GET.invest began supporting VITALITE Malawi in 2021. Since then, advisory has focused on investor outreach, financing terms, and legal support to build an investable case for inventory finance and growth. Over the years, the company has raised capital while strengthening relationships with key partners. The German initiative Access to Energy Institute (A2EI) provided €90,000 in inventory finance in 2023 and supplied the mid-sized solar generators that have become popular with small enterprise customers. Another German partner, Zimpertec, initially a supplier of spare parts, now provides VITALITE Malawi with more affordable household “power bricks” and larger productive-use kits, rounding out its product range for various needs.
Clean power, mid-sized for enterprise
VITALITE Malawi
Key figures
Country
Malawi
Market Segments
Stand-alone systems and productive use
Expected results
Total investment
€2 million
Clean power, mid-sized for enterprise
VITALITE Malawi
About
VITALITE Malawi is one of the country’s first distributors of solar home system (SHSs), and now it might be the busiest. Lean in its operations, the company has been profitable for several years by following a demand for pay-as-you-go (PAYGo) systems that spans household and productive uses. That approach has led VITALITE Malawi to a star product: a solar generator sized for small businesses who need more than a traditional lights-and-phone-charger SHS, but less than a full commercial and industrial (C&I) installation.
As it turns out, many Malawian entrepreneurs fall into this category. All over the country, shop owners, agrifood processors and other small operators struggle with blackouts or simply don’t have electricity. VITALITE Malawi’s solar generator with its three photovoltaic panels, hybrid inverter and two batteries is a reliable power package for this missing middle of the market. And the company is bringing it on easy terms; its founders have long experience in PAYGo, having over 10 years’ experience directing various companies across the region.
Our support
“GET.invest has played a key role in closing multiple transactions and getting our business on track. With tools like Prospect, we are creating new business models with reliable data to drive innovation in Malawi’s energy transition.”
For VITALITE Malawi’s next step in scale, GET.invest supported an application to the World Bank-backed Ngwee Ngwee Ngwee (NNN) Fund, providing financial modelling, negotiation and transaction support, and post-investment work. The company successfully raised from this fund, which combines results-based financing with loans, and began investing in more inventory in 2024. Prospect also supports VITALITE Malawi by enabling automated reporting and claim management for the NNN Fund. In 2025, the company raised a further €250,000 from A2EI’s Green Genset Facility, with GET.invest reviewing the terms and providing legal input.
The outcome
VITALITE Malawi is scaling up access to clean energy by expanding its solar generator offer for enterprises alongside SHS distribution to off-grid households. Generators have become an indispensable bridge product for small businesses, with demand remaining strong. Building on this success, VITALITE is applying PAYGo financing to larger 2-4kW systems that power refrigeration, solar irrigation, and other income-generating activities for SMEs. Inventory finance remains the immediate priority as the company prepares for an equity raise, with ongoing advisory support from GET.invest. In addition, through the GET.invest Credit Risk Management pilot, implemented by PAYGo Lab, VITALITE has been able to enhance data and customer-focused processes, strengthening repayments and loan portfolio management.
One other, and potentially very significant, result of the company’s relationship with A2EI has been its adoption of Prospect. Prospect is an open-source data platform created by A2EI and GET.invest to improve portfolio monitoring and reporting; its use will give VITALITE Malawi sharper portfolio visibility to demonstrate its performance to future equity investors. Data-driven tools like this are key to building a name as a lean PAYGo operator with big plans for powering Malawi’s small enterprises.
Disclaimer: This story was last updated in September 2025.
