PowerLabs Raises Pre-Seed Funding to Deploy AI Energy Platform Across Nigeria

Lagos-based energy and climate-tech startup PowerLabs has closed a pre-seed round led by Breega, with Catalyst Fund, Mercy Corps Ventures, and Kaleo Ventures also participating. The funding will go toward deploying its AI-powered energy management platform across Nigeria.

The round comes at a time when Nigeria’s power problems are impossible to ignore — an ageing grid, frequent outages, and energy costs that keep climbing. PowerLabs’ pitch is straightforward: use AI to analyse consumption patterns, predict demand, and help businesses manage power more efficiently.

What the platform does

PowerLabs describes itself as an energy and climate tech research and deployment company working toward “a planet with limitless human productivity through intelligent energy.” The platform analyses energy usage, forecasts demand shifts, and recommends optimisation strategies for businesses navigating an unreliable power landscape.

It’s a practical approach. Rather than trying to fix generation — a problem that has defeated decades of policy — PowerLabs focuses on making existing supply work better through intelligence and efficiency.

Why investors are paying attention

Catalyst Fund, one of the backers, said PowerLabs addresses a real gap in African energy markets. The company joins a growing cohort of Nigerian and African startups applying AI to fundamental infrastructure problems.

The pre-seed amount hasn’t been disclosed, but the backing from multiple international climate and impact-focused investors signals genuine confidence in both the team and the opportunity. Nigeria’s energy sector is slowly reforming, but the national grid still can’t meet demand. Technology-driven optimisation may be the most realistic short-term path to more reliable power for millions of businesses.

Sources: BusinessDay, Punch NG, WeeTracker