Dr. Sebastian Groh is the driving force behind SOLshare, a solar energy startup working on energy access in Bangladesh. The episode description follows his path from Silicon Valley to Bangladesh, and the video title puts SOLshare's funding at more than $6.5 million at the time of this episode (June 2023).
In this episode Ahmed Fahad talks with Sebastian about what SOLshare does, what energy poverty means and how he came up with the idea. They look at where the company stood at the time, how many lithium batteries it has distributed, Tesla-powered auto rickshaws and the future of e-bikes in Bangladesh. Sebastian also talks about moving from investment to entrepreneurship, SOLshare's financial structure and culture, his career as an academic in Bangladesh, and how the country's startup scene has changed over ten years.
What the conversation covers
- What SOLshare does
- What energy poverty is
- How Sebastian came up with the idea
- How many lithium batteries SOLshare has distributed
- The future of e-bikes in Bangladesh
- Going from investment to entrepreneurship
- SOLshare's financial structure
- The story of Neel, SOLshare's first product manager, and the company's culture
- Building a career as an academic in Bangladesh
- How startups in Bangladesh evolved over ten years, and the future of SOLshare
The conversation is in Bangla and English.