What Winko Solar does

Winko Solar is a private, early-stage company founded in 2020 that designs and deploys solar-powered healthcare infrastructure for hospitals and clinics in off-grid and weak-grid parts of Africa. The company is headquartered operationally in Nairobi, Kenya (Britam Towers, Upperhill), with origins in Berkeley, California, and currently operates across seven African countries. Its product portfolio centers on three integrated offerings: Solar-Powered Oxygen Systems (continuous oxygen delivery with battery backup and remote monitoring for critical care), Solar-Powered Cold Chain (temperature-controlled vaccine and medicine storage with monitoring and emergency alerts), and Rapid Deployment Expertise (logistics, technical training, and ongoing field support for installations in harsh environments).

The underlying technology combines photovoltaic generation, battery storage, and integrated medical equipment (oxygen concentrators, medical-grade refrigeration) with remote monitoring software. Revenue is generated through quote-based, custom-engineered hardware installation contracts sold directly to healthcare facilities via a regional field-sales motion, with no public pricing tiers or self-serve channels. The go-to-market is anchored by a partnership stack that includes Johns Hopkins University, the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM), Direct Relief, and UC Berkeley, which together provide clinical validation, humanitarian supply-chain reach, and referral pipelines into new hospital customers. Its flagship public case study is the solar oxygen and cold-chain installation at FJ Grante Hospital, demonstrating 24/7 reliable oxygen availability, vaccine integrity, and reduced diesel dependence. The company is founder-controlled, led by co-founders Akonkwa Mubagwa (CEO), Stephen Domingo (Chief Strategy Officer), and Wing Hang Tse (Advisor), with disclosed early-stage backing from CITRIS Foundry, GoAhead Ventures, and SkyDeck Berkeley.

Name

Winko Solar

Legal name

Winko Solar

Website

https://winkosolar.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Winko Solar designs and deploys solar-powered oxygen and vaccine cold-chain systems for hospitals and clinics across seven African countries, selling custom-engineered installations directly to healthcare facilities through a field-sales motion supported by academic and humanitarian partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Solar Healthcare Infrastructure

NAICS

Solar Electric Power Generation (221114), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151)

SIC

Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373), Cogeneration Services & Small Power Producers (4991)

akta.pro primary industry

Renewable Distributed Generation (Rooftop/Onsite Solar, Small Wind, Small Hydro) (EUACALAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Solar EPC & Construction (Utility-Scale, Rooftop, Balance of System) (EUAMABAB), Solar Balance-of-System Components (Cables, Combiner Boxes, Switchgear, Transformers) (EUAMABAG)

Keywords

• Solar healthcare infrastructure
• Medical cold chain
• Off-grid solar power
• Oxygen concentrator systems
• Vaccine cold storage

Headquarters

HQ city

Berkeley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Solar Healthcare Infrastructure Sales: Sale and installation of solar-powered medical systems (oxygen concentrators, cold chain storage) to healthcare facilities in Africa. Revenue derived from system installation contracts with hospitals and healthcare providers, likely with associated maintenance and support services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Winko Solar designs, sells, and installs intelligent solar energy systems integrated with life-saving medical technology for healthcare facilities across Africa. Its core offerings are solar-powered oxygen concentrator systems and solar-powered medical cold chain systems with battery backup and remote monitoring, complemented by rapid deployment, training, and ongoing support services. Solutions are custom-engineered and installed for hospitals and clinics operating in off-grid or unreliable-grid environments.

Product overview

Winko Solar offers a unified product portfolio of solar-powered healthcare infrastructure solutions designed for Africa's most challenging environments. The core offerings consist of Solar-Powered Oxygen Systems (providing 24/7 oxygen delivery with battery backup and remote monitoring) and Solar-Powered Cold Chain (enabling safe vaccine and medicine storage with temperature monitoring and emergency alerts), both supported by Rapid Deployment Expertise services including logistics coordination, technical training, and ongoing support. These integrated solutions work together to deliver resilient healthcare infrastructure where grid power is unreliable.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Solar-Powered Oxygen Systems Continuous, reliable oxygen delivery powered by solar energy with battery backup, ensuring 24/7 availability for critical patient care. Includes remote monitoring for system management. Designed for hospitals and healthcare facilities in off-grid or unreliable-grid African environments.
• Solar-Powered Cold Chain Precise temperature-controlled storage system that protects vaccines and critical medicines, maintaining the integrity of life-saving medical supplies. Includes temperature monitoring and emergency alerts. Built for healthcare facilities in emerging African markets.
• Rapid Deployment Expertise Comprehensive logistics coordination, technical training, and ongoing support services for deploying solar-powered healthcare infrastructure in harsh African environments. Sold alongside the company's hardware solutions to ensure successful on-site installation and operation by local teams.

Quantifiable outcome

• 24/7 reliable oxygen availability achieved at FJ Grante Hospital
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Johns Hopkins UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor academic medical center partnership providing research collaboration and credibility for healthcare technology deployments in Africa.
• SCCMcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSociety of Critical Care Medicine partnership providing clinical expertise and professional network for critical care technology implementations.
• Direct ReliefcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHumanitarian medical organization partnership providing healthcare access networks and supply chain capabilities for deploying medical technology in underserved regions.
• UC BerkeleycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership with university affiliated with co-founders, providing research collaboration and talent pipeline for technology development.
• Nairobi City ThunderminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSports partnership with Kenya Basketball Premier League champions and first BAL qualifiers for community engagement and brand awareness across Africa. Co-founded by Winko Solar co-founder Stephen Domingo.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Zola Electric: Off-grid solar provider in Africa offering solar + battery systems to households and businesses. Comparable as an African distributed solar company with intelligent energy systems and battery integration—similar technical architecture to Winko's offerings.
• Fenix International (ENGIE): Acquired by ENGIE, Fenix provides pay-as-you-go solar home systems in Uganda and other African markets. Comparable as an African solar company with financing-enabled distribution model.
• BBOXX: UK-headquartered distributed solar provider operating across multiple African countries with pay-as-you-go financing. Directly comparable as a multi-country African solar company with similar operational complexity and customer financing needs.
• M-KOPA: Leading pay-as-you-go solar provider in East Africa serving off-grid households and small businesses. Comparable as an African-focused distributed solar company with asset-finance-driven customer acquisition, though Winko serves healthcare facilities rather than households.
• Sun King (Greenlight Planet): Pay-as-you-go solar energy provider operating across Africa and Asia. Comparable as a distributed solar company in emerging markets with mass-market customer acquisition and asset-financed business model.
• d.light: Global solar home system provider with significant Africa presence. Comparable as an emerging-markets solar company with hardware sales plus financing model, though Winko's healthcare specialization is more vertically focused.
• Daystar Power: Commercial and industrial solar EPC provider operating across West and East Africa. Closely comparable as a multi-country African solar installer serving commercial customers with custom-engineered systems.

Emerging players

• BioLite: Clean energy company serving off-grid households in Africa and Asia with solar home systems and clean cookstoves. Comparable as a mission-driven emerging-markets clean energy company with hardware-plus-services model.
• Nexleaf Analytics: Cold chain monitoring technology provider focused on vaccine storage in low-resource settings. Comparable as a technology-enabled healthcare infrastructure company serving African and Asian markets with vaccine cold-chain expertise—adjacent to Winko's cold chain product line.
• Husk Power Systems: Distributed renewable energy provider operating mini-grids and solar home systems across South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Comparable as a multi-country distributed renewable energy company in emerging markets.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/winko-solar

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors3 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 Winko Solar