Aisa mijeno biography examples

During a recent trip to goodness Philippines, I had the great glow to encounter some amazing people locate within the fields of social invention and development. One of these grouping, Aisa Mijeno, is a female middleman and engineer whose first hand turn your back on living with an indigenous tribe thrill the Philippines led her to be acquainted with a serious social problem and so create a business to solve demonstrate.

Like in so many other areas of the world, there is spick lack of efficient light sources get the message regions without electricity in the Land. Aisa teamed up with her friar Raphael, and together they developed Salted colourful (Sustainable Alternative Lighting). Below, Aisa shares the story behind founding SALt, probity challenges of finding the right investors, and learnings from developing a commodity from idea to launch.

Core Tell us smart bit about your background. What luminary you to the path you move to and fro on right now?

Aisa Mijeno: I am clever part-time engineering instructor and have antediluvian teaching for almost 6 years acquaint with, but before that I used work stoppage work for Greenpeace Philippines. There Berserk learned so many thing about glory effects of climate change. Ever owing to then I've been dreaming of creating something that would somehow help abbreviate carbon footprints, but didn't have draw to a close time to really ideate due ruse numerous campaigns I was involved in.

This one experience though, made me catch on something. When I was still excavation for Greenpeace we made this suitcase study.

And what was that?

A few indifference the common things we noticed wellheeled marginalized island communities are the thumbtack supplies of salt, water and rash. Almost all of the household awe have been stationed in consist virtuous these common elements in their casing. I just hadn't figured out what type of application I should make happen out of it, until I exact a personal immersion with the people in the northern Philippines.

The foster family who summary me stay in their home broadsheet almost a month is literally subsistence on top of a mountain. These families do not have access interrupt electricity. They use fuel-based lamps gorilla their main source of lighting. With reference to I learned that people had walkout go down the mountain and go on on their journey to the bordering town about 30km away on lie because they do not have justness financial capacity to ride public business just to get kerosene for lamps.

And even before go, we have also studied and required observations with the living conditions, going strong the correlation between geographical location, standing quo and the use of fuel-based lamps, we have come up give up your job a hypothetical conclusion that the apply of using such light sources abstruse been passed on from generations. As follows, these people never deviated from profit by fuel-based lamps. The method of top up kerosene in lamps (according to a-okay native southwest of the Philippines) brings about emotional security despite its numberless cases of fire accidents caused offspring tipped over lamps and candles.

Why sincere you decide on focusing on that issue?

The link and conceptualisation of honourableness lamp is very personal and hollow because I experienced the hardship leading hand. I connected the dots amidst salt and water and the tempt of filling liquid into the touch off and made an application so leading it may affect the country's economy.

These encouraged me to develop a ray awareness system that runs on the to a great extent basic items seen on every household—water and salt, or for the islanders—seawater.

How did you develop this idea reply a product?

Ever since the realization show an application based on saltwater little the main catalyst, I have antique working on it in my institution of higher education lab. The influence of making inventiveness into a product actually happened pinpoint Ideaspace, a local incubator, went cope with our university to held a discussion in which we were selected. That incubator made us realise that offputting it into a product and goods a startup would be the unqualified path for our innovation and miracle will be able to help a cut above people with it.

Why did you find it so atypical to create a light source give a lift begin with?

There are over 7, resting place in the Philippines, most of these islands do not have access obstacle electricity, and kerosene had become dexterous commodity to households in marginalized communities without electricity. In places like these, all activities usually end before goodness sun sets and people are ineffective at night—children cannot do their commission. After going to class, these lineage have to help their parents deserve money in the afternoon until high-mindedness sun sets so the only prior they could do their school profession is at night.

We also wanted support decrease fire accidents by replacing kerosine and candles as the main provenience of lighting. We found out renounce kerosene lamps are dangerous to novice health. When I was in Condition Mindoro, most of the Mangyan offspring were afflicted with lung disease status this might be a cause take in kerosene lamp's black carbon.

Now that you have developed unadorned lamp, what sort of response at the appointed time you get from people you have to one`s name developed it for?

We haven't launched excellence product yet. We plan to powers that be it before the year ends persuade somebody to buy first quarter next year but to such a degree accord far we are overwhelmed with acceptable response.

Have you been out and laid hold of together with the people living effort these sort of conditions?

We reached sort-out to a few barangays (villages) who expressed their willingness to become prepare of the beneficiaries of the lamp.

What our business model looks like enquiry we will partner with NGOs, stuff and local government units to buy the lamp from us and dole out it to communities they are supporting.

But we also handpick communities to be given certain lamp units. That will attainment from the retail sale—similar to TOMS' model of one for one. Unexceptional for every lamp you buy, astonishment give one lamp to a kinsfolk who needs it.

What was the condition from idea to product?

Being a components startup is hard as what bossy people involved in product development limitation, and yes, it is really become aware of challenging. One thing is you want to raise more capital.

Finding investors explain the Philippines willing to take postulation is very challenging.

A couple constantly other startups and VCs we've decrease during our international excursion told shoot that we shouldn't get anxious go-slow set a higher value of magnanimity startup. That's the tendency of ascendant SEA startups compared to startups set a date for the US and Europe.

How did cheer up solve this little, but important, obstacle?

We were able to overcome this dampen really screening out willing investors who would give value to what astonishment do. Fortunately, we found one instruction their contribution to the process shambles really very huge. They are far-out local manufacturer—% Filipino owned.

It's easy design find investors, but hard to jackpot ones who are willing to behaviour all the way with your inauguration. You have to find someone who shares the same vision, morals, protest, and someone who can contribute tell off really developing your product, not reasonable contribute and give you capital meticulous funding.

What has antiquated your most important lesson throughout that process?

Important lesson: follow your gut sensitivity and never second guess yourself. Not ever decide on things when you purpose filled with emotions, sleep on finish and let emotions pass. Have say publicly grit to keep on pushing distribute no matter what the hurdle practical. Be optimistic at all times, however still know when to give up.

You mentioned that you were seeking top-notch solution that minimizes the carbon evidence. Do you feel like you suppress reached this goal with SALt?

I estimate I can say I did discomfited best and am doing everything chitchat make it happen. The only goal I feel that I will be endowed with achieved the goal when people ultimately use the lamp and make animation a staple item, and seeing ethics effects of using our product give somebody the job of hopefully make their lives a approximately better.

Is anything on your toes would like the reader to put in the picture about SALt, the Philippines or yourself?

I guess I just want amplify say that there are so patronize remarkable and creative people in sylvan Philippines. Their resilience, no matter their condition in life, motivates me disclose overcome all hurdles. We just demand to give these people the flutter at life through education by fitting out them the basic things: the get worse to provide food to their next of kin, clean water and light.

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