• Lightrock’s Accelerate7 fund will invest $10 million to $50 million per company across Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and Southeast Asia.
• The strategy targets electricity access, clean cooking, electric mobility, energy storage and other SDG 7-linked solutions.
• More than 660 million people still lack electricity, while around 2.1 billion rely on polluting or hazardous cooking fuels.

London-based Lightrock has launched Accelerate7 after the final close of a $500 million fund aimed at businesses advancing United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 7.

The fund will back growth-stage companies expanding access to affordable, reliable and sustainable energy. Its focus markets are Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and Southeast Asia, where energy access remains a direct constraint on household income, business productivity and climate resilience.

Accelerate7 will typically invest between $10 million and $50 million as an initial ticket. The strategy will focus on three core areas: access to electricity, clean cooking, and enabling technologies such as electric mobility and energy storage.

For investors, the fund sits at the intersection of climate transition, infrastructure gaps and emerging market growth. For policymakers, it targets one of the most persistent development challenges: how to scale modern energy access without locking fast-growing economies into higher-emission systems.

Capital Will Target Solar, Clean Cooking And Mobility

Accelerate7 has already completed four investments. The portfolio includes SolarSquare, a rooftop solar systems provider, and Sun King, an off-grid solar energy company. It also includes Euler Motors, an electric vehicle manufacturer, and ATEC Global, an IoT-enabled clean cookstove provider.

The investments show how Lightrock is defining energy access beyond grid connections. Rooftop solar and off-grid systems can reduce dependence on unstable power supply. Clean cookstoves can cut exposure to harmful household air pollution. Electric mobility and storage can support cleaner transport and more flexible energy systems.

Deployment in Southeast Asia will be supported by Singapore-headquartered TRIREC, which is operating in partnership with Lightrock. The regional partnership gives Accelerate7 a stronger local base in a market where energy demand, urban growth and decarbonisation pressures are rising together.

SDG 7 Becomes An Investment Thesis

The fund is built around SDG 7, which calls for access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all. That goal remains far from reach. More than 660 million people worldwide still lack access to electricity. At the same time, around 2.1 billion people rely on polluting or hazardous fuels for cooking.

Those figures translate into material social and economic risks. Lack of electricity limits education, healthcare delivery, digital inclusion and small business growth. Polluting cooking fuels create health burdens, especially for women and children, while adding pressure on forests and local environments.

RELATED ARTICLE: Lightrock Debuts Global Small-Cap Strategy, Integrating ESG and Impact Investing into Public Equities

Lightrock’s strategy aims to address these gaps through companies that can scale commercially. The fund is designed to generate attractive returns while expanding access to modern energy and mobilising further capital into the sector.

For C-suite leaders and institutional investors, the structure matters. Energy access is no longer only a development finance issue. It is becoming a growth market linked to climate policy, supply chain resilience, household purchasing power and the next phase of distributed infrastructure.

Impact Reporting Will Track Portfolio Performance

Each Accelerate7 portfolio company will report regularly on impact performance. That includes its contribution to SDG 7 and its role in expanding access to modern energy.

Portfolio companies will also use Lightrock’s proprietary impact measurement and management approach. In addition, they will receive support through a dedicated technical assistance facility, specialist impact and value-creation professionals, and Lightrock’s advisor network.

This framework is important for governance. As private capital flows into climate and development-linked strategies, investors are demanding clearer evidence of outcomes. Reporting, measurement and technical support can help reduce the gap between stated impact and real-world delivery.

The fund is backed by leading investors and major energy corporates, including Equinor, Shell, TotalEnergies and LGT, among others. Their participation reflects growing corporate interest in emerging market energy transition opportunities.

With Accelerate7, Lightrock’s capital dedicated to energy transition, energy access and climate investments now totals around $2 billion. That represents a significant share of the firm’s assets under advice.

The launch adds to a broader shift in climate finance. Capital is moving toward companies that can deliver both decarbonisation and basic infrastructure in underserved markets. For Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and Southeast Asia, the test will be whether funds like Accelerate7 can turn energy access from a chronic development gap into a scalable investment market.

ESG News Editorial Team

The ESG News Editorial Team is comprised of veteran financial journalists and sustainability analysts dedicated to providing real-time, objective reporting on global ESG regulations, climate finance, and corporate governance. Our desk monitors daily developments from the SEC, IFRS, CSRD and international regulatory bodies to ensure our 1M+ readers receive accurate, data-driven insights into the evolving sustainable investment landscape. Follow the ESG News Editorial Team for expert reporting on global sustainability standards, ESG disclosures, and climate policy. Access over 10,000 investigative reports and real-time updates.