Product details

This is part of a case series. In 2018, the Swiss-based start-up hiLyte was founded by three young entrepreneurs, with the aim to offer a novel solution for clean, safe, on-demand and affordable electricity. hiLyte focuses primarily on sub-Saharan Africa, a region in which 40% of the population lives in extreme poverty, but hides enormous potential, since nearly 570 million people lack access to electricity, and the electrification rate is growing only slowly in some countries. The company offers electricity access to rural communities through the hiLyte Cube, a portable smart lamp with a high-capacity battery charged through an integrated system of solar panels. hiLyte's distribution channel builds on local agents who manage solar kiosks in rural villages. People, in turn, can rent the Cube via a mobile money payment system. The start-up began piloting and selling its products in Tanzania in 2018; however, several hurdles stood in hiLyte's way. The entrepreneurs have ambitious plans to exploit the potential of the hiLyte Cube and further grow the venture, and therefore, they face important decisions.