Mexico-headed biodigester package manufacturer and distributor Buen Manejo del Campo S.A. de CV, trading as "Sistema.bio", has recently announced the close of a Series B investment round of US$15.6 million that included a mix of equity, debt, and non-dilutive capital to support the continued growth and scale of the company’s innovative waste-to-energy technology and business model.
Founded in 2010, Sistema.bio manufactures and distributes high-quality, affordable, and modular hybrid biodigesters in a range of sizes that enable farmers worldwide to be energy-efficient and fertilizer independent. The patented technology allows farmers around the world to efficiently convert their waste into renewable energy and biofertilizer.
By providing flexible repayment plans and comprehensive monitoring services, farmers can acquire and operate biodigesters to collect and treat farm waste, resulting in clean biogas and rich biofertilizer.
Scale-up roll out
The company currently operates in Mexico, Colombia, Kenya, and India. In 2021, Sistema.bio reached several growth milestones, with over 14 000 units sold and a new manufacturing facility in India. In 2022, Sistema.bio aims to deliver clean energy and organic fertilizer to over 30 000 new farms.
The round was led by an equity investment from Kenya-based KawiSafi Ventures, a fund manager focused on inclusive climate investments across Africa, and matched by AXA IM Alts, a global leader in alternative investments, through the AXA IM Impact Investing strategy.
Our team at KawiSafi are very excited to begin this partnership with Sistema.bio and support them in this global scaling phase of their growth. Sistema.bio has perfected their distributed biogas technology which is modular and easy-to-use so that it can serve the whole spectrum of small to large farms. Their products are now being used by hundreds of thousands of people across three continents to meet diverse energy needs, from domestic (cooking, heating) to productive (agro-processing) uses as well as biofertilizer to increase farm yields. We see huge potential in Sistema.bio’s solution to reduce GHG emissions at the farm level and make a significant dent in the global climate crisis, said Marcus Watson, Director at KawiSafi.
Existing investors Engie RDE, EU ElectriFI fund, Chroma Impact, Blink CV and Co Capital also participated in the round, and Triodos Bank provided additional working capital financing.
We are delighted to invest in Sistema.bio, one of the largest integrated biogas companies in the world focused on small-scale agriculture. By converting polluting waste into high-value biofuels and sustainable agricultural inputs through proprietary cutting-edge technology, Sistema.bio’s corporate mission directly aligns with AXA IM Alts’ impact objectives to promote resource efficiency and innovative solutions to climate change through its investments, said Jonathan Dean, Head of Impact Investing at AXA IM Alts.
This Series B investment round follows a Seed and Series A equity investments. Sistema.bio has been successful at raising a combination of equity, debt and non-dilutive capital. In addition to the existing investors that joined this round, KawiSafi Ventures and AXA IM Alts join Alphamundi, Beneficial Returns, Dila Capital, EcoEnterprises Fund, Factor[e], KIVA, Lendahand, OPES Fund, OpenRoad Alliance and Satila as investors of Sistema.bio.
Our team has been able to create a lot of incredible momentum and growth in 2021, and with the new funding, we will continue to build the team, partnerships, and structures required to deliver the best biogas products, services, financing and certified impacts at scale. We have spent well over a decade creating the technology and model to support smallholder farmers to become more sustainable, independent, and productive. We can now do that at scale while driving significant methane and CO2 reductions on farms and strengthening global food systems, said Alex Eaton, co-founder and CEO of Sistema.bio.
Sistema.bio has announced that they aim to deliver clean and renewable energy for 1 million farmers and their families by 2025.
We are really excited to have such impact-driven shareholders and to see such an incredible global commitment to creating a climate-smart, sustainable, and equitable food system. The time is now for ambitious climate projects, and we intend to lead the charge for smallholder farmers, ended Alex Eaton.
