Edge Growth's Abadali Fund backs South African utilities platform Bolide
What's the deal? Edge GrowthDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →'s Abadali Fund has invested in BolideDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → Group, a South African utilities platform that bundles energy, water, waste management, and security into a single managed service for commercial properties. Founded in 2024 by Khudusela Pitje, Bolide targets underserved markets: more than 80% of its project sites sit in township and peri-urban commercial zones.
What's the endgame? Bolide combines solar power with battery storage, water and waste infrastructure, and AI-enabled security networks. The capital gives it runway to scale operations and challenge legacy infrastructure models.
Why now? The Abadali Fund is a pillar of the Abadali Equity Equivalent Investment Programme, a partnership between South Africa's Department of Trade, Industry and Competition and J.P. MorganDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. It is built to back high-growth, Black-owned businesses and drive job creation.
What they're saying: "The Bolide Group represents a high-impact, founder-led business the Abadali Fund was established to support," said Hitesh Dullabh, deal lead at Edge Growth, citing Bolide's integrated offering and the "infrastructure deficit" it targets.
Pitje framed the model as a departure from centralised utilities. "The impact and disruption of traditional utilities sectors will not come from large systems but from smart, decentralised platforms similar to Bolide," he said.
The signal: The deal reflects a push to route institutional capital into decentralised infrastructure that serves economically excluded communities — pairing green-economy goals with a mandate for economic transformation.
Read more: innovation-village.com
Image credit: blmcalifornia
