Christopher Hornor

In 2001 Christopher Founded Better Energy Systems in London. He and his team invented and patented the first solar powered mobile phone charger under the brand “SOLIO”. The Solio received worldwide recognition with well over 2million units sold within the first 4 years of operations. The company moved its operations to California to better service their corporate clients which included Apple, Vodafone, Radio shack and several other leading tech retailers.

On his first trip to Africa in 2008, Christopher saw the true need for solar solutions in Kenya. Soon after Christopher filed patents for the first pay as you go technology systems around the Solio device and set up an early pilot of 500 customers. Although Better Energy Systems did not pursue the opportunity in Africa further, Christopher saw the potential solar has but also the shortcomings of small solar solutions to solve the needs of people living without energy access. It was this experience that inspired him to turn his attention to larger scale solar microgrids.

In 2011 Christopher founded Powerhive Inc. in Berkeley CA where he developed a new software platform to manage remote microgrids in Africa. In 2012 he piloted a small scale microgrid to test the concept. Following the success of the pilot project, Powerhive Ltd rapidly scaled its operations and became Kenya’s first privately licensed electricity provider. Christopher has since developed partnerships with First Solar, Caterpillar, Total and other leading investors to further develop the platform.

Christopher pioneered the Productive Use Program to combine access to electricity with access to business training and assets for greater social impact. The programs have trained customers in the rearing and marketing of poultry products, agriculture, electric cooking and electric vehicles. These programs have had created for many, a higher more stable income supporting them with their energy bills while enabling them to generate wealth and transform enterprise in their communities. His innovative business model is revolutionizing development in rural economies across the developing world catapulting communities into a smart, clean and connected future.

Christopher has continued to cultivate partnerships across the globe which is seeing Powerhive expand to several countries across the developing world over the next few years proving his model is highly profitable and scalable while maximizing social impact.

He graduated from the University of California at Santa Barbara in 1996 with a Bachelor of Science degree