KopaGas

What KopaGas does

KopaGas Limited is a Tanzanian for-profit company that designs, distributes, and retails liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for household cooking, operating as a subsidiary of Kopa Technologies Inc. from its headquarters in Dar es Salaam. The company's core offering is a smart meter-based pay-as-you-go (PAYG) platform integrated with mobile money rails — Vodacom M-Pesa and Airtel Money — that allows households to purchase cooking gas incrementally rather than paying large upfront cylinder costs. KopaGas pairs this metering technology with a proprietary smart logistics platform designed to address last-mile delivery challenges in dense urban markets, and supports customers with a mobile application that tracks gas usage and processes payments.

The business runs a usage-based revenue model, monetizing gas consumption through micro-transactions settled via mobile money. Its primary customer segment is Tanzanian families, particularly in urban centers, currently cooking with charcoal or firewood, and the company positions itself as one of the largest national LPG distributors in Tanzania with stated ambitions to convert one million households from charcoal to LPG over a three-year horizon. Operations depend on a partnership stack that includes mobile network operators (Vodacom, Airtel) for payment rails, an IoT provider (Aeris) for smart meter connectivity, LPG suppliers (Oryx, Saisan), and clean-cooking sector bodies (GSMA, MIT D-Lab, D-Prize, Clean Cooking Alliance) for visibility and impact funding. The company is privately held with no public listing, employs 11–50 staff, and reports no material acquisitions, regulatory actions, or leadership changes beyond its founding team of Francisco Sebastian Rodriguez Sanchez (Founder & CEO) and Andron Mendes (Co-Founder & CFO).

Name

KopaGas

Legal name

KopaGas Limited

Website

https://kopagas.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

KopaGas distributes LPG cooking gas to Tanzanian households through pay-as-you-go smart meters integrated with mobile money, targeting families transitioning from charcoal and firewood to cleaner fuel.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Clean Cooking Fuel Distribution

NAICS

Fuel Dealers (457210)

SIC

Natural Gas Transmisison & Distribution (4923)

akta.pro primary industry

LPG / Propane-Butane Products Pipeline Transportation (TLAGABAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Gas Distribution Operations (Day-to-Day Field & System Operations) (EUAJAAAB)

Keywords

• LPG distribution
• Clean cooking fuel
• Pay-as-you-go gas
• Smart meter technology
• Mobile money payments

Headquarters

HQ city

Dar Es Salaam

HQ country

Tanzania

HQ region

Africa

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. LPG Gas Distribution: KopaGas distributes LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) to families in Tanzania through a pay-as-you-go model using smart meters and mobile money payments. Customers pay incrementally for gas, removing the need for large upfront purchases.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

KopaGas distributes liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to families in Tanzania through smart meter technology and a pay-as-you-go model. Customers pay incrementally for gas via mobile money accounts (Vodacom M-Pesa, Airtel Money), removing the upfront cost barrier to cleaner cooking fuel. The company operates one of the largest LPG distribution networks in Tanzania, supported by a smart logistics platform for last-mile delivery.

Product overview

KopaGas offers a unified clean cooking solution combining smart meter technology and pay-as-you-go functionality, supported by an innovative smart logistics platform for last-mile delivery. Their core products work together: the Smart Meter Technology enables customers to pay for LPG gas incrementally via mobile money, while the Smart Logistics Platform ensures reliable distribution across Tanzania. The company has built one of the biggest LPG distribution networks in the country, serving customers through a mobile application that tracks gas usage and payments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• LPG Gas Distribution Distribution of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) as a cleaner cooking fuel to households in Tanzania, replacing charcoal and firewood. Sold through a pay-as-you-go model via smart meters and mobile money.
• Pay-as-you-go Smart Meter

Quantifiable outcome

• Cooking with charcoal and firewood is equivalent to 400 cigarettes per hour of exposure to harmful fumes
• +1 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

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Vodacom TanzaniacoreTechnology or IntegrationMobile money integration partner enabling customers to pay for gas using Vodacom's M-Pesa mobile money platform
• Airtel TanzaniacoreTechnology or IntegrationMobile money integration partner enabling customers to pay for gas using Airtel Money platform
• OryxminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner company shown in logo section of the website
• SaisanminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner company shown in logo section of the website
• GSMAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal mobile operators association partner supporting mobile money and clean cooking initiatives
• MIT D-LabminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMIT Development Laboratory partner supporting innovation in development and clean cooking solutions
• D-PrizeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSocial entrepreneurship prize organization that supports and funds innovative solutions to global poverty
• Clean CookingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerClean cooking industry association partner supporting access to clean cooking solutions

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Equatorial Power: Uganda-based mini-grid and distributed energy company operating across East Africa — comparable regional clean-energy distribution focus though serving power rather than cooking fuel.

Direct peers

• PayGo Energy: Kenya-based PAYG smart-meter LPG distribution company with very similar technology, target customer (low-income urban households), and mobile-money billing model as KopaGas.
• M-KOPA: East African pioneer of PAYG solar and increasingly LPG, using smart meters and mobile-money collection — closest analog to KopaGas's technology stack and customer segment.
• ATEC: Cambodia-headquartered PAYG clean cooking (biogas/LPG) provider using IoT meters and mobile payments to reach low-income households — directly comparable PAYG model in an emerging market.
• BURN Manufacturing: East African clean-cooking manufacturer and distributor of improved cookstoves and fuel products serving low-income households in Kenya, Tanzania and surrounding markets.
• EcoAct Tanzania: Tanzanian social enterprise distributing clean cookstoves and improved fuels to households — operates in the same geography and serves the same customer segment as KopaGas.

Emerging players

• Sistema.bio: Mexican/Kenyan biogas PAYG provider offering clean cooking and smallholder energy solutions in East Africa — adjacent technology stack and customer base to KopaGas.
• d.light: Pay-as-you-go solar and clean energy provider across East Africa using mobile-money integrations, comparable in GTM motion to KopaGas though focused on solar rather than LPG.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/kopagas
• Facebookfacebook.com/kopagas
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kopagas

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors2 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 KopaGas