoT device that attaches to LPG cylinders to provide safe, high-precision metering of customer consumption (gram-level), wireless communication with the PayGo cloud, and automatic shut-off when credit is exhausted. Sold to LPG distributors and used by end consumers to purchase gas in micro-amounts via mobile money; the first and only LPG smart meter to achieve ATEX Zone II certification.
- Tag & Trace Platform Integrated web and mobile platform providing LPG distributors with end-to-end visibility and control of their cylinder fleet, including inventory tracking, restocking and collection planning, maintenance scheduling, and performance monitoring via custom dashboards and predictive analytics. Sold on a subscription basis and customized per partner (e.g., Rift Gas Ltd).
Quantifiable outcome
- Just 5% of customers discontinued LPG use during COVID lockdown despite income loss
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use PayGo Energy
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
PayGo Energy technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability2 records
Feature4 records
PayGo Energy partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.
- Sun KingflagshipIn 2023, PayGo Energy was acquired by Sun King, the largest off-grid solar energy company in Africa and Asia. PayGo Energy's team of 40 employees in Nairobi has formed Sun King's new Clean Cooking Team.
- SaisancorePayGo partners with Japanese energy conglomerate Saisan, with plans to pilot through Saisan's downstream operations in several of Asia's largest markets. Tomohiko Kawamoto (Saisan Executive VP and COO) serves on PayGo's board.
- BBOXX (with USAID support)corePayGo partners with BBOXX with support from USAID to expand access to clean cooking in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
- Clean Cooking AllianceminorPayGo featured in Clean Cooking Alliance news for strategic partnerships to scale up clean cooking and new payment technology empowering families during COVID-19 pandemic.
- Rift Gas LtdcoreRift Gas Ltd uses PayGo's Tag & Trace platform for digital LPG operations. Featured as customer case study with quote from Aisha Wanjiku, Head of Administration.
- University of Liverpool / Global LPG PartnershipminorResearch partnership for CLEAN-Air(Africa) program studying pay-as-you-go LPG during COVID-19. Study published in Applied Energy journal.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
PayGo Energy competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- ATEC (Advanced Technology Engineering & Consulting): Cambodia-based clean cooking technology company offering IoT-enabled biogas and electric cookstoves with pay-as-you-go functionality. Comparable in IoT-enabled clean cooking hardware and PAYG business model for emerging Asia markets, similar to PayGo's Asia expansion ambitions with Saisan.
- Sistema.bio: Mexico/Kenya-based biogas digester company serving smallholder farmers. Comparable clean cooking mission, emerging-market focus, and pay-over-time financing model—but offers a different fuel solution (biogas) to a primarily rural customer base.
Broad incumbents
- Sun King: PayGo's parent company and the largest off-grid solar energy company in Africa and Asia. Sun King offers pay-as-you-go solar home systems to off-grid households—a directly comparable pay-as-you-go energy model for emerging markets, and the strategic acquirer that now houses PayGo's clean cooking team.
Direct peers
- M-KOPA: Leading pay-as-you-go solar home system provider in East Africa serving low-income households. Closely comparable business model to PayGo: IoT-enabled hardware, mobile money payment integration, usage-based financing for off-grid energy access—though focused on solar rather than LPG cooking.
- BBOXX: UK-based pay-as-you-go solar provider with operations across Africa, including a partnership with PayGo supported by USAID to expand clean cooking in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Comparable PAYG energy model, mobile money integration, and emerging-market focus.
- Azuri Technologies: Pay-as-you-go solar home system provider operating across Sub-Saharan Africa. Closely comparable in target customer (off-grid low-income households), technology (IoT-enabled PAYG hardware), and business model (mobile-money-based micro-payments).
- KOKO Networks: Kenya-based clean cooking technology company operating a network of smart fuel-vending kiosks that dispense biomass-based cooking fuel. Comparable target market (low-income Kenyan households transitioning from charcoal/kerosene) and pay-as-you-go smart infrastructure model.
- BioLite: US/Kenya-based clean cooking and off-grid energy company producing biomass cookstoves with thermoelectric generation. Comparable in clean cooking mission for emerging markets, hardware-enabled energy access, and East African operational presence.
- BURN Manufacturing: Kenya-based manufacturer of efficient biomass and charcoal cookstoves targeting low-income households transitioning from traditional cooking fuels. Closely comparable end-customer base and clean cooking mission, though focused on improved cookstoves rather than LPG.
- Circle Gas: Africa-focused LPG distribution company digitizing last-mile LPG delivery with smart metering technology. Most directly comparable peer given the same target market (African LPG consumers), same technology approach (smart metering of LPG cylinders), and same distribution model.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
PayGo Energy social profiles
Digital presencePayGo Energy compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance14 records
PayGo Energy financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
PayGo Energy leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
PayGo Energy funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds8 records
Investors12 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
PayGo Energy M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about PayGo Energy
What does PayGo Energy do?
PayGo Energy builds and sells the Cylinder Smart Meter (CSM), an IoT device that attaches to LPG cylinders to measure consumption by the gram and to enable pay-as-you-go LPG purchases via mobile money, together with the Tag & Trace web and mobile platform that gives LPG distributors full visibility and control over their cylinder fleet, inventory movements, restocking, maintenance, and retail performance. The combined solution lets LPG operators serve low-income households with micro-payments while digitizing their supply chain.
Is PayGo Energy a public or private company?
PayGo Energy is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently acquired.
When was PayGo Energy founded?
PayGo Energy was founded in 2015. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is PayGo Energy based?
PayGo Energy is headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, in the Africa region.
How does PayGo Energy make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Cylinder Smart Meter Hardware Sales are the primary driver. The others are pay-As-You-Go Gas Payments and tag & Trace Platform Subscription.
Who are PayGo Energy's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are ATEC (Advanced Technology Engineering & Consulting) and Sistema.bio. Sun King is listed as a broad incumbent. Direct peers are M-KOPA, BBOXX, Azuri Technologies, KOKO Networks, BioLite, BURN Manufacturing and Circle Gas.
Does PayGo Energy have an API?
No public API is recorded for PayGo Energy.
What industry is PayGo Energy in?
PayGo Energy's product category is LPG Smart Metering and Distribution Technology. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HSAPAQAF, Home Energy & EV Charging (HEMS, Smart Meters, Batteries, Chargers), with a secondary code of TLAGAEAL, NGL/LPG Pipeline Pump/Compressor & Metering Stations Operations. Its NAICS code is 334514 and its SIC code is 3824.