JikoPower Inc. announced a launch event on Mercer Island for its Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign to fund ramping production of a new invention, dubbed the Spark, which provides disaster relief and sustainable, clean energy to people without access to electricity all over the world.
The device converts wasted energy from cook stoves and fires into electricity to charge cell phones, batteries, LED lights and other small devices. The start-up must raise at least $50,000 between Oct. 18 and Nov. 30, according to Kickstarter terms that allow people to buy the devices for themselves or donate them to people in need.
“When Hurricane Matthew left people stranded without electricity, the JikoPower Spark could have helped,” JikoPower Founder and President Ryan Ahearn said in a press release. “We urgently need to ramp production to help in disasters and help people who live without electricity in developing countries.”
JikoPower Inc. Vice President Marene Wiley, whose family hails from Mercer Island, and her award-winning team will demonstrate the new invention at an event open to the public on Tuesday, Oct. 18 at the Mercer Island Community and Event Center. There will be free food, drinks and a chance to win Maasai art at the event.
The team went to Kenya and Uganda in July to test market the Spark, using the grand prize money they won placing first at the 2016 University of Washington Business Plan Competition awarded by the Foster School of Business.
“We came back with orders, distribution connections and moving personal stories from people whose lives were greatly improved,” Ahearn said. “The company is now poised for growth.”
“We saw mountains of unused donated shoes and clothes, yet these well-dressed people were without basic electricity,” Wiley said. “With access to electricity, people no longer depend on dangerous kerosene for light and they don’t have to travel great distances or pay exorbitant fees to charge a cellphone. We have already seen women in Kenya using the JikoPower Spark to start their own businesses. The impact on their lives is amazing.”
About 80 percent of people in Kenya have cellphones, but only 20 percent have access to electricity, Ahearn said.
“So many people and nonprofits have asked how they can get Sparks into the hands of real people in dire need,” he said. “Now they can rally to help.”
The JikoPower Spark is a small thermoelectric generator (TEG) with a 2-5 watt output using a water reservoir with a metal arm inserted directly onto a cook stove or fire.
“While people cook, the heat creates electricity that we capture,” Ahearn explained.
JikoPower started a year ago with three engineers winning the grand prize at the UW Environmental Innovation Challenge. They’ve grown into a team of eight inspired graduates and students from the University of Washington working to make a difference in the world.
To participate in the JikoPower Kickstarter, go to www.jikopowerinc.com.