Spotting billion-dollar ideas in a power-starved Africa: Prateek Suri’s vision

Today, as we talk over a warm breeze in Lagos, the lights flicker briefly—a reminder of one of Africa’s biggest challenges: electricity.

But Suri doesn’t blink.

“This is not a problem,” he says, gesturing toward the dimmed bulb. “This is the biggest clue.”

In his world, billion-dollar ideas are born from broken systems. “Africa doesn’t hide its problems behind polished infrastructure. It displays them openly—on the streets, in the queues, in the blackouts. And that’s where opportunity lives.”

So how does one spot those billion-dollar ideas amidst power outages, infrastructure gaps, and unpredictable systems?

“Simple,” he says, “solve the problem that everyone tolerates.”

According to Suri, Africa’s energy crisis is not just a challenge—it’s a gateway. “You want to find the next billion-dollar company? Look where the generator hums. Where diesel gets poured daily. Where businesses pay 30% extra just to keep their lights on. Solve that, and you’ve unlocked a continent.”

He points to examples: affordable solar mini-grids, energy storage for mobile money kiosks, battery swap stations for boda-boda riders, and off-grid cold storage for farmers. “You don’t need to electrify an entire nation. You need to power the pain point.”

Suri recalls walking through local markets in Zambia and seeing fish traders throw away half their stock by 4 PM. No power, no preservation. “One insulated solar-powered box there is more valuable than an entire Facebook ad campaign. People are waiting for real solutions—not hype.”

He believes spotting billion-dollar ideas begins with pattern recognition. “If 100 people have the same workaround, that’s a broken system hiding a goldmine. Whether it’s charging phones at petrol stations or children doing homework under streetlights—those are signals.”

Interestingly, he says one doesn’t need to be an engineer to tap into the energy gap. “Find the tech partner, yes—but first, find the need. Can you build a micro-franchise around solar lantern rentals? Can you offer pay-as-you-go charging for phones or e-bikes? Can you lease energy as a service, like Netflix?”

His strategy is local-first. “The billion-dollar idea doesn’t come from imagining Africa as one monolith. It comes from solving one small, hyper-local problem, really well—and then scaling it city by city.”

When asked how he’d validate such an idea, he smiles. “You don’t need surveys. You need to sit beside the person who’s suffering. You need to walk with them for a day. If they’re paying more in effort than in money to solve a problem—that’s your signal.”

And what about competition?

He laughs. “You’ll never run out of opportunity in Africa. The only race here is who understands the street better.”

As the sun sets behind us—and the power returns—Suri finishes with one line that lingers long after the interview ends:

“Every flicker in the light is a flash of opportunity. Billion-dollar ideas in Africa don’t come in boardrooms. They come in the dark.”