WE CARE Solar

What WE CARE Solar does

We Care Solar is a Berkeley, California-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2010 by obstetrician Dr. Laura Stachel and solar educator Hal Aronson to address maternal mortality caused by the absence of reliable electricity in last-mile health facilities. Its core product, the Solar Suitcase, is a portable 12-volt DC solar electric system integrating photovoltaic panels, a charge controller, battery storage, LED medical lights, headlamps, fetal Dopplers, and phone-charging capability, designed specifically for off-grid maternal and newborn care environments and rated for a 10+ year service life. The current Version 3 (launched 2019, co-developed with Arrow Electronics) is manufactured by Premier Manufacturing in the United States and has been deployed in over 10,000 health facilities across 49 countries, serving more than 24 million mothers and newborns and training 42,000+ health workers.

The organization operates through three revenue streams: (1) individual clinic sponsorships at $4,000 per facility via its website; (2) corporate and foundation grants supporting the Solar Solutionaries K-12 STEM education program, where students build a Solar Suitcase Learning Kit; and (3) institutional grants and partnership funding routed through the Light Every Birth coalition, which has formalized multi-country agreements with ministries of health in Liberia, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Sierra Leone, Malawi, Nigeria, and Tanzania. Distribution is channel-based rather than transactional: UNICEF, UNFPA, UN Women, USAID, and implementing NGOs (CARE, Save the Children, Jhpiego, Pathfinder, Doctors with Africa CUAMM) act as field implementation partners, while We Care Solar maintains country offices in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Uganda, and Zimbabwe to coordinate deployment and post-installation training.

Commercially, We Care Solar is a donation-funded nonprofit; no equity, product revenue, or commercial licensing model is in use. Country-level execution is staffed by regional coordinators and program managers drawn from local health and development talent pools (e.g., former Doctors with Africa CUAMM, Clinton Health Access Initiative, Management Sciences for Health, Jhpiego personnel). Impact is documented through a randomized control trial with Harvard School of Public Health published in Global Health Science and Practice, reporting a quality-of-care shift from 42% to 88% in essential care actions and a 5-30% increase in facility deliveries following installation.

Name

WE CARE Solar

Legal name

We Care Solar

Website

https://wecaresolar.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

We Care Solar is a Berkeley-based nonprofit that designs and deploys the Solar Suitcase, a portable 12V DC solar electric system for off-grid maternal health facilities, and runs a K-12 STEM Solar Solutionaries education program. It works through ministries of health, UN agencies, and NGOs across 49 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Maternal Health Solar Equipment

NAICS

Surgical Appliance and Supplies Manufacturing (339113)

SIC

Surgical & Medical Instruments & Apparatus (3841)

akta.pro primary industry

Maternal & High-Risk Pregnancy Remote Monitoring (BP, glucose, fetal/uterine monitoring) (HLALAFAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Maternal, Neonatal & Pediatric Remote Monitoring (HLACAPAG)

Keywords

• Solar medical equipment
• Maternal health solutions
• Off-grid healthcare power
• Portable solar systems
• Health facility electrification

Headquarters

HQ city

Berkeley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Clinic Sponsorship/Donations: Individual donors sponsor health facilities at $4,000 per clinic to receive a Solar Suitcase. Donations are tax-deductible. This is the primary individual giving model.
2. Corporate/Foundation Funding Partnerships: Corporate partners fund the education program, including teacher training, curriculum development, and Solar Suitcase Learning Kit provision. Funding supports free programs for schools.
3. Government and NGO Program Partnerships: Light Every Birth initiative operates through government ministry partnerships, UN agency collaborations, and international NGO implementing partnerships to deploy Solar Suitcases at national scale.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

We Care Solar designs, manufactures, and distributes the Solar Suitcase, a portable solar-powered medical lighting and electricity system for off-grid maternal healthcare facilities. The system includes solar panels, charge controller, battery, LED medical lights, headlamps, phone chargers, and fetal Dopplers in a single 12V DC unit. The organization also offers the Solar Suitcase Learning Kit for STEM education and operates the Light Every Birth coalition initiative for national-scale deployment in seven high-maternal-mortality countries.

Product overview

We Care Solar offers a unified portfolio of solar-powered solutions focused on maternal healthcare and education. The core offerings include the Solar Suitcase (for healthcare facilities) and the Solar Suitcase Learning Kit (for educational settings) — both portable 12-volt DC solar power systems. These are complemented by the Light Every Birth initiative, a country-wide deployment program targeting maternal health facilities in seven high-mortality countries, and the Solar Solutionaries® Program, which brings hands-on solar STEM education to students. The products work together to address energy poverty in healthcare while simultaneously building the next generation of clean energy leaders.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Solar Suitcase – Healthcare A portable solar-powered medical lighting and electricity system designed for maternal health facilities. Provides reliable power for LED medical lights, headlamps, phone chargers, fetal Dopplers, and communication devices to enable safe childbirth in off-grid environments. The system operates on 12-volt DC power and is designed for 10+ year operational lifespan.
• Solar Suitcase Learning Kit An educational version of the Solar Suitcase designed for classroom use. Students build a complete 12-volt DC solar power system while learning about solar energy, engineering, and global challenges. Used in middle and high schools for Physics, Environmental Science, Engineering, CTE, and Earth Science curricula (grades 8-12).
• Light Every Birth Initiative A coalition program targeting seven countries with high maternal mortality rates. It advocates for clean energy solutions to strengthen maternal care through partnerships with government agencies, UN agencies, and implementing organizations.
• Solar Solutionaries Program An education program that equips students with hands-on solar engineering experience and STEM learning. Students build Solar Suitcase Learning Kits while developing problem-solving skills and learning about clean energy applications in developing countries.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5-30% increase in facility deliveries and antenatal care visits after Solar Suitcase installation
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Maternity Foundation: International nonprofit focused on reducing maternal and newborn mortality in low-resource settings through the Safe Delivery App and clinical training programs. Direct peer in the maternal health mission space with similar programmatic reach in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia.
• Gradian Health Systems: Nonprofit medical device company that builds and distributes anesthesia machines, ventilators, and surgical equipment designed for low-resource hospitals in Africa and Asia. Highly comparable to We Care Solar in serving the same facility customer base with purpose-built hardware plus training and after-sales support.
• Greenlight Planet (Sun King): Global solar energy company (Sun King brand) producing pay-as-you-go solar lanterns and home systems for off-grid households in emerging markets. Direct peer in the off-grid solar product category serving similar low-income, off-grid end users through high-volume distribution networks.
• Embrace Global: Nonprofit social enterprise that designs and distributes low-cost infant warmers to newborns in low-resource health facilities worldwide. Closest direct peer to We Care Solar in terms of mission (maternal/neonatal health in off-grid facilities), nonprofit distribution model, and product-as-system approach.
• d.light: For-profit social enterprise selling solar lanterns, home solar systems, and pay-as-you-go energy products to off-grid households across Africa and Asia. Direct peer in the solar-for-emerging-markets category and increasingly a competitor in the same health-facility electrification segment We Care Solar serves.

Emerging players

• SELCO Foundation: India-based social enterprise that builds solar energy access ecosystems for underserved communities including health facilities. Comparable as a peer in clean-energy-for-healthcare delivery and last-mile energy access, though primarily India-focused.
• BURN Manufacturing: East Africa-based manufacturer of clean cookstoves and solar products designed for emerging markets. Partial overlap as a social-enterprise hardware maker with deep distribution across Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Nigeria — geographies where We Care Solar also operates.
• Solar Electric Light Fund (SELF): Nonprofit that designs and implements solar energy solutions for remote villages and health clinics in the developing world. Direct peer in the solar-electric-healthcare-facility category with overlapping donors, awards pedigree, and geographic footprint.

Broad incumbents

• PATH: Large global health innovation nonprofit operating across maternal and child health, including vaccine delivery, medical devices, and health-systems strengthening in low-resource countries. Broad incumbent with overlapping funder base (USAID, Gates Foundation) and similar country-level operating model.
• UNICEF Supply Division: World's largest single procurer of maternal, newborn, and child health supplies for low- and middle-income countries. We Care Solar is an active UNICEF implementing partner; UNICEF represents both a peer and a customer/distribution channel at scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wecaresolar
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCISIZFhXQizks9j7KdJ2sCw
• Facebookfacebook.com/WeCareSolar
• Instagraminstagram.com/WeCareSolar
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/6374907

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about WE CARE Solar