Orora Global,Inc.

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Orora Global,Inc.: Eliminating the crisis of energy poverty in emerging markets

Boston, United StatesChennai, India
Year Founded:
2014
Organization type: 
for profit
Project Stage:
Growth
Budget: 
$100,000 - $250,000
Website:
http://www.ororaglobal.com
Twitter: 
@OroraGlobal
Facebook: 
https://www.facebook.com/ororaglobal/
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Project Summary
Elevator Pitch

Concise Summary: Help us pitch this solution! Provide an explanation within 3-4 short sentences.

Orora Global is a social enterprise with the focus to eliminate the problem of energy poverty in developing countries. We focus on breaking down all barriers of access to provide affordable and reliable cleantech solutions to rural and semi-urban communities in emerging markets.

WHAT IF - Inspiration: Write one sentence that describes a way that your project dares to ask, "WHAT IF?"

What if the sun could be used to power up every home in the world and light-up a million lives?
About Project

Problem: What problem is this project trying to address?

Today, there are 1.4 billion people around the world that lack access to electricity, some 85% of them in rural areas. Without additional dedicated policies, by 2030 the number of people drops, but only to 1.2 billion. According to UNDP, one in five people do not have access to modern electricity. In India alone, 400 million people do not have access to electricity, leave alone the 800 million people who have access for 4 to 6 hours a day.

Solution: What is the proposed solution? Please be specific!

Our first target market is India. The off-grid, clean energy access market in India is valued at $15 Billion and is a fast and effective means to end energy poverty. Orora distributes its urban solar product to homes and businesses in urban and semi-urban cities through partnership with distributors. In the rural markets, instead of creating an entirely new infrastructure, Orora distributes its products to rural markets through partnerships with NGO’s, Non-Profits and Self Help Groups, who either purchase or help to distribute the products. Orora is dedicated to creating opportunities for local entrepreneurs (encouraging more women). We’ve developed a training program to hire and train local entrepreneurs from rural villages to sell product

Awards

www.ororaglobal.com (Awards and Recognition)
Impact: How does it Work

Example: Walk us through a specific example(s) of how this solution makes a difference; include its primary activities.

To power up any community in a rural and semi-urban location, we follow a four step approach: Inspire: We identify communities with 200+ people that need electricity. We inspire and trains local entrepreneurs (particularly women) in these communities about CLEAN ENERGY! These entrepreneurs earn a 10% commission for every product sold. Partner: Once we have identified the local entrepreneurs, we partner up with the NGO who bring us the market that is willing to pay for the products. Sell : We demonstrate all Orora products, collect orders for the whole community and install Orora products. We are in the volumes business and this is our main revenue stream. Service: We strive to provide the best customers service within 48 hours.

Impact: What is the impact of the work to date? Also describe the projected future impact for the coming years.

The inspirational picture can be picked from www.ororaglobal.com The impact of our work till date can be measure in terms of people, planet and profit. People : So far we have reached close to 3500 customers and gained confirmed interest. We currently have about 350 installations We have trained close to 100 women entrepreneurs to sell in the local communities. Planet : Fuel savings of up to 90% , No CO2 emissions Profit : Women earn $400+ just lighting up their community Qualitatively, Lighting, cell phone charging and air circulation powered by the sun upto 8 hours backup; powered by the sun; Easily portable for use outdoors at night; we have enabled community leaders who have now converted their own community

Spread Strategies: Moving forward, what are the main strategies for scaling impact?

In 5 years, our goal is to light up a million homes. The SMU is currently being installed in schools, churches and hospitals in semi urban areas which will bring us the big bucks to scale in rural communities. As we scale up along the hockey stick, we are confident of impacting a million lives as we grow to be a billion dollar business. Our exit strategy is to build to business in 5 yrs to a scale that is ready for acquisition by a global industry leader like SunEdison or GE who is trying to grow their market in the rural and semi-urban regions.
Sustainability

Financial Sustainability Plan: What is this solution’s plan to ensure financial sustainability?

We are currently targeting to raise $500K USD by end of 2016. Our biggest challenge right now is the working capital to scale up our production quickly and start supplying to the current customers that are confirmed. Our biggest success in rural markets is because of the excellence in customer service we provide and we want to hire and train more business development managers and service engineers to impact every community in need.

Marketplace: Who else is addressing the problem outlined here? How does the proposed project differ from these approaches?

The renewable industry in India is an extremely over crowded market. Some of the few competitors in the market include SELCO India, Frontier Markets, Barefoot college, D.Light Design, several cheaper product distributors of Chinese manufacturers, alternate fuel options like kersosene, diesel, etc. There are several players in the solar industry with cheaper alternatives but what is making us win in the market is One-for-one business model, Doorstop customer service even in the most rural locations Energy Efficient LED Lighting with 90% power savings and product customization for all
Team

Team

www.ororaglobal.com (Our Team)
Background
Please confirm how you heard about the Unilever Awards:

Yes

Please confirm your role in the initiative (eg Founder/co-Founder) and your organisational title:

CEO and Founder

Which of the 8 UN Global Goals (Sustainable Development Goals) pre-selected for this competition does your solution relate most closely to? [select all that apply]

Affordable and Clean Energy.

Leadership and the Unilever Awards
Please provide examples of any previous entrepreneurial initiatives you have pioneered.
Beyond your existing team, who else are you working with to achieve your objectives, eg partners, advisors, mentors?

We partner up with local non-profits in India to work on the ground where there is need for electricity.
Our current partners include Indian NGOs (Bharathi Trust, 4M Trust, IHDUA), Netherlands NGO (My name is Kumar) and Bangladesh client (Emergence BioEnergy)