Class of 2012 graduate Ryan Ahearn is making tremendous strides as president and founder of JikoPower Inc., which aims to help everyone “safely light their homes, provide for their families and be connected.”

The student-led startup recently announced plans to test their invention, the JikoPower Spark, in Kenya. The device converts wasted energy from cookstoves and fires into electricity which can be used to charge cellphones, LED lights and other small devices.

“With access to electricity, people no longer depend on dangerous kerosene for light and they don’t have to travel great distances or pay exorbitant fees to charge a cellphone,” Ryan said. “In places like Kenya, 80 percent of people have cellphones, but only 20 percent can charge them.”

The company’s innovative idea for the JikoPower Spark won them first place at the 2016 University of Washington Business Plan Competition in May. The Herbert B. Jones Foundation awarded them $25,000, which the company plans to use to provide sustainable energy to people without electricity.

We at FSCJ are extremely proud of Ryan’s success. To learn more about JikoPower’s progress and plans to help provide electricity to people in Kenya, click here.