- Companies
- Red Rocket South Africa
Red Rocket South Africa Funding, Investors & Competitors
Red Rocket South Africa has raised $191M across 2 funding rounds, most recently a $160M undisclosed-stage round in September 2023.
Last Red Rocket South Africa funding round
$160M
Undisclosed stage · Sep 2023
Cumulative funding Red Rocket South Africa raised
$191M
across 2 funding rounds
Key investors in Red Rocket South Africa
Inspired Evolution Investment Management
FMO
STOA
Kilgore Investments
About Red Rocket South Africa
Red Rocket South Africa is a Cape Town-based, vertically integrated independent power producer (IPP) that develops, designs, constructs, operates, and owns utility-scale renewable energy projects across Africa, including wind, solar, hydro, and biomass. The company holds a portfolio of 377 MW in operation, under construction, or awarded, backed by a development pipeline exceeding 2 GW, with operations spanning South Africa, Uganda, Mali, Zambia, and Eswatini. Red Rocket has been a repeat participant in South Africa's Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme and supplies power under long-term agreements, including a 20-year deal with Rio Tinto subsidiary Richards Bay Minerals for its Overberg Wind Farm.
Founded
2020
HQ
Website
Status
Privately held
Customer focus
B2G
Revenue model
Usage-based
Red Rocket South Africa Funding History
Red Rocket South Africa has raised a total of $191M across 2 funding rounds.
Red Rocket South Africa's first fundraising round was a $31M undisclosed-stage round in January 2020. The most recent completed round was a $160M undisclosed-stage round in September 2023.
Red Rocket South Africa funding rounds
| Date | Stage | Investors | Raised | Deal Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2023 | Undisclosed stage | Inspired Evolution Investment Management (lead); Kilgore Investments (lead); STOA; FMO | $160M | Red Rocket South Africa is a Cape Town-based independent power producer (IPP) focused on renewable energy projects including wind, solar, hydro, and biomass across Africa, with a portfolio of 377 MW in operation, under construction, or awarded, and a development pipeline exceeding 2 GW. The company pursues a balanced strategy across geographies, markets, and currencies (ZAR, USD, EUR), employing over 75 people in South Africa and Uganda. In 2023, it reached financial close on three Round 5 REIPPPP projects totaling 364 MW and advanced privately procured initiatives to address South Africa's energy crisis. By year-end 2023, its portfolio expanded to 2983 MW in operation, construction, or near financial close, supported by $1.9 billion invested across projects, with a 16 GW pipeline. Around September 2023, Red Rocket received a $160 million investment from FMO, Inspired Evolution Investment Management, Kilgore Investments, and STOA, with Inspired Evolution and Kilgore as leads, to bolster its renewable energy development amid South Africa's energy challenges. The funds supported expansion of its IPP activities, including REIPPPP bids and private off-take agreements like the Witberg 108 MW wind project under construction. Post-round traction included bringing projects into commercial operation, securing preferred bidder status for over 2000 MW of new clean energy, and anticipating 1932 MW under construction in 2024. By 2025, Red Rocket achieved financial close on phase 1 (230 MW) of the Overberg Wind Farm, South Africa's largest privately developed single wind farm, with a 20-year PPA to Richards Bay Minerals (Rio Tinto subsidiary) delivering 750 GWh annually, financed by Absa Bank, Standard Bank, and DBSA. This reinforced its leadership in Africa's renewable sector. |
| Jan 2020 | Undisclosed stage | Inspired Evolution Investment Management | $31M | Red Rocket South Africa, operating as Red Rocket Group or Red Rocket Holding, is a vertically integrated renewable energy independent power producer (IPP) that develops, designs, constructs, operates, and owns utility-scale grid-connected renewable energy projects including wind, solar, hydro, and biomass, primarily in South Africa and other African countries like Mali, Zambia, and Eswatini. It was launched in mid-2020 through a management buy-out of Building Energy’s Africa and Middle East business, in partnership with Inspired Evolution’s Evolution II Fund, which took a majority shareholding (reported as 70% controlling stake) alongside management, with a deal value of USD 31.7 million. This transaction recapitalized the company to position it as a leading African IPP, leveraging management's expertise in bid strategies and project execution under programs like South Africa’s REIPPPP. The initial investment aligned with Evolution II's 2017 vintage fund focused on clean energy infrastructure in sub-Saharan Africa. Later in 2023, Evolution III Fund (along with co-investors) acquired 75% of the group, injecting $160 million in fresh capital for recapitalization and pipeline development, including projects like 75 MW Kathu PV, 364 MW Round 5 REIPPPP solar, and 440 MW from Round 6. Red Rocket has demonstrated success in South Africa’s renewable auctions and Eskom land agreements, aiming to scale into one of Africa’s premier utility-scale IPP platforms. Financial traction in 2020 showed holding company turnover (sales revenue) of USD 6.4 million, with an additional USD 6.9 million from the Hardap, Namibia project; projected capacity reached 2.5 GW. The company continues active development, reaching financial close on key REIPPPP projects by 2023-2024, supported by investors like FMO and STOA, emphasizing clean energy transition and long-term utility operations across Africa. |
Who has invested in Red Rocket South Africa?
4 investors have backed Red Rocket South Africa across its funding rounds, including Inspired Evolution Investment Management, FMO, STOA and Kilgore Investments.
Lead investors include Inspired Evolution Investment Management and Kilgore Investments.
Red Rocket South Africa Investors
| Investor | HQ | Rounds | Role | First check |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Lead | Jan 2020 | ||
| 1 | Participant | Sep 2023 | ||
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Benchmark 350K+ Funding Rounds and Disclosed VC Valuation Multiples
Sign up to see data on 350K+ funding rounds and disclosed revenue and EBITDA valuation multiples, from seed, through growth stage, to pre-IPO.
Start Free TrialRed Rocket South Africa Competitors
Red Rocket South Africa competitors include listed companies like Iberdrola, China Yangtze Power, Constellation Energy and Vistra, and private ones like Adani New Industries and Helion Energy.
| Company | HQ | Status | Revenue | EBITDA | Valuation | Revenue Multiple |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Publicly listed | $51B | $17B | $158B | 4.3x | ||
| Publicly listed | $13B | $11B | $104B | 11.3x | ||
| Publicly listed | $26B | $5B | $93B | 3.8x | ||
| Private | - | - | $50B | - | ||
| Publicly listed | $18B | $5B | $48B | 3.3x | ||
| Private | - | - | $16B | - |
Red Rocket South Africa Public Comps
Red Rocket South Africa is still privately-owned, but its public comps include Aramco, ExxonMobil, Chevron, PetroChina, Shell, GE Vernova, TotalEnergies, NextEra Energy, ConocoPhillips and Iberdrola.
| Last FY | EV/Revenue | EV/EBITDA | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | EBITDA | Last FY | LTM | 2027E | Last FY | LTM | 2027E | |
| $446B | $213B | 3.9x | 3.7x | 8.2x | 7.1x | |||
| $324B | $68B | 2.2x | 1.8x | 10.5x | 8.0x | |||
| $184B | $41B | 2.4x | 2.0x | 10.8x | 7.2x | |||
| $427B | $70B | 0.8x | 0.7x | 4.7x | 4.4x | |||
| $267B | $55B | 1.2x | 1.0x | 5.8x | 4.5x | |||
| $38B | $3.2B | 6.2x | 5.4x | 73.5x | 43.5x | |||
| $182B | $38B | 1.3x | 1.2x | 6.3x | 5.0x | |||
| $27B | $16B | 10.5x | 9.6x | 17.9x | 16.2x | |||
This data is available for Pro users. Sign up to see all Red Rocket South Africa competitors and their valuation data. Start Free Trial | ||||||||
Common questions about Red Rocket South Africa
| When was Red Rocket South Africa founded? | Red Rocket South Africa was founded in 2020. |
| Where is Red Rocket South Africa headquartered? | Red Rocket South Africa is headquartered in South Africa. |
| Is Red Rocket South Africa publicly listed? | No, Red Rocket South Africa is a private, VC-backed company. |
| How much funding has Red Rocket South Africa raised? | Red Rocket South Africa has raised $191M across 2 funding rounds. |
| What was Red Rocket South Africa's last funding round? | Red Rocket South Africa's last funding round was a $160M undisclosed-stage round in September 2023, led by Inspired Evolution Investment Management and Kilgore Investments. |
| Who are Red Rocket South Africa's investors? | Red Rocket South Africa's investors include Inspired Evolution Investment Management, STOA, FMO and Kilgore Investments. |
| Which companies are comparable to Red Rocket South Africa? | Companies comparable to Red Rocket South Africa include Iberdrola, China Yangtze Power, Constellation Energy, Adani New Industries, Vistra and Helion Energy. |
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