Pollinate Energy

About

Pollinate Energy trains and supports local micro-entrepreneurs (""Pollinators"") to sell solar lights and water filters door-to-door to low-income households across Indian cities, enabling pay-over-time purchases and kerosene replacement.

Mission

Pollinate Energy sells products such as solar lights and water filters to very poor customers in four Indian cities, using a locally employed workforce of micro-entrepreneurs called ""Pollinators."" Its best-selling product is an environmentally friendly solar light that replaces kerosene, costs $30, and can be paid off over five weeks using the savings from kerosene. The program trains Pollinators to sell door-to-door and supports these micro-social businesses, aiming to improve health, education, and household finances while enabling people to work longer hours. Founded by six Australians in 2012, Pollinate has sold over 17,000 products and helped over 70,000 people, and its work has been recognized by the United Nations. The organization reported it is growing strongly and is close to achieving profitability in some cities. Management says the recent investment will help scale in-country resources and drive the long-term sustainability of the organization.

Quick Facts