MIT Solve

Solution Overview

Solution Name:

Boosty

One-line solution summary:

A mobile solar charging booth/ business in the box, provide clean & affordable energy for users/ internet access & digitalize financial incl

Pitch your solution.

The problem we are solving is the problem of low or flat battery that people Sub-Saharan African countries, South Asia and other developing countries experience on their smartphones due to irregular irregular and no access to quality and affordable internet.

The solution we are providing is a mobile charging booth/ business in the box. This will provide clean and affordable energy for the users to charge their phones, grant access to affordable internet, digitalize basic financial inclusion.

This solution will positively change lives if it was scaled globally because it provide an added income for low income earners, create employment opportunities for people as they acquire the booth, provide clean and affordable energy for the users thereby reducing air and noise pollution and as well provide affordable and high speed internet for the users

Film your elevator pitch.

What specific problem are you solving?

According to statistics in Nigeria 2018; we have 15.5 millions of smartphone users, in Sub-Saharan 2017; we have 444 millions of smartphone users and by 2025 is estimated to be 634 millions of smartphone users. All these experience low or flat battery on their phones due to irregular power in Sub-Saharan African Countries, South Asia Countries and other developing nations at least once in a day and hence need to charge their phones.

People are solving this problem based on their economy power but people that are my target market that are earning less than $1.9 per which constitutes 53.5% of the population solve this problem by going to a local charging booth that is being powered by generator to charge their phones and the use of generator causes noise and air pollution.

What is your solution?

Our solution is a mobile solar charging booth/ business in the box. This will provide clean and affordable energy for people experiencing low or flat battery on their phones to charge their phones, provide affordable and high speed internet for the users as well as digitalize basic financial inclusion.

The process it involves is as people experience low or flat battery on their phones; will bring it to the booth to charge their phones and people that want to access internet will be able to access affordable and high speed internet because with every booth; has a wifi for internet which will also create platform for them to perform basic digital financial inclusion.

Also for each booth there is need for operator/ agent; so this solution will create employment opportunities for the operators/agents by providing small and new businesses for untapped communities to prosper and create good jobs through clean technology, access to capital etc.

Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?

Our solution serves two customers; namely the agents/ operators of the booth that are from age 18 years and above. These are the people that our solution will create employment opportunities for as we onboard them through simple orientation.

Our second customers are the end users that will be coming to the booth to charge their phones whenever they experience low or flat battery, access affordable and high speed internet and to perform various business activities such as money transfer and deposit, payment of bills etc

We are engaging the current local charging point owners through conducting of interview both written and video and we realized that they are incurring double expenses in running the business that is paying electricity bill and as well as buying fuel to power the generator as alternative to power as well as servicing the generator to maintain it.

For our end users; we are also aware of the fact that they experience noise and air pollution while charging their phones.

Our solution will impact our two customers by creating employment opportunities for the operators/ agents and reduce noise and air pollution as our end users charge their phones, access internet and basic financial inclusion.

Which dimension of the Challenge does your solution most closely address?

Enable small and new businesses, especially in untapped communities, to prosper and create good jobs through access to capital, networks, and technology

Explain how the problem, your solution, and your solution’s target population relate to the Challenge and your selected dimension.

The problem which is low or flat battery people in Sub-Saharan African Countries, South Asia and other developing nations experience due to irregular power supply and our solution will solve this problem of charging service and at the same time provide employment opportunities for people from age 18 years and above as an operator/agent of the booth through acquiring the booth.

In a nutshell, our solution will solve the problem of charging for people earning less than $1.9 per day, grant them access to internet and digitalize basic financial inclusion and at the same time create employment opportunities.

In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?

Lagos, Nigeria

What is your solution’s stage of development?

Concept: An idea being explored for its feasibility to build a product, service, or business model based on that idea

Who is the primary delegate for your solution?

The Team Lead is Oluwafunmilola Sopein-Mann