For the third year running, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) organised the IRENA NewGen Renewable Energy Accelerator (NewGen) programme. The programme was delivered in collaboration with Social Alpha, a non-profit organisation based in India that supports social start-ups, and Enel Foundation, a global non-profit organisation focused on knowledge sharing to drive a clean energy future.
Three startups have been selected for the IRENA Rising Stars Award 2025. As this year’s Awardees, they will receive strategic mentorship and the opportunity to exhibit their solutions at GITEX North Star in Dubai this year.
The three winners are:
First Place: Cassetex – this Bangladesh-based company is building South Asia’s largest rentable battery network, while empowering women-led micro-energy entrepreneurs in doing so. Battery swapping allows electric vehicle (EV) users to use and share batteries from a common network. Swapping hubs provide the opportunity to exchange used batteries with new batteries. EV users pay through Cassetex secure mobile app, leaving the full responsibility of charging, maintaining and replacing batteries all on the Cassetex network. The AI-optimized, solar-recharged batteries for agri-food systems, transport, and off-grid electrification enables a just energy transition.
Commenting on their achievement, the Cassetex Team said, “IRENA NewGen has all the material a renewable energy startup needs to grow, scale and shine.”
Second Place: ClimaVault Africa – this Ugandan company tackles food waste and post-harvest losses through solar-powered cooling technology and edible coatings, which extend produce shelf life from 2 to 36 days without refrigeration and has already saved over 102,000 metric tons of food.
Third Place: Netagrow – based in Zambia, the company provides AI-powered agricultural tools to over 10,000 Zambian farmers, increasing yields by 40% and building climate-adaptive farming systems.
Original Article: https://www.irena.org/News/articles/2025/Oct/IRENA-NewGen-2025-More-Youth-Entrepreneurs-Empowered-to-Drive-Clean-Energy-Solutions