What ATEC Biodigesters does

ATEC Biodigesters is a privately held social enterprise operating under Australian parent ATEC* Global, founded around 2014 and headquartered in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The company designs, manufactures, and distributes small-scale anaerobic biodigesters — primarily the M4 system — that convert cow, buffalo, and pig manure into cooking biogas and organic fertilizer for smallholder farming households in Cambodia and Bangladesh. Its core technology is a proprietary Australian-patented two-chamber biodigester constructed from UV-resistant LLDPE material, processing up to 40kg of manure per day in a 1.77m² footprint, rated for a 25-year lifetime with a 3-year warranty and designed to operate in flood-prone and variable-temperature conditions.

The full product package bundles the biodigester tank with a proprietary twin-burner stove, rice cooker, PAYGO control box (SIM-enabled for mobile-money billing), gas pressure gauge, and flexi hose, with installation performed by ATEC technicians. The company sells direct-to-consumer via phone hotlines, Facebook, and website lead forms at $699 upfront or $29/month interest-free over 27 months through a partnership with WING mobile money in Cambodia; a 1.8m³ Sobujshakti-branded variant is marketed in Bangladesh. Customers are rural smallholder livestock farmers (minimum 2 cows/buffalo or 4 pigs), and ATEC claims average annual customer savings of $521 on gas and fertilizer, with a 30% crop yield uplift and ~33 bags/month of organic fertilizer output. The company has served 2,000+ customers across two countries, employs 11-50 people, and has raised approximately $2.3M in disclosed funding (2017 IIX; 2019 ENGIE-led consortium).

Name

ATEC Biodigesters

Legal name

ATEC*

Website

https://atecbio.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ATEC Biodigesters designs, manufactures, and installs Australian-patented small-scale anaerobic biodigesters for smallholder farmers in Cambodia and Bangladesh, converting livestock manure into cooking biogas and organic fertilizer via a PAYGO financing model through WING mobile money.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Small-Scale Anaerobic Biodigesters

NAICS

Support Activities for Animal Production (11521)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Animal Nutrition & Feeding Support Services (On-Farm Feeding, Feed Management) (AFAEALAJ)

Keywords

• Small-scale biodigesters
• Anaerobic biogas systems
• PAYGO clean energy
• Smallholder farm equipment
• Organic fertilizer production

Headquarters

HQ city

Phnom Penh

HQ country

Cambodia

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Hardware Sales (Biodigester Systems): One-time sale of biodigester systems including M4 unit, twin gas stove, rice cooker, gas pressure gauge, flexi hose, and installation. Customers can pay upfront or through PAYGO installments. The full package includes all components and follow-up services.
2. PAYGO Financing (Interest-Free Installments): Interest-free monthly installment payments over 27 months via WING mobile money platform. Payments are made monthly using the PAYGO stove's SIM card system. Early payoff before halfway point earns 5% discount.
3. Organic Fertilizer and Biogas (Ancillary Value): While the gas and fertilizer are produced free from the biodigester, these outputs represent the primary economic value proposition driving customer savings ($521/year) and justifying the purchase.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ATEC Biodigesters sells the ATEC* Modern Biodigester (M4 System), an anaerobic biodigester that converts cow, buffalo, and pig manure into cooking biogas and organic fertilizer for rural smallholder farmers. The complete package includes the biodigester tank, twin gas stove, rice cooker, PAYGO control box with SIM card, gas pressure gauge, flexi hose, and full installation. Customers pay either upfront or via interest-free PAYGO monthly installments over 27 months using WING mobile money, supported by a 3-year warranty and a 25-year expected lifetime.

Product overview

ATEC Biodigesters offers the ATEC* Modern Biodigester system, an Australian-designed agricultural technology product that converts animal manure (cow, buffalo, pig) into biogas for cooking and organic fertilizer for crops. The core product is the M4 biodigester model, which can process up to 40kg of manure daily. The complete package includes the biodigester tank, a modern twin gas stove, rice cooker, PAYGO control box with SIM card, gas pressure gauge, and flexi hose. Installation is included, with a 3-year warranty and expected 25-year product lifetime. The company operates in Cambodia (9 years) and Bangladesh, offering PAYGO financing options through mobile money payments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ATEC* Modern Biodigester (M4 System) Anaerobic biodigester system that converts cow, buffalo, and pig manure into cooking biogas and organic fertilizer for smallholder farmers with at least 2 cows/buffalo or 4 adult pigs. Processes up to 40kg of manure daily in a 1.77m² footprint, constructed from UV-resistant LLDPE material with a stated 25-year lifetime and 3-year warranty. Sold as a complete package that includes the biodigester tank, twin gas stove, rice cooker, PAYGO control box with SIM card, gas pressure gauge, flexi hose, and on-site installation.
• ATEC Sobujshakti Biodigester Bangladesh-branded variant of the Australian-patented ATEC biodigester with a 1.8m³ capacity, targeted at smallholder livestock farmers with a minimum of 4 cows. Includes free delivery and installation, sold via a regional hotline (09610900502) and limited-time promotional pricing in Bangladeshi Taka.

Quantifiable outcome

• Average customer savings of $521 per year on gas and fertilizer costs
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• BURN Manufacturing: Kenya-based manufacturer of efficient cookstoves sold across East Africa, including on PAYGO. Adjacent in clean-cooking mission and PAYGO smallholder distribution, but does not produce anaerobic biodigesters.
• Greenlight Planet (Sun King): Global PAYGO solar energy company with deep smallholder distribution in South and Southeast Asia. Comparable PAYGO rails, mobile-money integrations, and rural sales-agent model; complementary rather than head-to-head with ATEC's biodigester product.
• d.light: PAYGO solar company serving off-grid households across Africa and Asia. Overlaps with ATEC on PAYGO smallholder distribution and emerging-market last-mile sales, though focused on solar rather than biogas.
• Envirofit International: US-headquartered clean-cooking company selling improved biomass and LPG cookstoves across multiple emerging markets. Overlaps with ATEC on clean-cooking value proposition and emerging-market distribution, but operates a broader portfolio without anaerobic digestion.

Direct peers

• Sistema.bio: Mexico-headquartered biodigester manufacturer with a major presence in Kenya and other emerging markets. Sells small-scale anaerobic biodigesters to smallholder farmers on PAYGO financing — the closest direct comparison to ATEC's product, customer, and go-to-market model.
• SimGas: Tanzania-based manufacturer of small-scale biodigesters and biogas-powered cookstoves for East African smallholders. Comparable product, customer base, and distribution model; differs primarily in regional focus (East Africa vs. South/Southeast Asia).
• HomeBiogas: Israel-based developer of small-scale household biodigesters sold globally, including in South and Southeast Asia. Directly comparable in product form factor (anaerobic digester converting manure to cooking gas and fertilizer) and target customer segment of rural smallholders.

Emerging players

• Inyenyeri: Rwanda-based clean-cooking company selling biogas cookstoves and pelletized fuel on a PAYGO model. Comparable in PAYGO go-to-market and smallholder customer base, with a partial overlap in clean-cooking technology.
• Susteq: Netherlands-based startup deploying small-scale biodigesters in Southeast Asia (notably Indonesia and Vietnam). Direct product and emerging-market overlap with ATEC, though at an earlier commercial stage and with a different geographic focus.

Regional players

• Equatorial Power: Uganda-based small-scale biogas and biomass power developer. Comparable in small-scale anaerobic digestion technology, but primarily a regional player in East Africa with utility-scale orientation rather than smallholder household deployment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/atecbio

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors4 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ATEC Biodigesters