London-based Lightrock has launched Accelerate7, a $500 million private equity fund aimed at scaling companies tackling energy access and clean cooking across South Asia, Southeast Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. The fund will invest $10 million to $50 million in growth-stage businesses focused on electricity access, electric mobility, energy storage and clean cooking. Accelerate7 is backed by investors and energy firms including Shell, TotalEnergies and Equinor, and has already backed SolarSquare, Sun King, Euler Motors and ATEC Global.
Ten years after Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana began, the government says it has provided clean cooking fuel to over 10 crore women. Education minister Dharmendra Pradhan credits the scheme with better household health, less time wasted collecting fuel, and greater participation by women in economic activities—strengthening their voice in families and communities.
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