University of Cape Town’s EVERGREEN FUND invests in fuel cell startup HYENA
Advancing the commercialisation of innovative LPG-powered generator technology
Cape Town, South Africa — 29 May 2025 — The University of Cape Town’s Evergreen Fund has invested in HYENA, a South African hard tech startup originating from UCT’s Department of Chemical Engineering. HYENA is commercialising hydrogen fuel cell systems that provide a clean, quiet, and low-emission alternative to diesel generators — without requiring dedicated hydrogen infrastructure.
The company’s flagship product, the POWER POD, is a diesel generator replacement that uses liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) — or low-carbon sustainable fuels such as biomethane and renewable LPG — to generate hydrogen on demand, which is then used to produce electricity via a fuel cell. The system is designed for off-grid and backup power applications where grid reliability is limited or non-existent.
The POWER POD offers a clean, reliable solution for businesses and industries facing high diesel costs, unreliable grid access, and emissions pressures — without requiring new fuel distribution infrastructure. Ideal for sectors such as telecom, industrial operations, remote infrastructure, and hospitality and eco-tourism, the POWER POD enables dependable backup and off-grid energy with lower maintenance and low noise. By leveraging existing fuel infrastructure, the POWER POD enables customers to adopt fuel cell technology today.
The Evergreen Fund’s investment will support the next stage of product development, including system automation and production readiness. HYENA will deploy a limited number of pre-commercial POWER PODs to early adopters for validation, pilot testing, and operational feedback — paving the way for commercial rollout.
Dr Andrew Bailey, Acting Director: Research Contracts & Innovation said “We are proud to support HYENA in developing their POWER POD to address the African and global energy challenge. It has been exciting to see the translation of the technology from the university lab into a commercial-scale unit through the dedication and ability of the founder team. They have admirably continuously achieved development milestones according to the planned project timeline, something that is rarely seen in start-up companies”
“We are excited to have the Evergreen Fund on board,” said Niels Luchters, CEO and co-founder of HYENA. “This investment helps us move decisively towards commercialising our technology and delivering clean energy to applications that need reliable power today — while remaining future-ready for direct hydrogen use tomorrow.”
HYENA originated at the University of Cape Town and is built on intellectual property developed through academic research. Since its incorporation in 2018, the company has developed, built, and demonstrated the full-scale POWER POD. HYENA is now focused on delivering reliable, clean energy solutions to commercial and industrial users across Africa and the rest of the world.
Interested in exploring the POWER POD for your operations?
Visit www.HYENA.com or reach out to info@HYENA.com to learn more about how we can help you.
About HYENA
HYENA is a South African hard tech startup developing fuel cell-based electricity generators using LPG as a hydrogen carrier. Its flagship product, the POWER POD, offers a clean, efficient replacement for diesel generators. HYENA is commercialising technology developed at the University of Cape Town to serve markets across Africa and the rest of the world.
About UCT’s Evergreen Fund
The Evergreen Fund was established in 2017 following donations from alumni and an initial R60m investment from the University of Cape Town when Council approved that a percentage of UCT investments could be made in private equity – and a portion of this was specifically ring-fenced UCT spin-off companies. The fund supports and accelerates technology transfer through the formation of spin-off companies, providing critical funding in the high-risk early stage of their formation. Additional information on UCT innovation is available at www.rci.uct.ac.za.