About BioLite

BioLite is on a mission to bring Energy Everywhere™ with revolutionary products that transform the way we Cook, Charge and Light our lives off the grid. We are a team of engineers and designers, operators and analysts, story tellers and evangelists, who believe that advanced technologies, built on sustainable business practices, have the power to change the world. Our unique Parallel Innovation business model pairs the needs of families living in energy poverty with the passions of outdoor enthusiasts pushing the boundaries of life outdoors and on the go.

Our founders, Jonathan and Alec, met at Smart Design in New York City where they quickly bonded over their interest in sustainable design. Alec, frustrated that almost all efficient camping stoves required fossil fuels, had the idea of a wood-burning stove able to utilize its own thermal energy to improve combustion. Jonathan, an avid camper, quickly brought his engineering background to the table and the two began the design process. Countless nights, weekends, and prototypes later, the BioLite CampStove was born: a portable biomass stove that leveraged thermoelectrics to create a smokeless fire all while charging personal devices.

A Mission Ignited

In 2008, Jonathan and Alec took their working prototype to a combustion conference where they discovered their technology could have an impact: half the planet lives in energy poverty, lacking safe and reliable ways to cook, charge, and light their lives; three billion people cook over smoky open fires every day, leading to 4 million premature deaths annually. It was with these shocking numbers that Jonathan and Alec committed to building a business capable of bringing safe, affordable energy to those who needed it most. Based on the same heat-to-electricity technology as the CampStove, The BioLite HomeStove, is a large format biomass cookstove that cuts fuel consumption in half and reduces toxic emissions by ninety percent, all while charging mobile phones or LED lights. But to bring this technology to life, they needed a business to make it happen.

WATCH: Our Mission

To solve a challenge as big as energy poverty, we need a business model that can operate at the same scale as the problem. We believe that bringing energy access to half the planet will require a business that scales on the value it delvers to its customers, not on philanthropy. To achieve this, BioLite operates using a unique business model called Parallel Innovation: our team incubates core energy technologies and then turns them into products unique to our outdoor and emerging markets customers. Revenues from our outdoor markets are reinvested in building a commercially sustainable business that can bring safe, affordable energy to families living in energy poverty across India and Africa. Through the support of our recreation market customers and community, we are given the resources and runway to build a business that will bringing energy everywhere™.

The Road Ahead

Fast forward to today and our team has grown from two guys to over 80 BioLiters working across the US and Africa. We have expanded our energy ecosystem from one stove to over 20 products across cooking, charging, and lighting, and continue to design solutions that are revolutionizing the way people worldwide experience energy on a personal scale.

Distributing HomeStove in Bungoma, Kenya

Distributing HomeStove in Bungoma, Kenya

It takes a lot of work, and we want you along for the ride – check out our special series The Road To Impact, and get a behind-the-scenes look at our offices and what it really takes to bring energy everywhere.

2018 Impact Report

Last year was an exciting year of growth for us with the introduction of new products and markets that dramatically expanded our ability to help off-grid families access clean, affordable home energy. Download our 2018 Impact Report.

2006-2008 -
2006

Alec and Jonathan begin weekend project of “making a wood camping stove,” and CampStove proof of concept is born.

2009 -
2009

Jonathan and Alec learn about clean cookstove movement and HomeStove work begins; BioLite bifurcates the business and develops Parallel Innovation model.

2012 -
2012

BioLite hits the market and CampStoves ship to customers around the world.

2013 -
2013

Pilot programs begin for the launch of the BioLite HomeStove across India and Uganda.

2015 -
2015

BioLite expands beyond stoves into lighting with the launch of the NanoGrid system featuring breakthrough edge-lighting technology.

2015 -
2015

BioLite’s emission-reducing HomeStove is issued carbon credits for its performance; BioLite uses the first batch of credits to erase its entire carbon history and commit to carbon neutrality for the future of the company.

2006-2008 -
2016

BioLite extends its Energy Ecosystem offering with the launch of the SolarPanel Series and expansion of The NanoGrid. Full-time HomeStove operations begin in Kenya.

2017 -
2017

BioLite raises a record $2.5M on Kickstarter with the launch of the FirePit

2017 -
2017

BioLite launches the SolarHome 620 in Kenya, bringing affordable solar lighting and charging to off-grid households.

2017 -
2018

HeadLamp 330 ushers in a new category for BioLite. Special holiday preview sells out within two weeks.

The Team

  • U.S.
    Jonathan
    Erica
    Erik
    James
    Nick
    Rob
    Ryan
    Danny
    David
    Edward
    Hayley
    Emily
    Jeanine
    Jonathan
    Joe
    Kenny
    Kevin
    Lorrie
    Matt
    Melisa
    Michael
    Mindy
    Monte
    RJ
    Ross
    Seth
    Simon
    Talia
    Tim
    Zach
  • Kenya
    Ethan
    Michael
    Kennedy
    Adamson
    Anita
    Anne
    Barbara
    Blixen
    Charles
    Diana
    Diana
    Georgina
    Gilbert
    Hesbon
    Jefferson
    Margaret
    Nicholas
    Samora
  • Uganda
    Andrew
    Faridah

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