Overview
Overview
The SOLshare Story
SOLshare is a climate-tech company, founded in 2014~2015, consisting of a team of tech pioneers fully based out of Dhaka.
Our globally recognized SOLbazaar has developed into an energy marketplace to fight access deficits to sustainable energy services. Via our SOLbazaar platform, equip vulnerable communities with awesome energy services, creating synergies between energy and transport to provide access to clean affordable energy, micro-mobility services, financially inclusive PAYG technology and IoT devices, and C&I solar rooftop installations
SOLshare Board Members
Dr. Groh is a 2013 Stanford Ignite Fellow from Stanford Graduate School of Business and holds a Ph.D. from Aalborg University and the Postgraduate School Microenergy Systems at the TU Berlin where he wrote his doctoral thesis on the role of energy in development processes, energy poverty & technical innovations, with a special focus on Bangladesh.
He published a book and multiple journal articles on the topic of decentralized electrification in the Global South. Dr. Groh started his career and received his DNA at MicroEnergy International, a Berlin-based consultancy firm working on microfinance and decentralized energy. In 2014, Dr. Groh co-founded SOLshare, acting as its CEO since then. He is also an Associate Professor at the BRAC Business School at BRAC University in Dhaka (Bangladesh). On behalf of SOLshare, he received numerous awards, including Tech Pioneer ‘18 by the World Economic Forum, the empowering people Network Award 2019 from the Siemens Stiftung Foundation, Finalist at the inaugural Earthshot Prize 2021, the most prestigious global environment prize in history launched by Prince William, and 2022 Winner of the Zayed Sustainability Award. Dr. Groh became an Ashoka Fellow in 2018, a UBS Global Visionary in 2019, and a Member of the Board and Vice President at the Bangladesh-German Chamber of Commerce & Industry (BGCCI) in 2021.
Hannes grew up in Germany and the U.S. and has lived in South Africa, Tanzania, and Bangladesh. He is an energy and process engineer by background, holds a master’s degree in renewable energy systems engineering, and pursues a Ph.D. in DC microgrids. Hannes has worked as a technical consultant for MicroEnergy International (Germany) on several projects in Asia and Africa undertaking technology, supplier, and value chain assessments.
Previously, Hannes worked for CAMCO (Tanzania), Schott Solar CSP (Germany), and the Institute for Ecological Economy Research (Germany). Hannes has authored multiple technical and non-technical international publications on swarm electrification. He was an awardee of the German National Academic Foundation as well as a scholar of the national Ph.D. program of the Federal Ministry of Education Germany. Hannes is involved in the standardization work in IEEE and IEC, has co-authored the VDE DKE “Low-voltage direct current standardization roadmap” has served in IEC system evaluation groups and is a member of the IEC System Committee Low Voltage Direct Current (SyC LVDC)
As the CTO of SOLshare, he is responsible for the development and deployment of solutions for smart energy services in stationary and mobile applications.
Daniel holds a Master’s Degree in Economics from the University of Trier with a specialization in Monetary Economics and Social Psychology. He has more than ten years of experience in business development and international development projects and has worked in Germany, Serbia, and Bangladesh. As Co-Founder and CFO of SOLshare, Daniel is leading the business as well as SOLshare’s development activities and is overseeing our financials, accounting, and HR department.
He moved to Dhaka, Bangladesh in January 2015, and has played a major role in the fast development of SOLshare with a focus on product-market fit, and operational and business model development. Before joining SOLshare, Daniel worked as an independent consultant for IT Start-Ups in Germany. He then worked in the development sector as a consultant for MicroEnergy International in Germany as well as the KfW Development Bank and GIZ in Serbia, where he was involved in energy and private sector development projects.
Board of Directors - Investor Board Seats
EDP is an energy producer, distributor, and retailer with 12 million customers in Portugal, Spain, and Brazil. Its renewable power business is present in 14 countries including the US and Brazil. EDP Ventures SA is the early-stage corporate venture capital fund of the EDP Group, with the aim to support and stimulate the open innovation process in the energy sector.
At EDP, Luis is responsible for EDP’s open innovation mechanisms: EDP Ventures SA (corporate VC fund), EDP Starter (business incubation program), the Open Innovation award, Free Electrons accelerator partnership, and other startup development initiatives.
Over the past decade, IIX has built the world’s largest crowdfunding platform for impact investing (Impact Partners), created innovative financial products such as the Women’s Livelihood Bond, operated award-winning enterprise technical assistance programs such as IIX ACTS and established an Impact Institute for training and education.
To date, their work has spanned 40 countries, unlocked nearly $75 million of private sector capital to support 130+ enterprises, avoided over 850,000 metric tons of carbon, and impacted over 23 million lives. IIX has received numerous awards for its work including the Oslo Business for Peace Award, and the ‘Nobel Prize for Business.’ The IIX Growth Fund (IGF) is a US$25 million equity fund that invests in enterprises throughout South and Southeast Asia that bring innovative social and environmental solutions to the world’s remotest corners.
Rob started to mentor SOLshare on financial issues in 2013 when SOLshare came 3rd in the CTI PFAN business plan competition. The engagement which came as part of the prize was originally intended to be one year. However, the relationship between Rob and SOL share in fact never stopped. Today, Rob is sitting on our Board representing the IIX Growth Fund.
Giancarlo Savini is the Climate Tech Investment Director at Future Energy Ventures, the venture investment arm of German utility giant E.ON. An engineer by training with over 15 years of early-stage technology management experience and 6 years of investing experience, Giancarlo has been involved in 23 deals and driving directly two exits.
He was awarded a GCVI Global Energy Award in 2019 and taught Corporate Venture Capital and Innovation at IMD Business School. Giancarlo also co-authored several publications on material science and corporate venture capital.
Management
Dr. Groh is a 2013 Stanford Ignite Fellow from Stanford Graduate School of Business and holds a Ph.D. from Aalborg University and the Postgraduate School Microenergy Systems at the TU Berlin where he wrote his doctoral thesis on the role of energy in development processes, energy poverty & technical innovations, with a special focus on Bangladesh.
He published a book and multiple journal articles on the topic of decentralized electrification in the Global South. Dr. Groh started his career and received his DNA at MicroEnergy International, a Berlin-based consultancy firm working on microfinance and decentralized energy. In 2014, Dr. Groh co-founded SOLshare, acting as its CEO since then. He is also an Associate Professor at the BRAC Business School at BRAC University in Dhaka (Bangladesh). On behalf of SOLshare, he received numerous awards, among them are the Zayed Sustainability Prize 2022 in the category of Energy, Tech Pioneer ‘18 by the World Economic Forum and best energy startup in the world by Free Electrons. SOLshare also received the prestigious UN DESA Powering the Future We Want USD 1M Energy Grant, along with Grameen Shakti. Dr. Groh became an Ashoka Fellow in 2018, & UBS Global Visionary in 2019, as well as received the 2019 Unilever Young Entrepreneur Award.
Aziza Sultana Mukti has a background in Science and Business Administration and over 15 years of experience in the blend of retail and development sector in Bangladesh. Aziza was previously on the management team of BRAC’s Aarong enterprise, holding department head roles in Merchandising, Social Compliance, Producer Development, and Process Development over her tenure.
She brings with her a rich mix of experience in working with rural artisans throughout Bangladesh working for their economic and social empowerment. Aziza has also taken lead roles in gender mainstreaming projects, several donor funded projects, international craft development, and organizational strategy advisement. As the Head of Operations of SOLshare, Aziza is leading the field operations, sales, aftersales, customer-relations, and production unit and has played a major role in establishing SOLshare in the local energy market in Bangladesh. Aziza holds a Masters on Geology and Mining from Rajshahi University and a Masters of Business Administration from BRAC University.
Hannes Kirchhoff grew up in Germany and the U.S. and has lived in South Africa, Tanzania, and Bangladesh. He is an energy and process engineer by background, holds a master’s degree in renewable energy systems engineering, and pursues a Ph.D. on DC microgrids. As the CTO of SOLshare he is responsible for the provision of prepaid and energy-exchange platforms for energy access technologies.
Hannes has worked as a technical consultant for MicroEnergy International (Germany) on several projects in Asia and Africa undertaking technology, supplier and value chain assessments. Previously, Hannes worked for CAMCO (Tanzania), Schott Solar CSP (Germany) and the Institute for Ecological Economy Research (Germany). Hannes has authored multiple technical and non-technical international publications on the topic of swarm electrification. He was the awardee of the German National Academic Foundation as well as a scholar of the national Ph.D. program of the Federal Ministry of Education Germany. Hannes is involved in the standardization work in IEEE and IEC, has co-authored the VDE DKE “Low-voltage direct current standardization roadmap” has served in IEC system evaluation groups and is a member of the IEC System Committee Low Voltage Direct Current (SyC LVDC).
Syed Ishtiaque Ahmed completed his Master of Business Administration in Finance from the Institute of Business Administration (IBA), the University of Dhaka in 2003 and Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical & Electronics from Chittagong University of Engineering & Technology, Bangladesh in 1994. So far in his career, he has worked with several renowned organizations like Rahimafrooz, Bangladesh Power Development Board, Linde Bangladesh Ltd., etc.
Before joining us, he served Rahimafrooz Renewable Energy Ltd. as the Head, Offgrid.
Daniel Ciganovic holds a Master’s Degree in Economics from the University of Trier with a specialization in Monetary Economics and Social Psychology. He has more than ten years of experience in business development and international development projects and has worked in Germany, Serbia, and Bangladesh. As Co-Founder and CFO of SOLshare, Daniel is leading the business as well as SOLshare’s development activities and is overseeing our financials.
He moved to Dhaka, Bangladesh in January 2015, and has played a major role in the fast development of SOLshare with a focus on product market fit, operational and business model development. Before joining SOLshare, Daniel worked as an independent consultant for IT Start-Ups in Germany. He then worked in the development sector as a consultant for MicroEnergy International in Germany as well as the KfW Development Bank and GIZ in Serbia, where he was involved in energy and private sector development projects.
Isa Abrar has more than 10 years of experience in technology through his previous roles. Prior to SOLshare he has led sBusiness.xyz (Sheba Platform Ltd), a B2B SAAS company, several large-scale ICT projects with Bikroy.com, Samsung Electronics as a Product Manager for IT Products and local esteemed conglomerate aamra Companies.
Abrar has completed his Bachelors at the American International University – Bangladesh (AIUB), with a Summa Cumm Laude.
Eshrat Waris is a product development and business strategy specialist based in Bangladesh’s technology sector. She is the Business Designer at SOLshare – a P2P energy trading platform serving off-grid rural communities. Previously, she led the Technology for Development team of the Skills Development Programme at BRAC, where she deployed solutions for customers in the informal economy.
Prior to joining BRAC, Eshrat was at the World Bank headquarters working on social protection, urban and governance issues. She pursued her higher and graduate education at the United World College in Wales, Warwick University and the School of Advanced International Studies of Johns Hopkins University.
The SOLshare Story
SOLshare is a climate-tech company, founded in 2014~2015, consisting of a team of tech pioneers fully based out of Dhaka.
Our globally recognized SOLbazaar has developed into an energy marketplace to fight access deficits to sustainable energy services. Via our SOLbazaar platform, equip vulnerable communities with awesome energy services, creating synergies between energy and transport to provide access to clean affordable energy, micro-mobility services, financially inclusive PAYG technology and IoT devices, and C&I solar rooftop installations
SOLshare Board Members
Dr. Groh is a 2013 Stanford Ignite Fellow from Stanford Graduate School of Business and holds a Ph.D. from Aalborg University and the Postgraduate School Microenergy Systems at the TU Berlin where he wrote his doctoral thesis on the role of energy in development processes, energy poverty & technical innovations, with a special focus on Bangladesh.
He published a book and multiple journal articles on the topic of decentralized electrification in the Global South. Dr. Groh started his career and received his DNA at MicroEnergy International, a Berlin-based consultancy firm working on microfinance and decentralized energy. In 2014, Dr. Groh co-founded SOLshare, acting as its CEO since then. He is also an Associate Professor at the BRAC Business School at BRAC University in Dhaka (Bangladesh). On behalf of SOLshare, he received numerous awards, including Tech Pioneer ‘18 by the World Economic Forum, the empowering people Network Award 2019 from the Siemens Stiftung Foundation, Finalist at the inaugural Earthshot Prize 2021, the most prestigious global environment prize in history launched by Prince William, and 2022 Winner of the Zayed Sustainability Award. Dr. Groh became an Ashoka Fellow in 2018, a UBS Global Visionary in 2019, and a Member of the Board and Vice President at the Bangladesh-German Chamber of Commerce & Industry (BGCCI) in 2021.
Hannes grew up in Germany and the U.S. and has lived in South Africa, Tanzania, and Bangladesh. He is an energy and process engineer by background, holds a master’s degree in renewable energy systems engineering, and pursues a Ph.D. in DC microgrids. Hannes has worked as a technical consultant for MicroEnergy International (Germany) on several projects in Asia and Africa undertaking technology, supplier, and value chain assessments.
Previously, Hannes worked for CAMCO (Tanzania), Schott Solar CSP (Germany), and the Institute for Ecological Economy Research (Germany). Hannes has authored multiple technical and non-technical international publications on swarm electrification. He was an awardee of the German National Academic Foundation as well as a scholar of the national Ph.D. program of the Federal Ministry of Education Germany. Hannes is involved in the standardization work in IEEE and IEC, has co-authored the VDE DKE “Low-voltage direct current standardization roadmap” has served in IEC system evaluation groups and is a member of the IEC System Committee Low Voltage Direct Current (SyC LVDC)
As the CTO of SOLshare, he is responsible for the development and deployment of solutions for smart energy services in stationary and mobile applications.
Daniel holds a Master’s Degree in Economics from the University of Trier with a specialization in Monetary Economics and Social Psychology. He has more than ten years of experience in business development and international development projects and has worked in Germany, Serbia, and Bangladesh. As Co-Founder and CFO of SOLshare, Daniel is leading the business as well as SOLshare’s development activities and is overseeing our financials, accounting, and HR department.
He moved to Dhaka, Bangladesh in January 2015, and has played a major role in the fast development of SOLshare with a focus on product-market fit, and operational and business model development. Before joining SOLshare, Daniel worked as an independent consultant for IT Start-Ups in Germany. He then worked in the development sector as a consultant for MicroEnergy International in Germany as well as the KfW Development Bank and GIZ in Serbia, where he was involved in energy and private sector development projects.
Board of Directors - Investor Board Seats
EDP is an energy producer, distributor, and retailer with 12 million customers in Portugal, Spain, and Brazil. Its renewable power business is present in 14 countries including the US and Brazil. EDP Ventures SA is the early-stage corporate venture capital fund of the EDP Group, with the aim to support and stimulate the open innovation process in the energy sector.
At EDP, Luis is responsible for EDP’s open innovation mechanisms: EDP Ventures SA (corporate VC fund), EDP Starter (business incubation program), the Open Innovation award, Free Electrons accelerator partnership, and other startup development initiatives.
Over the past decade, IIX has built the world’s largest crowdfunding platform for impact investing (Impact Partners), created innovative financial products such as the Women’s Livelihood Bond, operated award-winning enterprise technical assistance programs such as IIX ACTS and established an Impact Institute for training and education.
To date, their work has spanned 40 countries, unlocked nearly $75 million of private sector capital to support 130+ enterprises, avoided over 850,000 metric tons of carbon, and impacted over 23 million lives. IIX has received numerous awards for its work including the Oslo Business for Peace Award, and the ‘Nobel Prize for Business.’ The IIX Growth Fund (IGF) is a US$25 million equity fund that invests in enterprises throughout South and Southeast Asia that bring innovative social and environmental solutions to the world’s remotest corners.
Rob started to mentor SOLshare on financial issues in 2013 when SOLshare came 3rd in the CTI PFAN business plan competition. The engagement which came as part of the prize was originally intended to be one year. However, the relationship between Rob and SOL share in fact never stopped. Today, Rob is sitting on our Board representing the IIX Growth Fund.
Giancarlo Savini is the Climate Tech Investment Director at Future Energy Ventures, the venture investment arm of German utility giant E.ON. An engineer by training with over 15 years of early-stage technology management experience and 6 years of investing experience, Giancarlo has been involved in 23 deals and driving directly two exits.
He was awarded a GCVI Global Energy Award in 2019 and taught Corporate Venture Capital and Innovation at IMD Business School. Giancarlo also co-authored several publications on material science and corporate venture capital.
Management
Dr. Groh is a 2013 Stanford Ignite Fellow from Stanford Graduate School of Business and holds a Ph.D. from Aalborg University and the Postgraduate School Microenergy Systems at the TU Berlin where he wrote his doctoral thesis on the role of energy in development processes, energy poverty & technical innovations, with a special focus on Bangladesh.
He published a book and multiple journal articles on the topic of decentralized electrification in the Global South. Dr. Groh started his career and received his DNA at MicroEnergy International, a Berlin-based consultancy firm working on microfinance and decentralized energy. In 2014, Dr. Groh co-founded SOLshare, acting as its CEO since then. He is also an Associate Professor at the BRAC Business School at BRAC University in Dhaka (Bangladesh). On behalf of SOLshare, he received numerous awards, among them are the Zayed Sustainability Prize 2022 in the category of Energy, Tech Pioneer ‘18 by the World Economic Forum and best energy startup in the world by Free Electrons. SOLshare also received the prestigious UN DESA Powering the Future We Want USD 1M Energy Grant, along with Grameen Shakti. Dr. Groh became an Ashoka Fellow in 2018, & UBS Global Visionary in 2019, as well as received the 2019 Unilever Young Entrepreneur Award.
Aziza Sultana Mukti has a background in Science and Business Administration and over 15 years of experience in the blend of retail and development sector in Bangladesh. Aziza was previously on the management team of BRAC’s Aarong enterprise, holding department head roles in Merchandising, Social Compliance, Producer Development, and Process Development over her tenure.
She brings with her a rich mix of experience in working with rural artisans throughout Bangladesh working for their economic and social empowerment. Aziza has also taken lead roles in gender mainstreaming projects, several donor funded projects, international craft development, and organizational strategy advisement. As the Head of Operations of SOLshare, Aziza is leading the field operations, sales, aftersales, customer-relations, and production unit and has played a major role in establishing SOLshare in the local energy market in Bangladesh. Aziza holds a Masters on Geology and Mining from Rajshahi University and a Masters of Business Administration from BRAC University.
Hannes Kirchhoff grew up in Germany and the U.S. and has lived in South Africa, Tanzania, and Bangladesh. He is an energy and process engineer by background, holds a master’s degree in renewable energy systems engineering, and pursues a Ph.D. on DC microgrids. As the CTO of SOLshare he is responsible for the provision of prepaid and energy-exchange platforms for energy access technologies.
Hannes has worked as a technical consultant for MicroEnergy International (Germany) on several projects in Asia and Africa undertaking technology, supplier and value chain assessments. Previously, Hannes worked for CAMCO (Tanzania), Schott Solar CSP (Germany) and the Institute for Ecological Economy Research (Germany). Hannes has authored multiple technical and non-technical international publications on the topic of swarm electrification. He was the awardee of the German National Academic Foundation as well as a scholar of the national Ph.D. program of the Federal Ministry of Education Germany. Hannes is involved in the standardization work in IEEE and IEC, has co-authored the VDE DKE “Low-voltage direct current standardization roadmap” has served in IEC system evaluation groups and is a member of the IEC System Committee Low Voltage Direct Current (SyC LVDC).
Syed Ishtiaque Ahmed completed his Master of Business Administration in Finance from the Institute of Business Administration (IBA), the University of Dhaka in 2003 and Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical & Electronics from Chittagong University of Engineering & Technology, Bangladesh in 1994. So far in his career, he has worked with several renowned organizations like Rahimafrooz, Bangladesh Power Development Board, Linde Bangladesh Ltd., etc.
Before joining us, he served Rahimafrooz Renewable Energy Ltd. as the Head, Offgrid.
Daniel Ciganovic holds a Master’s Degree in Economics from the University of Trier with a specialization in Monetary Economics and Social Psychology. He has more than ten years of experience in business development and international development projects and has worked in Germany, Serbia, and Bangladesh. As Co-Founder and CFO of SOLshare, Daniel is leading the business as well as SOLshare’s development activities and is overseeing our financials.
He moved to Dhaka, Bangladesh in January 2015, and has played a major role in the fast development of SOLshare with a focus on product market fit, operational and business model development. Before joining SOLshare, Daniel worked as an independent consultant for IT Start-Ups in Germany. He then worked in the development sector as a consultant for MicroEnergy International in Germany as well as the KfW Development Bank and GIZ in Serbia, where he was involved in energy and private sector development projects.
Isa Abrar has more than 10 years of experience in technology through his previous roles. Prior to SOLshare he has led sBusiness.xyz (Sheba Platform Ltd), a B2B SAAS company, several large-scale ICT projects with Bikroy.com, Samsung Electronics as a Product Manager for IT Products and local esteemed conglomerate aamra Companies.
Abrar has completed his Bachelors at the American International University – Bangladesh (AIUB), with a Summa Cumm Laude.
Eshrat Waris is a product development and business strategy specialist based in Bangladesh’s technology sector. She is the Business Designer at SOLshare – a P2P energy trading platform serving off-grid rural communities. Previously, she led the Technology for Development team of the Skills Development Programme at BRAC, where she deployed solutions for customers in the informal economy.
Prior to joining BRAC, Eshrat was at the World Bank headquarters working on social protection, urban and governance issues. She pursued her higher and graduate education at the United World College in Wales, Warwick University and the School of Advanced International Studies of Johns Hopkins University.
Advisory Board - Shareholders
Advisory Board - Shareholders
Educated and trained in Silicon Valley, Sonia lived in Northern California for 20 years. After completing her MBA, she worked in the Valley for Fortune 100 companies (Sun Microsystems & Oracle), and startups & in the financial district. Her expertise includes strategic planning & growth, sales execution, financial management, team building, and change management.
Sonia was the Managing Director for Microsoft Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and Laos prior to starting SBK Tech Ventures. She is also the Founder, Chairman, and CEO of SBK Foundation, her non-profit entity that believes in empowering rural communities with technology; Global Chair IT services and Innovation at G100,: Group of 100 Global Women Leaders, Vice Chairman and Co-Founder of D Money (Fin-Tech start-up), Vice Chairperson of United Nations Governing Council Technology Bank for Least Developed Countries, Vice President and Co-Founder of Bangladesh Women in Technology (BWIT). Sonia is also the Founder and President of TiE Dhaka (www.tie.org). Sonia has been recognized as a 2017 SDG pioneer by the UN Global Compact and is the recipient of the 2016 Founders Award by Bill Gates.
Shahriar Ahmed Chowdhury, Founding Director of the Centre for Energy Research of the United International University, Dhaka, is one of the pioneers of Renewable Energy Research and Education in Bangladesh. He is an Electrical and Electronic Engineer by profession and had his MSc. in Renewable Energy from Germany. He has working experience in the Bangladesh Power sector for over a decade (BPDB and DESA from 1997 – 2007).
He has supported Infrastructure Development Company Limited (IDCOL) as a Technical Consultant in the majority of their Solar Photovoltaic (PV)-based projects, including Technical Auditing of SHS, developing concepts and designing of Solar PV based irrigation systems, mini-grids (having designed more than 30 solar hybrid mini-grids for rural off-grid area electrification), reviewing TSC standard of IDCOL’s SHS, solar street lighting programs, testing of PV panels. He has developed a solar PV-based mini-grid laboratory (funded by the World Bank) at his University where he is conducting research on different aspects of solar PV-based technologies (both grid-tied and off-grid).
Educated and trained in Silicon Valley, Sonia lived in Northern California for 20 years. After completing her MBA, she worked in the Valley for Fortune 100 companies (Sun Microsystems & Oracle), and startups & in the financial district. Her expertise includes strategic planning & growth, sales execution, financial management, team building, and change management.
Sonia was the Managing Director for Microsoft Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and Laos prior to starting SBK Tech Ventures. She is also the Founder, Chairman, and CEO of SBK Foundation, her non-profit entity that believes in empowering rural communities with technology; Global Chair IT services and Innovation at G100,: Group of 100 Global Women Leaders, Vice Chairman and Co-Founder of D Money (Fin-Tech start-up), Vice Chairperson of United Nations Governing Council Technology Bank for Least Developed Countries, Vice President and Co-Founder of Bangladesh Women in Technology (BWIT). Sonia is also the Founder and President of TiE Dhaka (www.tie.org). Sonia has been recognized as a 2017 SDG pioneer by the UN Global Compact and is the recipient of the 2016 Founders Award by Bill Gates.
Shahriar Ahmed Chowdhury, Founding Director of the Centre for Energy Research of the United International University, Dhaka, is one of the pioneers of Renewable Energy Research and Education in Bangladesh. He is an Electrical and Electronic Engineer by profession and had his MSc. in Renewable Energy from Germany. He has working experience in the Bangladesh Power sector for over a decade (BPDB and DESA from 1997 – 2007).
He has supported Infrastructure Development Company Limited (IDCOL) as a Technical Consultant in the majority of their Solar Photovoltaic (PV)-based projects, including Technical Auditing of SHS, developing concepts and designing of Solar PV based irrigation systems, mini-grids (having designed more than 30 solar hybrid mini-grids for rural off-grid area electrification), reviewing TSC standard of IDCOL’s SHS, solar street lighting programs, testing of PV panels. He has developed a solar PV-based mini-grid laboratory (funded by the World Bank) at his University where he is conducting research on different aspects of solar PV-based technologies (both grid-tied and off-grid).
Karthik Chandrasekar, in June 2012 took charge of a project to create an early-stage fund with a more than money approach to drive access to energy in emerging markets in partnership with Shell Foundation which is now Sangam Ventures. Karthik contributes actively to the seed early-stage cleantech ecosystem in India as part of the mentor/jury panel in the GEF-UNIDO Global Cleantech Innovation Program, the Lockheed Martin Innovation Growth program, the Millennium Alliance program, The ET Power of Ideas program, and the TiE Delhi Clean Technology SIG.
Prior to Sangam, he led clean-tech investments in India for Acumen Fund. During his time at Acumen, he was focused on providing risk capital to companies providing products and services to the poor and engaged with portfolio companies at the board level to provide strategic advice and governance. Prior to Acumen, Karthik was with TVS Capital Funds where he focused on developing an investment thesis for providing basic services in water, energy, and agriculture for inclusive growth. As part of the fund MD’s initiative, he also assisted CII and Prof. C.K. Prahalad in developing a vision for India@75. During his initial career in the US and UK, Karthik worked in the banking and financial services sector with Goldman Sachs and Merrill Lynch in their Investment Banking and Private Client groups. Karthik holds an MBA from Chicago Booth, MS in Public Policy from Carnegie Mellon, and a B. Tech from IIT Bombay.
Managing Director of the German company MicroEnergy International, Noara is an experienced senior energy consultant with more than 20 years of expertise in energy engineering and energy economics, inclusive finance and strategic business development, policy assessment, and design, project implementation and monitoring. Working alongside energy companies, financial institutions, and policymakers,
Mrs. Kebir aims at implementing the Bottom-Up Global Energy Transformation by placing those who live in structural poverty at the center of technical innovations, customized end-user financing, policy initiatives, and academic research. Mrs. Kebir graduated in 2004 from the Technical University Berlin with a BSc. and MSc. in Process and Energy Engineering.
Karthik Chandrasekar, in June 2012 took charge of a project to create an early-stage fund with a more than money approach to drive access to energy in emerging markets in partnership with Shell Foundation which is now Sangam Ventures. Karthik contributes actively to the seed early-stage cleantech ecosystem in India as part of the mentor/jury panel in the GEF-UNIDO Global Cleantech Innovation Program, the Lockheed Martin Innovation Growth program, the Millennium Alliance program, The ET Power of Ideas program, and the TiE Delhi Clean Technology SIG.
Prior to Sangam, he led clean-tech investments in India for Acumen Fund. During his time at Acumen, he was focused on providing risk capital to companies providing products and services to the poor and engaged with portfolio companies at the board level to provide strategic advice and governance. Prior to Acumen, Karthik was with TVS Capital Funds where he focused on developing an investment thesis for providing basic services in water, energy, and agriculture for inclusive growth. As part of the fund MD’s initiative, he also assisted CII and Prof. C.K. Prahalad in developing a vision for India@75. During his initial career in the US and UK, Karthik worked in the banking and financial services sector with Goldman Sachs and Merrill Lynch in their Investment Banking and Private Client groups. Karthik holds an MBA from Chicago Booth, MS in Public Policy from Carnegie Mellon, and a B. Tech from IIT Bombay.
Managing Director of the German company MicroEnergy International, Noara is an experienced senior energy consultant with more than 20 years of expertise in energy engineering and energy economics, inclusive finance and strategic business development, policy assessment, and design, project implementation and monitoring. Working alongside energy companies, financial institutions, and policymakers,
Mrs. Kebir aims at implementing the Bottom-Up Global Energy Transformation by placing those who live in structural poverty at the center of technical innovations, customized end-user financing, policy initiatives, and academic research. Mrs. Kebir graduated in 2004 from the Technical University Berlin with a BSc. and MSc. in Process and Energy Engineering.
Daniel Philipp has more than 20 years of experience in energy engineering and economics, strategic business development, technology design, clean energy technologies (CET) implementation, testing of standards for CETs, supervision of CET installation and testing, monitoring, and impact evaluation. Since 1995, he has been involved with microcredits for developing aid policy. In 2002/2003 he conducted research in cooperation with the Technische Universität Berlin on the enterprise Grameen Shakti (GS) in Bangladesh, together with GS’s loan officers on how green microloans can be disbursed for SHS.
Ever since, he has tried to replicate through different technical assistance programs the Bangladeshi model of linking CETs with affordable financing in countries such as the Philippines, Peru, Tanzania, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Ghana, and Ethiopia. He possesses a deep understanding of the complexity of the supply chains of CETs in different socioeconomic and cultural contexts. He has been involved in technical and financial due diligences of PAYG companies in West and East Africa. He has a combined BSc. and MSc. in Process and Energy Engineering at the Technical University in Berlin, and is currently leading the MicroEnergy Systems Postgraduate School within the Technical University Berlin. Mr. Philipp is fluent in German (his mother tongue) and proficient in English and Spanish. The ME in the SOLshare name indicates the strong affiliation of SOLshare being born out of the ME family. SOLshare’s founders all started working in the energy access space.
Dr. Schüning holds a Ph.D. in Business Administration. From 2004 to 2009 he was the CFO of Q.Cells SE, where one of his achievements was his contribution to the solar company´s successful IPO. In recent years Dr. Schüning has been active in helping to launch various startup enterprises in the solar industry. Prior to his engagement in the solar energy industry, Dr. Schüning worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers and was a Board Member at Edding AG and Techs AG.
Daniel Philipp has more than 20 years of experience in energy engineering and economics, strategic business development, technology design, clean energy technologies (CET) implementation, testing of standards for CETs, supervision of CET installation and testing, monitoring, and impact evaluation. Since 1995, he has been involved with microcredits for developing aid policy. In 2002/2003 he conducted research in cooperation with the Technische Universität Berlin on the enterprise Grameen Shakti (GS) in Bangladesh, together with GS’s loan officers on how green microloans can be disbursed for SHS.
Ever since, he has tried to replicate through different technical assistance programs the Bangladeshi model of linking CETs with affordable financing in countries such as the Philippines, Peru, Tanzania, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Ghana, and Ethiopia. He possesses a deep understanding of the complexity of the supply chains of CETs in different socioeconomic and cultural contexts. He has been involved in technical and financial due diligences of PAYG companies in West and East Africa. He has a combined BSc. and MSc. in Process and Energy Engineering at the Technical University in Berlin, and is currently leading the MicroEnergy Systems Postgraduate School within the Technical University Berlin. Mr. Philipp is fluent in German (his mother tongue) and proficient in English and Spanish. The ME in the SOLshare name indicates the strong affiliation of SOLshare being born out of the ME family. SOLshare’s founders all started working in the energy access space.
Dr. Schüning holds a Ph.D. in Business Administration. From 2004 to 2009 he was the CFO of Q.Cells SE, where one of his achievements was his contribution to the solar company´s successful IPO. In recent years Dr. Schüning has been active in helping to launch various startup enterprises in the solar industry. Prior to his engagement in the solar energy industry, Dr. Schüning worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers and was a Board Member at Edding AG and Techs AG.
Mr. Reicher advises and invests in various renewable energy enterprises in developing countries. He is the Chairman of The Africa Renewable Energy Fund, which is managed by Berkeley Energy. A British national, he was educated in the UK and the US, and after an initial period of 10 years in investment banking at Citibank and Credit Suisse, he has spent the past 28 years of his career in private equity investment with Botts & Company, Credit Suisse, CDC/Actis, and Berkeley Energy.
Advisory Board – Honorary Members
Dr. Daniel M. Kammen
Director of Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory (RAEL) University of California, Berkeley, Former Science Envoy at U.S. Department of State; Class of ‘35 Distinguished Chair in Energy, University of California, Berkeley
Dr. Daniel M. Kammen is a Professor of Energy at the University of California, Berkeley, with parallel appointments in the Energy and Resources Group, the Goldman School of Public Policy, and the Department of Nuclear Engineering. He was appointed by then Secretary of State Hilary Clinton in April 2010 as the first energy fellow of the new Environment and Climate Partnership for the Americas (ECPA) initiative. In 2016 he was asked to serve as the Science Envoy for U. S. Secretary of State John Kerry, which he did until August 2017 when he resigned over the policies and actions of Donald Trump. Dr. Kammen is the founding director of the Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory (RAEL), and was Director of the Transportation Sustainability Research Center from 2007 – 2015.
He has founded or is on the board of over 10 companies, and has served the State of California and the US federal government in expert and advisory capacities, including time at the US Environmental Protection Agency, the US Department of Energy, the Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Office of Science and Technology Policy. Dr. Kammen was educated in physics at Cornell (BA 1984) and Harvard (MA 1986; Ph.D. 1988), and held postdoctoral positions at the California Institute of Technology and Harvard. He was an Assistant Professor and Chair of the Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy Program at the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University before moving to the University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Kammen has served as a contributing or coordinating lead author on various reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change since 1999. The IPCC shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.
Dr. Kammen helped found over 10 companies. During 2010-2011 Dr. Kammen served as the World Bank Group’s first Chief Technical Specialist for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency.
Dan was Sebastian’s Ph.D. father, and therefore, knows SOLshare from its roots. He is a strong international ally and has also lobbied within Bangladesh for a more renewable energy future for the country.
Mashuque Ahmed FCA is a finance and accounting expert with 20+ years of experience in the financial landscape of corporate Bangladesh. As the Managing Partner at Ahmed Mashuque & Co., he excels in accounting, taxation, financial management, auditing, and feasibility studies. With a Master’s in Accounting from the University of Dhaka and a strong track record at companies like MGH Group and ACI Limited, Mashuque Ahmed is a dedicated professional whose insights and leadership have consistently driven financial success. He is also a fellow member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bangladesh.
Advisory Board – Honorary Members
Dr. Daniel M. Kammen
Director of Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory (RAEL) University of California, Berkeley, Former Science Envoy at U.S. Department of State; Class of ‘35 Distinguished Chair in Energy, University of California, Berkeley
Dr. Daniel M. Kammen is a Professor of Energy at the University of California, Berkeley, with parallel appointments in the Energy and Resources Group, the Goldman School of Public Policy, and the Department of Nuclear Engineering. He was appointed by then Secretary of State Hilary Clinton in April 2010 as the first energy fellow of the new Environment and Climate Partnership for the Americas (ECPA) initiative. In 2016 he was asked to serve as the Science Envoy for U. S. Secretary of State John Kerry, which he did until August 2017 when he resigned over the policies and actions of Donald Trump. Dr. Kammen is the founding director of the Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory (RAEL), and was Director of the Transportation Sustainability Research Center from 2007 – 2015.
He has founded or is on the board of over 10 companies, and has served the State of California and the US federal government in expert and advisory capacities, including time at the US Environmental Protection Agency, the US Department of Energy, the Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Office of Science and Technology Policy. Dr. Kammen was educated in physics at Cornell (BA 1984) and Harvard (MA 1986; Ph.D. 1988), and held postdoctoral positions at the California Institute of Technology and Harvard. He was an Assistant Professor and Chair of the Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy Program at the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University before moving to the University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Kammen has served as a contributing or coordinating lead author on various reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change since 1999. The IPCC shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.
Dr. Kammen helped found over 10 companies. During 2010-2011 Dr. Kammen served as the World Bank Group’s first Chief Technical Specialist for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency.
Dan was Sebastian’s Ph.D. father, and therefore, knows SOLshare from its roots. He is a strong international ally and has also lobbied within Bangladesh for a more renewable energy future for the country.
Mashuque Ahmed FCA is a finance and accounting expert with 20+ years of experience in the financial landscape of corporate Bangladesh. As the Managing Partner at Ahmed Mashuque & Co., he excels in accounting, taxation, financial management, auditing, and feasibility studies. With a Master’s in Accounting from the University of Dhaka and a strong track record at companies like MGH Group and ACI Limited, Mashuque Ahmed is a dedicated professional whose insights and leadership have consistently driven financial success. He is also a fellow member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bangladesh.
Dr. Daniel M. Kammen
Director of Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory (RAEL) University of California, Berkeley, Former Science Envoy at U.S. Department of State; Class of ‘35 Distinguished Chair in Energy, University of California, Berkeley
Dr. Daniel M. Kammen is a Professor of Energy at the University of California, Berkeley, with parallel appointments in the Energy and Resources Group, the Goldman School of Public Policy, and the Department of Nuclear Engineering. He was appointed by then Secretary of State Hilary Clinton in April 2010 as the first energy fellow of the new Environment and Climate Partnership for the Americas (ECPA) initiative. In 2016 he was asked to serve as the Science Envoy for U. S. Secretary of State John Kerry, which he did until August 2017 when he resigned over the policies and actions of Donald Trump. Dr. Kammen is the founding director of the Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory (RAEL), and was Director of the Transportation Sustainability Research Center from 2007 – 2015.
He has founded or is on the board of over 10 companies, and has served the State of California and the US federal government in expert and advisory capacities, including time at the US Environmental Protection Agency, the US Department of Energy, the Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Office of Science and Technology Policy. Dr. Kammen was educated in physics at Cornell (BA 1984) and Harvard (MA 1986; Ph.D. 1988), and held postdoctoral positions at the California Institute of Technology and Harvard. He was an Assistant Professor and Chair of the Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy Program at the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University before moving to the University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Kammen has served as a contributing or coordinating lead author on various reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change since 1999. The IPCC shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.
Dr. Kammen helped found over 10 companies. During 2010-2011 Dr. Kammen served as the World Bank Group’s first Chief Technical Specialist for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency.
Dan was Sebastian’s Ph.D. father, and therefore, knows SOLshare from its roots. He is a strong international ally and has also lobbied within Bangladesh for a more renewable energy future for the country.
Mashuque Ahmed FCA is a finance and accounting expert with 20+ years of experience in the financial landscape of corporate Bangladesh. As the Managing Partner at Ahmed Mashuque & Co., he excels in accounting, taxation, financial management, auditing, and feasibility studies. With a Master’s in Accounting from the University of Dhaka and a strong track record at companies like MGH Group and ACI Limited, Mashuque Ahmed is a dedicated professional whose insights and leadership have consistently driven financial success. He is also a fellow member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bangladesh.
HISTORY
While having worked as a consultant for many years around the globe with the goal of bringing together microfinance and decentralized energy supply, as well as dwelled in scientific research throughout his Ph.D. on the role of energy in development processes, Dr. Sebastian Groh was exposed to a variety of innovative energy solutions, and their shortcomings. He was most amazed by the solar home system program in Bangladesh with 85,000 systems installed in the single month of November 2014 when he first came there.
Along with a couple of colleagues, they found that among the millions of systems in the field there is a vast amount of excess energy (up to 30%) and at the same time everybody needs more power but is constrained by their system respective system design. It became clear then that access to electricity is critical for a remote village, but it is the flexibility and profitability of energy usage that provides the key ingredient for innovation and change leading to sustainable development in a wider sense.
Access to electricity is also crucial but more so than that is the flexibility and profitability behind energy usage that leads to real change towards sustainable development. Presently, with 2.5 million electric vehicles on the road, the country is hosting yet another booming market. However, the current charging infrastructure makes for shorter battery time with higher interest rates, barring EV drivers from reaching their full potential income.
And thus, SOLshare was born out of a call to serve the lowest echelon of society, providing safe and affordable models for providing electricity through our revolutionary approach to mobilizing energy and transport, managing power flows efficiently between devices via P2P technology.
