Kevin Brett
Case Western Reserve University - Weatherhead School of Management
Chris Laszlo
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Sunport is an outlet plug that allows consumers to utilize solar energy from anywhere utilizing any device. It accomplishes this through its patented Via.Solar platform which harnesses solar renewable energy certificates to ensure the energy source being utilized is based in solar energy. The combination of the product and the platform creates an interface so consumers can harness solar energy wherever they go. The Sunport technology acts as a Bluetooth device which communicates to the platform application on the user’s phone. Sunport delivers these capabilities to consumers for a low cost of $60 per plug, making it an affordable option for consumers looking to increase their own positive impact and decrease their use of non-renewable, fossil fuel energy sources.
Sunport, the consumer technology support subsidiary product of Veeyah LLC, is relatively young, but its founders have had hands in electric energy for the past 20 years. Co-founders Don Hicks and Paul Droege were focused on the notion that consumers wanted easier access to renewable energy but knew it wasn’t easy for even the most impassioned green-energy advocates to get their hands on solar. Hicks recounted a time when he and Droege were at a Solar Energy Conference in Southern California, years ago. “We asked the audience, how many had direct access to solar energy, and only a handful raised their hands," he stressed. Hicks felt the need to develop a product that eliminated some of the entry barriers consumers experienced around solar power and renewable energy. The true ingenuity of this idea comes from utilizing the solar renewable energy credits to connect consumers to solar power. Though the concept of harnessing solar panels through an electrical outlet, Hicks explained the process in terms of something we do all the time. “Say you go to an ATM in Ohio and deposit a $20 dollar bill. Then, you come to Albuquerque and take out $20 dollars. Is it the same bill? No, but you’re still entitled to that money. You own it.” Using their expertise and the Veeyah platform, Droege and Hicks were able to use this logic to combine the digital platform, the energy credits and the SunPort into a profitable, renewable energy opportunity.
Sunport technology’s greatest impact is its ability to meet the increased demand for solar energy. Now, it is possible for any consumer with access to electricity to use solar power for their everyday devices. Just as Tesla is planning to increase the demand for electric cars by making them available to consumers with the Model X, Sunport is doing the same for solar energy. With every Sunport device purchased, the demand for and awareness of accessible solar energy increases and SunPort is able to turn a profit to sustain the technology.
Though Veeyah is a small company with both business and consumer technology support products, Sunport plug and the assisting platform have contributed $244,000 in yearly revenue. More importantly, Sunport has eliminated the barrier to entry that consumers once faced when it came to the Veeyah platform. Sunport benefits the business by creating a scalable, low cost, tangible device to supplement its platform while creating branding opportunities for solar and Sunport simultaneously.
The social and environmental benefits of Sunport go far beyond the course of everyday business. Sunport not only supports the demand for solar energy, but creates an immense branding opportunity for the Veeyah platform and surrounding products. From an environmental and social standpoint, the impact is simple: Sunport is a groundbreaking innovation making renewable solar energy as easy as plugging in.
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Don Hicks, Co-founder
