Dubai-based climatetech firm Planno has secured a strategic investment from Incubayt Investments, the sustainability-focused venture firm founded by Sami Khoreibi. The funding is aimed at accelerating the company’s international expansion and enhancing its geospatial AI platform designed for the solar industry.
Quick Facts
- Secured strategic investment from Incubayt Investments.
- Uses geospatial AI for solar development.
- Expanded from the GCC to 16 markets.
Tackling the Solar Industry’s Intelligence Gap
The investment from Incubayt, its first in the geospatial AI for solar space, targets a critical bottleneck in the renewable energy sector. While capital and sunlight are abundant, identifying optimal locations for solar projects remains a significant challenge. Planno’s platform addresses this by providing data-driven insights to solar developers.
“The solar industry has never been short of capital or sunlight. What it has lacked is intelligence. Where to build, and who owns the roof,” said Sami Khoreibi, founder of Incubayt Investments. “In a data-driven economy, that insight is as valuable as the projects themselves. Planno is exactly that.”
The need for localized energy solutions is growing amid rising global electricity demand and geopolitical pressures on energy costs. “Oil and gas are global commodities. Even countries that produce them feel every shock because the price is set somewhere else,” said Daniel Domingues, Founder and CEO of Planno. “Rooftop solar is one of the few cost-control levers a commercial operator actually owns.”
Unlocking Untapped Rooftop Potential in the Gulf
Despite a 39% growth in solar-equipped rooftops in Dubai between late 2023 and early 2025, Planno’s analysis reveals a largely untapped market. Of the 15,283 commercial and industrial rooftops in the city, only 5.6% currently have solar installations, leaving an estimated 4 GW of potential capacity unbuilt.
This pattern is consistent across most major cities in the Gulf, where thousands of buildings continue to draw power from the grid instead of generating their own. Planno’s technology helps developers, EPC firms, and public agencies pinpoint these idle energy assets.
From Dubai to Four Continents
Following Incubayt’s investment, Planno has rapidly scaled its operations. The company has expanded from its initial focus on the Gulf to 16 markets across the Middle East, Europe, Africa, and the United States. Its customer base now includes regional solar developers and global energy operators.
“We want every solar developer in every market, not just the largest ones, to have proper data to work with,” said Domingues. “Incubayt’s early backing gave us the foundation to build that. We’re now applying the same playbook country by country.”
About Planno
Founded in 2023 by Daniel Domingues, Planno is a geospatial AI platform that combines satellite imagery and local market data. It helps solar developers, EPC firms, and public agencies identify high-potential commercial and industrial rooftops for solar installations.
About Incubayt Investments
Incubayt Investments is a sustainability-focused venture firm founded by Sami Khoreibi, who built and successfully exited the Arab world’s first utility-scale solar developer. The firm invests in founders from the UAE who are building globally ambitious projects that address large-scale problems.
Source: Wamda
