Early adopters of new technology are more often entrepreneurs and businesses. Companies bought the first cars and trucks for commerce before households could afford them. Laywers and business people were early adopters of mobile phones before they became mass-market consumer products. While we strive to have the ReadySet in every home without electricity, our early adopters are entrepreneurs using the ReadySet to become micro-utilities, earning meaningful profits by selling energy to their communities.
Annette’s Phone Charging Story
Annette received the ReadySet thanks to an affordable micro-loan through one of our partners, Grameen Foundation AppLab. Annette uses her ReadySet to run a micro-utility business charging mobile phones. When it gets dark, she lights her home with the ReadySet, saving her money from buying dirty kerosene lamps that are not only costly but also dangerous especially with the open flame.
“I want another ReadySet because now the one I’m having, it’s not enough.”
- Annette, Ugandan ReadySet entrepreneur
Entrepreneurs earning meaningful income
Uganda field studies with MTN and Grameen Foundation have demonstrated that ReadySet entrepreneurs:
- Earn $40 per month from charging an average of 6-8 phones per day
- Save $5-$10 per month from not needing to buy kerosene and paraffin (dirty and dangerous lighting sources)
- Increasing MobileMoney transactions, increasing agent commission by $30 per month
Annette was able to earn enough income to pay back the investment of the ReadySet in less than 4 months. With her extra income, she has been able to buy her son a mattress, suitcase and pair of shoes for school. Entrepreneurs like Annette illustrate the impact we envisioned when we created the ReadySet.