DUBAI, UAE — July 8th: Planno, the Dubai-headquartered Geospatial AI (GeoAI) platform for solar developers, today announced a strategic investment from Incubayt Investments, the sustainability-focused venture firm founded by Sami Khoreibi, who built the Arab world's first utility-scale solar developer, scaled it to $750M+ in revenue across nine countries, and exited it to a UK pension fund. The investment is Incubayt's first in geospatial AI for solar, and it carried Planno from Dubai into 16 markets.
"We invest in founders building globally ambitious projects from the UAE," said Sami Khoreibi.
"The solar industry has never been short of capital or sunlight. What it lacked was intelligence. Where to build, and who owns the roof. In a data-driven economy, that insight is as valuable as the projects themselves. Planno is exactly that."
Global electricity demand is climbing as AI data centres come online and geopolitical tension pushes energy costs higher."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."
Energy assets sit idle
Dubai is one of the most active rooftop solar markets in the Middle East. Solar-equipped rooftops in the city grew by 39% between late 2023 and the first quarter of 2025.
Even so, Planno’s analysis of every commercial and industrial rooftop in the Emirate shows the market remains mostly untouched. Of 15,283 commercial and industrial rooftops, only 5.6% host solar today. The remaining 4 GW of capacity goes unbuilt.
The pattern repeats across most major Gulf cities. Tens of thousands of buildings draw power when they could be generating it.
From Dubai to four continents
Since Incubayt’s investment, Planno has expanded from the Gulf across the Middle East, and then to Asia, Europe, Africa, and North America, with active customers ranging from regional solar developers and engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) firms to 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
Planno, headquartered in Dubai, is the prospecting platform for commercial solar. Using satellite imagery, geospatial AI, and local market data, it helps solar developers, installers, and public agencies identify high-value commercial and industrial rooftops, find their owners, and build their project pipelines. Planno was named Solar Startup of the Year at the MESIA Solar Awards 2026.
About Incubayt Investments
Incubayt Investments is a Dubai-based platform backing early-stage technology companies in sustainability, climate tech, and consumer innovation. Founded in 2019 by Sami Khoreibi, Incubayt backs founders decentralizing critical infrastructure, from energy to water, giving them the capital and conviction to build it at scale. More at incubayt.com.
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