Shenzhen Power-Solution (SPS), founded in 2009 in China as an entrepreneurial venture, disrupted traditional lighting markets in African villages with its flagship product, Candles Killer. This solar lamp, priced under $5, replaces hazardous kerosene lamps and has an optimized design (9 components, water-bottle stands). The candles killer solar lamp addresses the critical need for affordable, safe and sustainable lighting for people at the bottom of the pyramid (BOP), a huge market that multinationals struggle to reach. By achieving both low cost and differentiation, SPS created a blue ocean market. The company has made remarkable progress in its mission to provide solar lighting to underserved communities: by 2023, it illuminated over 55 million people across 7.8 million households in 66 countries. Beyond social impact, SPS achieved environmental sustainability at scale, reducing cumulative carbon emissions by 6.7 million tons, the equivalent of planting 368 million evergreen trees. Candles Killer’s success led SPS to expand its product line into a solar home system for phone charging and multi-bulb lighting. SPS also introduced Solar Media, a platform with pre-loaded content (medical tips, farming methods, education) to share vital knowledge in remote regions.
Despite massive investments, sustainable business still isn't very profitable for most companies. Here's a fresh approach for resetting sustainability for customer value—and profitability. Store aisles packed with products labelled "environmentall...
AI is reshaping leadership and work. Ensuring women help design and govern it will determine whether the technology advances equity or deepens inequality.
Milda Mitkute shares lessons from scaling second-hand clothes business Vinted into Lithuania’s first unicorn, and launching a new startup to make maths education more engaging and accessible for children.
How do you rebuild trust in a 160-year-old bank? Société Générale CEO Slawomir Krupa on discipline, fintech disruption, and tough turnaround decisions.
The Wealth of Nations remains a cornerstone of economic thought. Adam Smith’s treatise on free trade is relevant for today’s fracturing global economy.
CFO Raphael Savalle shows how finance leaders can embed sustainability, drive AI-led transformation, and lead with credibility and human insight.
Data strategy competitive advantage depends on a proprietary knowledge base of internal and external data powering predictive models.
Katarina Bonde explores Europe’s venture capital outlook, AI bubble risks, and why data-driven startups and scaleups will drive productivity, growth, and jobs.
Many organizations are discovering that scaling AI is far more difficult than piloting programs. Drawing on data from the world’s largest 300 companies, the IMD AI Maturity Index reveals how the leading companies are responding to the challenge.
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Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications