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Ashipa Electric
Techstars '20Birmingham, US · Founded 2014 · 18 employees on LinkedIn · 1 known investors
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Ashipa Electric provides renewables-based distributed energy systems to homeowners, businesses, communities, and municipalities to help reduce energy costs and establish energy independence while maintaining reliability. It focuses on emerging markets, rural and grid-edge communities, island nations, and climate-impacted areas, with stated interest in the US and Africa.
Also known as Ashipa Electric Corp.
Investors · 1
How we know: the Techstars portfolio · open dataset · Top 3000 Accelerator Startups (no YC) 2026-08 · Not right? Tell us
Company profile
researched Sep 2026Ashipa Electric Corp. is an energy company offering renewables-based distributed energy systems, including community solar, energy storage and microgrids, together with associated software and consulting services. Its work spans project development, customer acquisition, engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) of brownfield and greenfield projects, and ongoing operations, maintenance and asset management. The company frames its mission as accelerating a transition to distributed, decarbonized, digitized and equitable energy, and its stated vision is to become a top-five global partner for distributed energy systems.
The company positions distributed generation as a supplement to centralized grids, arguing that falling costs of renewables-based distributed systems make them viable where full grid electrification was never financed. It highlights goals such as extending community solar to people excluded from the rooftop solar market in the US and improving access to reliable, cost-effective energy across Africa, as well as reducing carbon monoxide exposure from fuel generators and fossil-fuel-related CO2 emissions.
Ashipa Electric is headquartered at 811 5th Ave North, Birmingham, Alabama, and also operates in Nigeria, where customer testimonials come from communities such as Lomiro in Ogun State. Its founder and CEO, Olugbenga "Olu" Ajala, describes the business as a global company with activity split between Nigeria and the US.
Founding story
Founder and CEO Olugbenga "Olu" Ajala grew up in Lagos, Nigeria, where limited access to electricity shaped his interest in energy. Born in Dallas, he finished high school in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, studied electrical engineering at Louisiana State University (graduating in 2008), and later completed an MBA at Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business. He worked in Mobile, Pittsburgh and then Birmingham, where he joined utility Southern Company to work on renewable energy initiatives. An earlier push into African energy solutions attracted customers and investor interest but was scaled back because policy frameworks were not in place, prompting his return to the US utility sector before the company's later expansion.
Business model
The company sells and develops distributed energy assets and services rather than a single product: energy storage and software solutions, end-to-end consulting and project development support, turnkey EPC delivery, and post-deployment operations, maintenance and asset management. In project development it matches energy demand with land or roof space, secures land control through lease contracts with landowners, manages interconnection agreements with the local utility, and pursues power purchase agreements with off-takers.
Revenue lines indicated by the company include EPC project delivery, consulting and development services, energy storage and software offerings, and ongoing operations, maintenance and asset management; project structures referenced include land leases with landowners and power purchase agreements with off-takers.
Traction
The company reports serving over 2,000 clients with its AshAudit and AshGridX software suite and employs 20 people as of May 2024. Customer testimonials from traders, a welder and a chemist in Lomiro, Ogun State, Nigeria describe electricity access delivered by the company. Its Nigerian minigrid work was covered by Microgrid News in April 2021.
Latest developments
In May 2024 Ashipa Electric exhibited at Enlit Africa, and founder Olugbenga Ajala was named to the Birmingham Business Journal's 40 Under 40 list for 2024 and profiled by The Birmingham Times, which reported the company had 20 employees.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history, risks & controversies
Market position
Ashipa Electric operates in the distributed energy and minigrid segment, serving both US community solar and commercial customers and off-grid or weak-grid communities in Nigeria. It has received external recognition, including selection for the first class of the Techstars Alabama EnergyTech Accelerator in 2020, inclusion among ten companies cited by Nairametrics in 2023 as providing transformative solutions, and coverage of its Nigerian minigrid work by Microgrid News.
The company combines project development, EPC delivery and long-term operations and asset management with proprietary software (AshAudit, AshGridX) for customer assessment and management, and applies this across both US and African markets rather than a single geography.
Technology
Ashipa Electric deploys solar, energy storage and microgrid systems and has built proprietary software: AshAudit for assessing client energy needs and AshGridX for client management. The company states it serves over 2,000 clients with this software suite.
Go-to-market
The company says its team uses both digital and offline marketing tools for client acquisition across commercial, residential and community segments, supported by its in-house assessment and management software. It also maintains an EPC contractor and vendor evaluation process, participates in industry events such as Enlit Africa 2024, and has taken part in accelerator and trade-delegation programs.
Homeowners, commercial and industrial customers, utilities and cooperatives, non-profits, schools and universities, landowners and roof-space lessors, communities and municipalities. Geographic emphasis is on emerging markets, island nations, rural and grid-edge communities in developed nations, and climate-impacted communities.
Geography
Headquarters in Birmingham, Alabama, USA, with operations and customers in Nigeria, including Lomiro, Ogun State. The founder describes moving between Nigeria and the US, with US activity between Texas and Alabama. Contact numbers are listed for both Nigeria and the US, and office hours are given in West Africa Time.
History
Ajala has led Ashipa Electric as founder and CEO, and the company was part of the first class of the Techstars Alabama EnergyTech Accelerator in 2020, a period Ajala describes as an opportune moment to introduce approaches for reliable, resilient home power. Earlier African operations were reduced when local policy frameworks lagged. The company was one of four Birmingham companies selected to join a German delegation program in September 2022, was named by Nairametrics in February 2023 among ten companies providing transformative solutions, and exhibited at Enlit Africa in May 2024. Ajala was named to the Birmingham Business Journal's 40 Under 40 for 2024.
Risks & controversies
Ajala has said an earlier phase of the company's African operations had to be reduced because policies and implementation frameworks lagged behind commitments, despite customer and investor interest.
Compiled by commissioned research from 7 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
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Companies working in the same space as Ashipa Electric.
Timeline · 6
launches, deals, and filingsAshipa Electric exhibited at the Enlit Africa 2024 energy event, as reported by ESI Africa.
Founder and CEO Olugbenga "Olu" Ajala was named one of the Birmingham Business Journal's 40 Under 40 for 2024.
Nairametrics named Ashipa Electric among ten companies set to provide transformative solutions.
The Alabama Germany Partnership reported that Ashipa Electric was one of four Birmingham companies selected to participate in a German program.
Microgrid News published an article on the transformative power of an Ashipa Electric Nigerian minigrid.
Ashipa Electric participated in the inaugural 2020 class of the Techstars Alabama EnergyTech Accelerator, a program supporting companies building businesses across the energy industry.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
▸Research sources · 7
primary sources listed
- Ashipa Electricashipaelectric.com · web
7 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Ashipa Electric do?
- Ashipa Electric develops distributed solar, storage and microgrid systems for homes, businesses and communities in the US and Nigeria.
- Who are Ashipa Electric's investors?
- Ashipa Electric's investors include Techstars.
- Where is Ashipa Electric headquartered?
- Ashipa Electric is headquartered in Birmingham, US.