The Skoll Centre and The Skoll Foundation joined in congratulating M-KOPA Solar, a venture founded by a team of Skoll Scholars and Saïd Business School alumni, on being awarded this year’s Zayed Future Energy Prize for Small and Medium Enterprise. The $1.5m cash prize was awarded during the opening ceremony of the annual Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week in mid-January
M-KOPA Solar is a high quality solar energy provider which offers a mobile installment method of paying for solar energy, making high quality solar affordable for everyone. The company has pioneered a better way to supply safe power to millions of off-grid homes. It sells solar home systems on an affordable mobile money payment plan, enabling customers who complete the payment package to own a world-class solar home system, with multiple lights, phone charging and a radio.
M-KOPA co-founders Jesse Moore and Chad Larson are both MBA alumni of Saïd Business School, where Jesse was a Skoll Scholar. he management team also includes Skoll Scholar alum David Damberger and SBS alum Kevin Reeder.
The Zayed Future Energy Prize brings with it a US$1.5 million (KES133 million) prize. M-KOPA Solar will use these funds to launch a training and development program called M-KOPA University, which will provide world class technical and business skills development to employees, sales agents and partners.