Monday, December 23, 2013

TayaSola Update: Moving On To Make And Sell Products In Kenya

In April of this year, I posted about a startup company that wanted to produce little solar light kits that could be used by Kenyans who had no electricity.  The company, TayaSola, wanted to use the kits to teach kids about solar energy and give them a way to escape from dependence on dangerous kerosene lanterns.

Alma, the CEO of TayaSola, went to Indiegogo - a site similar to Kickstarter, but the fundraisers get to keep the money pledged even if they don't reach the goal.

Alma Lorraine Bone Constable
Here's a Christmas note I received, as an Indiegogo contributor, from Alma today:

Merry Christmas to all our wonderful supporters.

It has been an incredible year for TayaSola, starting with your generous support. The love, suggestions, and support that you have shown is deeply appreciated. 
In addition, as a result of this campaign, we received a large private investment allowing us to continue the design work on our light and start on the solar cell phone charger. We were also able to secure a contract with Boardwalk to help us bring a US product to market.
Through your help, Autodesk invited us to join their Clean Tech program supporting clean tech innovators. We attended Autodesk University in December learning from leaders in our industry.  Stay tuned for more news regarding or partnership with Autodesk.
We have secured a distributor in Kenya T&P Innovation and Technology Management Services (TAPITEMS) Ltd in Nairobi.
We are on track to deliver all your perks on time. Thank you again for your support.
Have a joyous holiday season. May the blessings of the season grace each of you and your families.
 I'm hoping this will continue to be a great story. 

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