SunCulture has been named to Fast Company’s prestigious annual list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies for 2021.
The list honors the businesses that have not only found a way to be resilient in the past year, but also turned those challenges into impact-making processes. These companies did more than survive, they thrived—making an impact on their industries and culture as a whole. This year’s MIC list features 463 businesses from 29 countries.
“We were thrilled to see Fast Company recognize companies in the EMEA region and we are proud to be listed alongside so many incredible and creative organizations. I have no doubt that we’ll continue to see innovative market leaders continue to emerge from Africa in the coming years,” said Samir Ibrahim, CEO and Co-Founder of SunCulture.
SunCulture is recognized by Fast Company for developing and scaling the strongest power system for off-grid farmers in Africa, and the first solution that powers both the farm and the home. In 2020, SunCulture scaled their ClimateSmart Battery with Rainmaker2 innovation, an all-in-one battery and charge controller with a solar water pumping system. Their micro-irrigation products make smallholder farmer irrigation simpler and cheaper, while increasing yields and reducing water usage by 80%. The product package is fitted with additional appliances that make everyday life for smallholder farmers easier and more rewarding, including home lighting and radio/mobile charging. Custom add-ons include TV and Direct Drip irrigation kits. Customers can take advantage of SunCulture’s Pay-As-You-Grow financing option by paying in small installments over the course of several months.
This past year, SunCulture launched the first large-scale solar irrigation subsidy in Africa by partnering with the Togelse government and a distribution partner to bring the benefits of solar irrigation to thousands of farming households. This represents Africa’s first ever large-scale public/private partnership utilizing smart, targeted, and time-bound solar irrigation subsidies to tackle food insecurity. While this is, of course, a win for SunCulture, it is a bigger win for the future of clean energy productive use technology on the continent.
Fast Company’s editors and writers sought out the most groundbreaking businesses across the globe and industries. They also judged nominations received through their application process.
The World’s Most Innovative Companies is Fast Company’s signature franchise and one of its most highly anticipated editorial efforts of the year. It provides both a snapshot and a road map for the future of innovation across the most dynamic sectors of the economy.
“In a year of unprecedented challenges, the companies on this list exhibit fearlessness, ingenuity, and creativity in the face of crisis,” said Fast Company Deputy Editor David Lidsky, who oversaw the issue with Senior Editor Amy Farley.
Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies issue (March/April 2021) is now available online here, as well as in app form via iTunes and on newsstands beginning March 16, 2021. The hashtag is #FCMostInnovative. The 10 most innovative European, Middle Eastern, and African companies of 2021 list can be found here.
ABOUT FAST COMPANY
Fast Company is the only media brand fully dedicated to the vital intersection of business, innovation, and design, engaging the most influential leaders, companies, and thinkers on the future of business. The editor-in-chief is Stephanie Mehta. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with our sister publication Inc., and can be found online at www.fastcompany.com.
ABOUT SUNCULTURE
SunCulture develops and commercializes life-changing technology that solves the biggest daily challenges for the world’s 570 million smallholder farming households. The company is a market leader in solar-powered water pumps and irrigation systems, serving customers in Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Zambia, Senegal, Togo, and Cote D’Ivoire. SunCulture’s investors and partners include EDF, EAV, ARAF, DPI, Shell Foundation, USAID, Microsoft Corporation, and MIT. The company is recognized as a Bloomberg New Energy Pioneer and a Financial Times Transformational Business, and was named to the London Stock Exchange’s “Companies to Inspire Africa” index.
SunCulture press contact:
Mikayla Czajkowski
Email: mikayla.czajkowski@sunculture.com