Andrea Sreshta and Anna Stork were just two ordinary grad students pursuing their degrees at Columbia University when they had a “bright” idea. In 2010 while they were still in school, a terrible earthquake hit Haiti. One of their class assignments was to develop and design a product that would aid in the relief of this struggling nation. Thus, LuminAID was born.
These solar powered lanterns solved a massive problem which is commonly over looked in relief efforts. The under-developed state of Haiti already suffered from its lack of electric lighting. However, especially in times of crisis good lighting is a necessity and Sreshta and Stork noticed this gap and optimized its potential. Their first prototype was made after several hours of tinkering. The next three weeks of their class was spent refining the idea. Once they saw the amazing potential for the product they filed for a patent.
This brilliant duo teamed up with several relief teams in Haiti and tested out their new idea. It was an absolute success and proven to get the job done. The LuminAID was so successful they decided to start a real for-profit company selling them for commercial and recreational use. Their market development strategy has caught a lot of traction and the LuminAID lantern has shown stunning growth. Officially back by Mark Cuban from Shark tank, The LuminAID team is well on their way to impacting the world and making people rethink lighting.
Not only does it help the other, but it is aesthetic for its consumers. Brightening up the night!
This is an amazing story! It is very cool to see that this business started out of a class project, and has taken off extremely well since then. It is also interesting that they started out trying to help the country of Haiti, which they did very well. Then they looked around and found another market where the product could be used. That is a good thing for any company to do – to look around and see if their product can be used by different people or in a different way.
It is so inspiring to see other students taking practical steps to help those affected by disasters. I love that this product can be used to in relief aid, outdoor adventures, and camping. luminAID is a really unique company with an incredible mission!
That is something I have never even thought of when it comes to natural disasters aftermath. It is amazing how people can have a passion for serving and helping others and make such incredible products.
These two women saw a problem and a need and figured out a way to solve the problem. This product and thought process heavily ties into, i think, the main purpose of entrepreneurship. Look for problems, look at how to solve a problem from different angles and these women choose a solution and ran with it. I love the product and the thoughtfulness that went into the product they produce.
Such a simple product, but so vital. This goes to show that no matter how straightforward a solution may seem, there is probably a high demand for it. I love their solution to a serious problem in Haiti, and I loved learning about their process.