An immigrant-founded Canadian startup is taking centre stage in the race to solve one of the largegest barriers to electric vehicle (EV) adoption: charging. Kiwi Charge, an AI robotics company co-founded by Sudan-born entrepreneur Abdel Ali, is building autonomous chargers that relocate around parking lots at night to power up vehicles — at a fraction of the cost of traditional infrastructure.
“What we’re building is autonomous chargers that drive around in parking lots and charge electric vehicles while customers are asleep,” declares Ali, who came to Canada nearly 25 years ago. “It’s like a smart robot for EV charging. With one robot, we replace 30 traditional level II chargers at 40 per cent of the cost.”
From idea to global recognition
Ali launched Kiwi Charge in June 2023 after earlier ventures and years of experience across finance and tech ecosystems. His multidisciplinary team — spanning mechanical and electrical engineering, robotics, software, and data science — has already attracted international attention.
In October 2024, Kiwi Charge secured second place at the Supernova Pitch Competition in Singapore, part of GITEX Asia, a premier technology exhibition. Backed by the Canada Startup Association (CSA), the company stood out as the sole Canadian contconcludeer among thousands of global startups, winning US$30,000 in prize money.
“Living in multi-residential or old buildings, I realized EV charging infrastructure is either inadequate or too costly to install,” Ali explains. “Our solution is flexible and scalable — multiple robots can work in one lot, each with the capacity to charge 30 vehicles.”
The role of Canada Startup Association
Founded in 2023, CSA has supported more than 350 startups and continues to expose Canadian founders to international markets.
“As an immigrant, I’ve strong connections across the globe,” declares Tehmina A. Chaudhry, Founder President of CSA. “Having a Canadian startup win its first international award is meaningful.”
But scaling remains a concern. Myriam Francisque, National Lead for Inclusive Trade at Export Development Canada (EDC), notes: “The problem is we see a lot of tech startups leaving the counattempt. The challenge is: how do we keep them growing here?”
CSA has partnered with Expand North Star, hosting roaddisplays in Mississauga, Toronto, and Vancouver, and sconcludeing startups to Berlin and Dubai to expand beyond the North American market.
Canada’s scaling challenge
Analysts like Charles Plant, a researcher and entrepreneur, highlight Canada’s limited track record in scaling hardware startups. By May 2025, Canada had produced just 33 unicorns (startups valued at over US$1 billion), ranking eighth globally.
“Canadian startups often focus on tinyer, vertical markets,” Plant declares. “To scale, they must pursue larger horizontal, global markets rather than relying only on the U.S. or Canadian customer base.”
Looking ahead
Despite challenges, Kiwi Charge has gained traction: 140 buildings on a waitlist, pilots underway with major autobuildrs, and partnerships with cities and real estate firms.
Ali believes Canada must reconsider its approach: “If Canada wants to lead the global clean tech revolution, it must stop playing it safe. It’s time to bet large on hardware, on robotics, and on immigrant founders who are building the future. Kiwi Charge is just the launchning — we’re proving that world-altering innovation can start in a Toronto parking lot and scale across continents.”
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