#summit2019

@taylorswift @taylornation  

Currently, our main focus is to gather even more startups for the upcoming Take Off İstanbul Startup Summit 2019. We had a great event in 2018, when we hosted more than 200 startups from all around the world. Turkish winners from 2018, went on for a camp in the US and non-Turkish winners had the chance to establish their company in Turkey (thanks to Turkish Technology Team). Also, we are open for applications for 2019 on Take Off website.

Even if Monicont was not a participant in Take Off 2018, they are a company founded by Turks and an expat. Monicont is aiming to grow in Middle East and Africa, but mainly in East & Sub-Saharan Africa, producing smart energy solutions for grid developers to improve quality of life for people in developing countries.

Monicont is a great startup optimizing and streamlining remote & rural reach to electricity. You can find more info about Monicont, with words from one of the founders, below.

You can always apply for Startup Spotlight from this link. We will also include you into our network and you will be notified about our upcoming events, calls for programs and get exclusive invites.

What is the name of your startup?

Monicont

What is the website address of Monicont?

https://monicont.com/

Where is your startup based?

Turkey

What are your targeted verticals for your startup?

Machine Learning, AI, IoT, SmartCity, Energy

Tell us what your startup does.

We design intelligent and highly efficient energy management systems that increase electrification for end-users and reduce utility costs, high operating and maintenance costs caused by unscheduled maintenance due to unexpected failures. We develop remote energy monitoring solutions for off-grid energy retailers in order to improve energy management and enable peer to peer connections to make electricity more accessible and affordable for everyone.

Tell us about your team.

We are a close-kit team of Engineers, developers, designers, testers, solution architects and consultants working together to solve challenges with technology by putting people and results at the center of everything we do.

When and why did you found your startup?

During my internship at an energy provider company in Uganda, I happened to be a field technician who would get feedback from customers connected to our solar mini-grids (many in very remote locations) in case of any blackouts or technical issues. I found it hectic for all field technicians traveling from our office every now and then and find a very minor issue which could have been solved remotely and avoid high investment in transport and operating costs. My team and I created Monicont a remote monitoring solution for off-grid utilities.

What are your key and unique features?

Monicont is low-cost, AI-powered and robust to work in any environment. It also consists of a bill payment system (PAYG) using mobile money.

What is your growth like?

We are implementing Monicont to enable 3800 households to have access to electricity in Buvuma Islands, Uganda in collaboration with Bakulu Power an energy provider building three mini-grids on the island.

Tell us about the numbers that matter to you.

Roughly 1.1 billion people have no access to electricity according to the International Energy Agency. About 84% living in rural areas and more than 95% reside in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. Despite a number of off-grid connections in East Africa alone over the past six years, rural electrification has been slow due to challenges of remote monitoring.

What are your plans for next year and the next 5 years?

We plan to scale up to the East African market at large and have more than 30,000 connections by 2024.

Did you receive any investments?

No.

Tell us 3 startups that excite you, and why?

Design Thinking Summit 2k19