Green charging stations with part of the profits going to NGOs and the third sector

Two cousins, Giancarlo Ostuni and Luca Dimola, return to Apulia after their first experiences in the working world, between tech and non-profit. Here they approach the family business, a network of fuel distributors, with a critical eye. They decide they want to look to the future, rather than the past. In 2016 they set off for the Netherlands with the Erasmus programme for young entrepreneurs to discover the best practices of electric mobility in one of Europe's most pioneering countries. A year later, they win a 20,000 euro startup competition from the Puglia region. Thus was born Sagelio, a startup active in the energy and utilities sector that wants to overturn, even literally, the traditional fuel model: the name is 'oil and gas' spelled backwards. The company is in the business of installing and operating charging stations for electric cars on behalf of third parties, and was set up as a benefit company precisely because of its green approach that tracks the Co2 emissions saved by replacing traditional fuels, one of the strengths of the business. Between 2021 and 2024, Sagelio's revenues increased from 211,000 to 3.6 million, representing a composite annual growth rate of 157.6 per cent. For this, Sagelio is tenth in the 2026 Sole 24 Ore-Statista Growth Leaders list, and in first place among companies in Apulia.

"Any business with a parking space and a proper electrical system could become a new hub," says Ostuni, co-founder and CEO. Hotels, agritourisms and accommodation facilities were Sagelio's first customers. A target designed to accommodate the growing number of tourists who rent electric cars and look for accommodation where they can recharge them. The key to success is a distinctive feature of the business model: "We give customers the freedom to set their own recharging prices and 100 per cent of the revenues. That way they get their investment back and are encouraged to make more. On our side, what we don't earn from top-ups, we make up for in customer growth, which grows by 40-50% every year," the manager further comments. In addition, as part of the Pnrr, Sagelio became the supplier of recharging stations for a consortium of companies, worth more than EUR 3 million. A single transaction that represented the real quantum leap and provided cash and liquidity to reinvest in the business model. Since 2023, Sagelio is also a B Corp. With this in mind, it organises various ESG activities, including the Sagelio Competition that donates 20% of company profits to the best sustainability projects proposed by NGOs and third sector companies.