An Idea Comes to Life

After completing his stint as a private banker in the UK, 

DIVYESH began soul-searching for his next gig. 

He had always been deeply passionate about developing innovative solutions to uplift communities living at the bottom of the socio-economic pyramid. 

Born & raised in Kenya, and having spent a significant amount of his life in East Africa, he was extremely sensitive to the use of kerosene lanterns, that were hazardous to not only its users but also the environment... and thus he began nurturing an idea for a safer alternative!

Divyesh happened to meet SHASHANK in the Spring'09, who was visiting UK at the time to explore new opportunities. He was keen to diversify from his generational garment-manufacturing business, which he had been running since the past 30+ years.

Divyesh shared his concept of a solar lantern & Shashank instantly resonated with his vision.

Upon his return to Mumbai, Shashank discussed the idea with SAMIR, an  entrepreneur  also having 30+ years of engineering & production experience in injection moulding, electronics & vacuum coatings.

A product-driven perfectionist, Samir took up the challenge & started his meticulous research to develop this idea & translate it into a real product. 

 A range of prototypes with different specifications, features & form factors were developed thereafter.

To have a meaningful impact, all 3 partners agreed that the best way forward would be to partner with int'l aid & humanitarian organizations as they had the necessary resources & bandwidth to reach these inaccessible communities at scale.  

After pitching to various reps from organizations like the UN & Red Cross, it was the Environment Team at the UNHCR that seemed to find value in an innovative solution like this to replace kerosene lanterns in refugee camps.