The LuminAID is a solar-rechargeable light that packs flat and inflates to diffuse light like a lantern. LuminAID technology was invented in 2010 by Anna Stork and Andrea Sreshta.

Product

The LuminAID light has a solar panel, rechargeable battery, and a multi-chip LED light.[1] According to its makers, after a full charge, it can deliver 35 lumens for 8 hours or 20 lumens for 16 hours and the battery can be recharged over 500 times, for years of use.[2]

The product has won first place in several business competitions, including the $100K Midwest 2013 Clean Energy Challenge, the William James Business Plan Competition, and the Chicago Booth School of Business Social New Venture Challenge.[3][4] In 2016, LuminAID was granted a patent by the United States Patent Office for their lighting technology.[5]

History

LuminAID Lab is the manufacturer and producer of LuminAID lights. The company was founded in 2011 by Anna Stork and Andrea Sreshta, who invented the technology in 2010 in response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake while at Columbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation.[6] They later experienced firsthand the damage caused by large-scale disasters while on a school trip during the March 2011 earthquake in Japan.[7]

The inventors saw its potential as an outdoor recreation accessory in the US and began marketing it in that way.[8] Its launch was linked to Indiegogo in an arrangement whereby purchasers could either buy two for $25, with one unit sent to a developing country, or buy a single unit for $10 to be donated.[9]

As of July 2021, LuminAID's website has 9 different solar lanterns for sale, along with a solar speaker.[10][11][12][13][14]

Shark Tank appearance

Stork and Sreshta appeared on ABC's Shark Tank in February 2015 seeking a deal to fund their company. They received offers from all five of the "sharks," and accepted a deal with Mark Cuban for $200,000 for 15 percent of their company's equity.[15]

Sreshta said that Cuban has helped her and Stork to stay innovative. LuminAID's solar lanterns now double as phone chargers, and the lanterns are being sold in retail stores for camping and outdoor use too.[16]

Partnership with ShelterBox

After working together to distribute lights in the Philippines in 2013 after a typhoon, LuminAID and ShelterBox, an organization that provides disaster relief services, became strategic partners.[17][18]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "LuminAID: A Bright Idea From Anna Stork & Andrea Sreshta", Women You Should Know. January 10, 2013.
  2. ↑ "LuminAID.com". LuminAID.com. Retrieved 2014-08-07.
  3. ↑ Knight, Rebecca. "Business plan winners hope to shine a light on social enterprise", Financial Times. September 12, 2012.
  4. ↑ Gardella, Adriana (2011-07-06). "Angel Investors Learning to Assess Business Plans". You’re the Boss Blog. Retrieved 2021-08-01.
  5. ↑ US 9347629, Stork, Anna R. & Sreshta, Andrea M., "Inflatable solar-powered light", published 2016-05-24, assigned to LuminAID Lab LLC
  6. ↑ McFeeters, Stephanie. "LuminAid helps disaster relief orgs." The Dartmouth, 21 November 2011.
  7. ↑ Wernau, Julie. "Chicago-based LuminAID Lab wins Clean Energy Challenge", Chicago Tribune. April 5, 2013.
  8. ↑ "Social Enterprise Spotlight: Portable Solar Lighting". Forbes. August 15, 2011. Retrieved 2014-02-10.
  9. ↑ "LuminAID Solar Lamps For Developing (and Developed) Countries". Wired. November 2011. Retrieved 2014-02-10.
  10. ↑ LuminAID. "Shop". LuminAID. Retrieved 2021-07-08.
  11. ↑ Perten, Kori. "These top-rated solar lanterns provide light just about anywhere". Mic. Retrieved 2021-08-01.
  12. ↑ "Luminaid Lanterns Amazon Prime Day Deal: Save 33%". The Manual. 2021-06-21. Retrieved 2021-08-01.
  13. ↑ Scholes, Fergus (2021-07-16). "Carry on camping: essential kit for the outward bound". www.ft.com. Retrieved 2021-08-01.
  14. ↑ Roger (July 15, 2021). "2027년까지 조명 제품 시장의 거대한 성장 | Surefire, Luminaid Lab, Pelican – 시니어생활경제신문" [Huge growth of lighting products market to 2027 | Surefire, Luminaid Lab, Pelican] (in Korean). Retrieved 2021-08-01.
  15. ↑ Jackson, Cheryl V. "LuminAID becomes latest Chicago company to get 'Shark Tank' funding", Chicago Tribune, February 23, 2015.
  16. ↑ Fraioli, Claire Rodgers,Sophia (2019-05-09). "Mark Cuban-backed start-up LuminAID helps first responders in an innovative way". CNBC. Retrieved 2021-07-08.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  17. ↑ "Our Partnership with LuminAID". ShelterBox USA. Retrieved 2021-07-08.
  18. ↑ "Light in My City providing 'light, dignity and safety' for Pittsburgh's homeless population". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2021-08-01.
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