Helping Millions of Africans Hear Again – One Man’s Quest

After sailing more than 40 thousand nautical kilometers and into 14 countries on Unreasonable at Sea, we ported in Spain for our culminating event. The technology companies who sailed around the world with us had 6 minutes to share the story of their company to hundreds of people packed into an auditorium in Barcelona. This is one of those talks.

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The entrepreneur in this video is Tendekayi Katsiga of Solar Ear.

COMPANY DESCRIPTION IN 100 WORDS OR LESS

There are almost 600 million hearing impaired people in the world, with two thirds of those individuals living in developing countries. The availability and affordability of hearing aids and batteries impede solutions to hearing loss.

There are 200 million people in Africa who are hearing impaired… This is unacceptable.  Tweet This Quote

Solar Ear developed the first rechargeable hearing aid battery, which lasts for 2-3 years and can be used in 80% of hearing aids on the market today. It is solar powered and can be charged via the sun, household light, or a cell phone plug. Solar Ear also manufactures and sells the first digitally programmable and rechargeable hearing aids, which cost 10% of the market cost and meet WHO standards. Their products are made by the hearing impaired and sold to the hearing impaired in developing countries. Visit company website

MAJOR MILESTONES

• Products are sold in over 40 countries.
• Manufacturing facilities in 2 countries in Africa.
• Generated over USD$1,000,000 in revenue.
• In Botswana and Brazil, the project was directly responsible for the employment of 35 young adults with disabilities into other organizations, not including the 40 employed with Solar Ear.