Kenya - Startup under 3 years old

Describe your project or startup in a few words

Promoting Biofuel cook stoves. My innovation is about making biodiesel and bioethanol cook stoves. I am also formulating biodiesel fuel and bioethanol fuel gel .

01.01 Describe your startup in more detail

Lakegen Enterprises Limited is a company that was started in 2023 from an idea. My idea that people could use bioethanol fuel gel and biodiesel for cooking using locally produced stoves came into existence when Kenya Climate Innovation Centre onboarded us for a greenbiz program incubation. We managed a proof of concept grant that enabled us to come up with prototypes. Currently we have bioethanol cook stove, bioethanol fuel gel, biodiesel cook stove and manually mixed biodiesel. Our biodiesel cook stoves are usually bought on order since we still lack production capacity.

01.02 What is the main problem you are trying to solve?

We are trying to provide solutions to the 9.1 million Kenyans who still rely on traditional cooking. We are also promoting local and affordable cook stoves. We also want to save about 26589 deaths witnessed per year as a result of traditional cooking. We are also on the line to save 789.7% hours wasted per household per year in Kenya in search of firewood. Additionally, we want to contribute to the reduction of 16 metric tons of CO2 emissions caused by traditional ways of cooking

01.03 Tell us the major benefits and/or advantages of using the product/service that your startup provides (at least 3).

Using our biodiesel cook stove saves money because 1 liter of biodiesel averagely burns for 7 hours with our cook stoves. Our technology is transferable and easy to make, thereby we give rights to youth to make our stoves and they can earn income. Our bioethanol stoves are also manual and easy to operate. Our 100 milliliter bioethanol fuel gel can burn from 40 minutes to 50 minutes

01.04 Please describe who exactly your startup’s product/service is aimed at serving. Who are the targeted beneficiaries?

Our target customers are households using traditional methods of cooking, Small businesses such as soap making plants spending a lot of money on heat energy and fish frying small restaurants relying of firewood for frying their fish

01.05 When was your company established?

2023-08-08

01.06 Are you already selling your product/service?

Yes

01.07 How many other owners are there within your startup?

1

01.08 Among the other owners, how many are female?

0

01.09 Please describe the profile of the other owners within your startup (skills, experience, etc.)

Kimathi Murugu is a mechanical engineer who has a lot of experience in cook stove manufacturing and metal smelting. He is also the founder of Silver Tech Agencies Limited, a company specialized in recycling aluminium scrap metals into 6kg gas cylinder grills.

01.10 If you have a website, a social media page (Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin…), or app, please provide the link(s) here:

https://lakegen.co.ke

01.11 Which industry best describes your project?

a) Energy (equipment, services, sustainable energy and fuel)

02.01.01 My startup contributes to the No poverty goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.01.02 No poverty - Justification for my startup

By producing cook stove technology that are transferrable. We believe other people especially youths and women can get involved in business and generate income to fight poverty. Our business also aims to expand and have a larger supply chain and distribution channel thereby creating opportunities for last mile entrepreneurs

02.02.01 My startup contributes to the Zero hunger goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.02.02 Zero hunger - Justification for my startup

Many people in Kenya are missing food because they lack affordable clean technologies that they can use for cooking. Our business wish to introduce a reliable pay go system that makes them affordable for everyone in that no one dies of hunger because due to lack of a cheaper clean cooking technology

02.03.01 My startup contributes to the Good health and well-being goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.03.02 Good health and well-being - Justification for my startup

Traditional and dirty cooking has been associated with several respiratory diseases such as lack cancer. Introducing eco-friendly cook stoves and fuels will therefore mean that people will emulate the technology as we create awareness and avoid the diseases and death caused by traditional ways of cooking

02.04.01 My startup contributes to the Quality education goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.04.02 Quality education - Justification for my startup

An improved economy definitely leads to quality education since many people will have capital for access of quality education. Our clean cooking technology company has models for sustainable economy. By introducing our cook stoves to schools, the schools can definitely pursue cooking in a cheaper manner and efficient way, thereby increasing the potential of schools to provide quality education

02.05.01 My startup contributes to the Gender equality goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.05.02 Gender equality - Justification for my startup

Cooking for a long time has been associated with women and girls. It is the women and girls who suffer most from diseases and problems associated with traditional ways of cooking. Introducing clean cooking technologies will therefore ensure that the problems and diseases associated with traditional ways of cooking are combated.

02.06.01 My startup contributes to the Clean water and sanitation goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.06.02 Clean water and sanitation - Justification for my startup

As Lakegen we believe that clean water and sanitation relates closely with good economy. Good economy increases the ability of individuals to access clean water. Our business models aims to empower people economically while providing them with cheaper solutions of cooking. Clean cooking is also sanitation. When using clean cooking technologies such as our biodiesel and bioethanol cook stoves, sanitation especially those of foods being cooked and individuals is consequentially improved

02.07.01 My startup contributes to the Affordable and clean energy goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.07.02 Affordable and clean energy - Justification for my startup

Our biodiesel cook stoves, bioethanol cook stoves and fuels do not have emissions thereby leading to clean energy. Bioethanol and biodiesel fuels are also renewable. Our cook stoves are also affordable since they can be locally produced and be made using waste scrap metals.

02.08.01 My startup contributes to the Decent work and economic growth

7 - Strongly Agree

02.08.02 Decent work and economic growth - Justification for my startup

We believe by decentralizing our local clean cook stove technologies we are empowering individuals such as technicians who end up having their own income thereby contributing to economic growth and decent work. We also believe that if we develop a stable supply chain , many last mile entrepreneurs will also be empowered in return thereby creating decent work and economic growth.

02.09.01 My startup contributes to the Industry innovation and infrastructure

7 - Strongly Agree

02.09.02 Industry innovation and infrastructure - Justification for my startup

As a company, we have come up with simple innovations for clean cooking including biodiesel cook stove and bioethanol cook stoves with patents. We are also working hard to improve our innovations through institutions such as Kenya Institute of research and development

02.10.01 My startup contributes to the Reduced inequalities goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.10.02 Reduced inequalities - Justification for my startup

We are more focused on women because they are the ones that have been suffering from diseases and problems associated with traditional cooking. Most Kenyan communities are patriarchal and therefore they bear the most burden that is why we want to focus more awareness and community outreach to women to ensure there is reduced inequality.

02.11.01 My startup contributes to the Sustainable cities and communities goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.11.02 Sustainable cities and communities - Justification for my startup

Clean cooking makes cities and settlements safe and sustainable. By promoting clean biodiesel and bioethanol cooking we ensure that is no smoke and deforestation leading to more sustainable cities.

02.12.01 My startup contributes to the Responsible consumption and production goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.12.02 Responsible consumption and production - Justification for my startup

Since we are in the circular economy where we make biodiesel from waste edible oils, we are also making our cook stoves from aluminium scrap metals. We believe we are responsibly consuming the waste materials and converting them into usable products that uses renewable fuels.

02.13.01 My startup contributes to the Climate action goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.13.02 Climate action - Justification for my startup

Clean cooking is one of the ways of combating climate change. Our biodiesel and bioethanol cook stoves and fuels ensure minimal emissions in the environment thereby combating climate change. By selling our cook stoves, we are also making people to run from traditional ways of cooking such as firewood and charcoal thereby conserving environment by preserving more trees.

02.14.01 My startup contributes to the Life below water goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.14.02 Life below water - Justification for my startup

Most smoke and emissions from traditional and dirty cooking end up in water bodies thereby reducing the uptake of oxygen by organisms and animals surviving below the water. We believe that clean cooking using our biodiesel and bioethanol cook stoves will ensure a cleaner environment especially for women involved in fish frying using firewood along the lakes. We are looking forward to converting the firewood cooking into biodiesel cooking.

02.15.01 My startup contributes to the Life on land goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.15.02 Life on land - Justification for my startup

My converting aluminium crap metals into practical things including biodiesel and bioethanol cook stoves, we are reducing wastes that end up in lands that can cause soil infertility and release of chemicals to the soil. By promoting clean biodiesel and bioethanol cooking we are also contributing to reduction of deforestation since most people who were using firewood for cooking will convert to biodiesel and bioethanol cooking.

02.16.01 My startup contributes to the Peace Justice and Strong Institutions goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.16.02 Peace Justice and Strong Institutions- Justification for my startup

By promoting clean cooking, we are minimizing conflicts that occurs as a result of unjust, traditional cooking. Most families are broken as a result of unwanted early pregnancies that occur due to young women looking for firewood in rural areas and ending up messing their lives. We are also creating strong energy institutions that are fighting for clean cooking technologies such as Ministry of energy and petroleum under the directorate of renewable energy

02.17.01 My startup contributes to the Partnerships for the goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.17.02 Partnerships for the goal - Justification for my startup

In Lakegen, We believe in partnerships to achieve a common goal and that is why we are joining institutions such as clean cooking association of Kenya to join hands and promote clean cooking. We are also looking for development partners that support clean cooking.

06.01 There are a large number of customers who already use a product/service very similar to the product/service we envision creating.

3

06.02 The product/service represents an entirely new type of product/service.

6

06.03 The product/service could be described as a new technology.

3

06.04 The product/service is an improvement on an existing product or service.

4

06.05 The product/service could be described as an extension of a range of products or services.

5

06.06 The product/service responds to a demand or need that has not been satisfied by other products/services.

7 - Strongly Agree

06.07 The product/service is a new version of an old product/service.

3

06.08 Justification for my startup

We believe that our biodiesel and bioethanol cook stoves are cheap and affordable thereby the demand of our products can be higher once we increase our visibility. Biodiesel cook stoves have been into existence but those that have been existence are high tech and not easily transferrable.

06.09 Competitive Analysis

Our major competitors are other sources of clean cooking such as briquettes, gas, electric and solar cooking. We stand out because our biodiesel cook stoves are cheaper to maintain as compared to those other technologies. Additionally our innovations are transferrable making it easier to set up multiple manufacturing plants, distilleries and biodiesel plants

11.05 Are you initiating actions within your community to promote the role of female entrepreneurs?

I have been partnered with GIZ EnDev program to train 70% women entrepreneurs in Eastern region about ethanol cooking fuel and cook stove. I mainly work with women to promote clean cooking in communities. So far we have onboarded about 10 women entrepreneurs connecting end-consumers to our company