Little Sun

What Little Sun does

Little Sun is a private social enterprise founded in 2012 by artist Olafur Eliasson and engineer Frederik Ottesen, headquartered in Berlin with operating entities in Zambia and the United States. Through 2024, the company's core product was a line of portable solar lamps (Original, Charge, Diamond) using solar photovoltaic cells paired with LiFePO4 rechargeable batteries designed for a five-year service life; these were sold globally through e-commerce, museum and art-store retail partners, and humanitarian channels, with the original "buy-one-give-one" model cross-subsidizing distribution to off-grid African communities.

In December 2024, Little Sun discontinued lamp production and pivoted exclusively to operating Community Energy Hubs in Zambia. The hub is a solar-powered agricultural productivity site that combines specialized solar milk chillers with quality testing and digital monitoring, enabling smallholder dairy farmers in Chibombo and Mumbwa to aggregate and sell raw milk to formal dairy buyers that previously could not be served due to spoilage. The model targets 200 hubs serving 7,600 farmers by 2035, up from a single hub launched in April 2024.

Little Sun operates a hybrid revenue model spanning hardware sales (now ending), charitable donations to Little Sun Foundation e.V. (Germany) and Little Sun Inc. (US 501(c)(3)), and service revenue from hub operations (milk testing, cooling, market linkage). It maintains deep institutional partnerships with UNHCR, IOM, Oxfam, Save the Children, IKEA Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, USAID Power Africa, UNDP, GOGLA, and SEforALL. The company employs 102 people and reports cumulative impact of 1.65 million products distributed, 4.88 million people reached, 1.27 million tonnes of CO2eq avoided, and $203 million in household energy savings.

Name

Little Sun

Legal name

LittleSun GmbH

Website

https://littlesun.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Little Sun is a Berlin-based social enterprise that operates solar-powered Community Energy Hubs in Zambia, providing smallholder dairy farmers with milk cooling, testing, and access to formal markets. It pivoted from portable solar lamp distribution to agritech services in 2025.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Solar Agricultural Services

NAICS

Solar Electric Power Generation (221114), Support Activities for Crop Production (11511), Farm Management Services (115116)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700), Refrigeration & Service Industry Machinery (3580)

akta.pro primary industry

Solar Distribution & Wholesale Supply (Channel, Procurement, Logistics) (EUAMABAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Solar EPC & Construction (Utility-Scale, Rooftop, Balance of System) (EUAMABAB), Solar Mounting, Racking & Trackers (Fixed-Tilt, Single/Dual-Axis, Rooftop Mounts) (EUAMABAF), Solar Design, Engineering & Performance Software (PV Modeling, Digital Twins, Monitoring) (EUAMABAH)

Keywords

• Solar energy products
• Off-grid solar solutions
• Agricultural solar services
• Solar milk cooling
• Community energy hubs

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Solar Product Sales: Sale of Little Sun branded solar lamps (Original, Charge, Diamond), solar home systems, and related solar products to consumers and distributors worldwide. A dual-model where products sold in developed markets help subsidize affordable pricing for off-grid communities.
2. Donations and Grants: Little Sun Foundation e.V. (Germany) and Little Sun Inc. (US 501(c)3) receive charitable donations to fund impact programs, with donations at €5,000+ enabling membership in The Current donor network.
3. Agritech Services (Community Energy Hubs): Community Energy Hubs provide solar-powered milk cooling and testing services to farmers, generating income through market linkage fees and operational sustainability.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Little Sun operates solar-powered Community Energy Hubs in Zambia that provide smallholder dairy farmers with milk cooling, milk-quality testing, and bulk market access to formal buyers. Historically, the company designed, manufactured, and distributed portable solar lamps and phone chargers (Little Sun Original, Charge, and Diamond) globally to off-grid households and humanitarian partners, but it ended production and sales of the lamp line by the end of 2024 to focus exclusively on the hub-based service model.

Product overview

Little Sun is a solar energy social business offering a portfolio of physical solar-powered products and services. The core offering historically included portable solar lamps (Original, Charge, Diamond) designed for off-grid communities. Since 2024, the company has pivoted exclusively to operating Community Energy Hubs in Zambia—solar-powered agricultural productivity centers that combine solar-powered milk chillers and quality testing to connect smallholder farmers with formal dairy markets. The company also provides free solar education materials for schools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Little Sun Original: Solar lamp product; weather-resistant portable solar light
• Little Sun Charge
• Little Sun Diamond

Products and services

• Community Energy Hub Solar-powered Community Energy Hubs in Zambia that provide smallholder dairy farmers with milk cooling, milk-quality testing, and bulk collective market access to formal dairy buyers. Hubs serve approximately 500 farmers each and integrate photovoltaic generation with milk-chilling cold storage, quality testing equipment, and digital monitoring. Targeted at smallholder farmer cooperatives and individual farmers lacking grid electricity, refrigeration, and direct buyer access.
• Solar-Powered Milk Chillers Vacuum-insulated, solar-driven milk chillers deployed within Community Energy Hubs to rapidly cool freshly expressed milk, preserve quality, and meet temperature standards required by formal dairy buyers. Designed for off-grid use by smallholder dairy farming operations without reliable electricity access.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4.8 million people empowered with improved energy access
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• UNHCR (UN Refugee Agency)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to distribute solar lamps to refugees and displaced persons in camps across multiple countries.
• IOM (International Organization for Migration)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHumanitarian aid partnership distributing solar devices to internally displaced people and migrants.
• OxfammajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for solar lamp distribution in humanitarian response contexts.
• Save the ChildrenmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHumanitarian distribution partnership reaching children and families in crisis situations.
• GOGLA (Global Off-Grid Lighting Association)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry association partnership providing impact measurement standards and market development.
• USAID Power AfricamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUS government initiative supporting energy access programs in Africa.
• UNDPmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUN development agency partnership for sustainable energy access.
• Solar Development PLC (Ethiopia)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIn-country partner managing Little Sun distribution and sales operations in Ethiopia.
• JLF Enterprise (Senegal)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal partner managing solar projects and distribution in Senegal.
• One Acre Fund (Burundi)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgricultural nonprofit partnership delivering solar-powered milling services to smallholder farmers.
• Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal initiative working to accelerate SDG7 (clean energy access) partnerships.
• Octopus Energy GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGreen energy technology partner enabling the Grace of the Sun art installation at COP26.
• MTArt AgencyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSustainable art production agency supporting Little Sun's cultural campaigns.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• M-KOPA: M-KOPA provides PAYG solar home systems and connected productive-use appliances (TVs, fridges, e-mobility) to off-grid customers in East Africa. Comparable as a high-scale off-grid solar financing and distribution platform serving similar smallholder and low-income customers.
• BBOXX: BBOXX provides PAYG solar home systems and clean energy solutions to off-grid customers across Africa and Asia using data-driven remote monitoring. Comparable for its off-grid solar product distribution model and emerging-markets customer focus.
• Sun King (Greenlight Planet): Greenlight Planet (Sun King) sells PAYG solar lanterns, home systems, and clean cookstoves across Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia through a large agent network. Directly comparable as a global off-grid solar distribution company with similar product portfolio and customer base.
• Sistema.bio: Sistema.bio provides biodigesters and biogas-powered appliances to smallholder farmers in Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Comparable for its productive-use clean energy model targeting smallholder farmers and creating agricultural value-chain benefits.
• Fenix International (ENGIE): Fenix International, now part of ENGIE, pioneered PAYG solar home systems in Uganda and East Africa. Comparable for its PAYG solar model serving off-grid households and its scale pathway through acquisition by a major energy player.
• d.light: d.light designs, manufactures, and distributes affordable solar lanterns, phone chargers, and solar home systems for off-grid households across Africa and Asia. Directly comparable as a pay-as-you-go and distribution-led solar energy access company targeting similar smallholder customers.
• BioLite: BioLite manufactures clean energy products (solar lanterns, home systems, biomass cookstoves) for off-grid households in emerging markets, with parallel outdoor-recreation distribution in developed markets. Comparable for its dual developed-market / off-grid distribution model and durable solar lantern product line.
• Zola Electric: Zola Electric offers off-grid and hybrid solar-plus-storage solutions across Sub-Saharan Africa. Comparable as an Africa-focused off-grid solar distribution and energy services provider targeting similar rural customer segments.

Emerging players

• ColdHubs: ColdHubs operates solar-powered walk-in cold rooms for smallholder farmers in Nigeria to reduce postharvest losses. Comparable for its solar-powered productive-use infrastructure serving smallholder farmers, though focused on cold storage rather than dairy aggregation.
• SolarAid: SolarAid is a nonprofit distributing small solar lights across Sub-Saharan Africa via the Sunny Money social enterprise. Comparable as a mission-driven solar distribution organization with overlapping donor networks and target customers, but operates as a charity rather than a commercial social business.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/LittleSunOrg
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@LittleSunEnergy
• Facebookfacebook.com/littlesunorg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/littlesunorg
• Instagraminstagram.com/littlesunorg

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Little Sun