Soma Bags – a startup in Africa that has brought light into African homes

Full Episode description

There are startups that solve problems for people – like the ones that help people rent a pet for their Instagram photos. And then, there are startups that solvereal problems – like bringing light into people's homes. Soma Bags is doing just that. This episode carries the story of how its founder Innocent James got the spark of an idea from one of his professors in university. He had seen him sew a small solar panel onto the pocket of his jacket and this had help him keep his smartphone charged through the day.

This episode narrates the story of how James used this idea to bring electricity into the homes of Africans in an affordable manner. This is no charitable venture – it makes profits for his company as villagers are willing to pay for a dependable solution priced at $4-$8 a month.

While rejoicing at these solutions, one should also wonder, if we are exchanging one problem for another?

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