Exploring partnerships – Sunlit Future

I wandered upstairs into the Sunlit Future offices and could hear the pleasant sounds of people at work. I found myself in front of “blessings for effectivity” signed by The Mother, which Divya later told me was the original given by the Mother to their mentor, Chamanlal Gupta from Sri Aurobindo Ashram.

Rishi and Divya are the executives of Sunlit Future, a solar technology unit of Auroville that started in 2010. Sunlit Future is an offshoot of Aurore, which is a unit registered under the Centre for Scientific Research (CSR). Divya describes Sunlit Future as a “boutique” business. What this means is that instead of making a product “one size fits all and take it or leave it”, they offer solid technology and superior expertise tailor-made to a client’s particular needs. Divya says that without all the experience they got right here, in the Auroville greenbelt, they could not have branched out into India in the way they have. Their primary clients are non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and repeat customers and word-of-mouth referrals demonstrate their success. They are held in high regard in the field. “Especially Rishi,” Divya adds. “He connects with people. And he cares a lot about the work he is doing and the people who benefit.”

Sunlit Future is currently partnered with the Denmark-based Grundfos Foundation to install 100 pumps in 100 villages throughout India. The project commenced in early 2015 and they’ve completed the installation of 88 pumps. The final stage of the work will begin soon. The Grundfos Foundation’s goal – to provide water to rural people in Africa and India – was a perfect match for Sunlit Future’s vision to provide solar technology all across the Indian subcontinent. The two technologies, the Grundfos pump and Sunlit Future solar system, are improving the quality of life of thousands of people. So far, this project operates in rural areas only. Divya paints me a picture: “To get to most of the places we have to take a plane, a train, a jeep, and quite often have to walk to reach our destination.” This work is hugely rewarding to the team. It’s apparent in the way Divya expresses the importance of providing drinking water with this technology to these far-flung places and out-of-the-way people who have had to struggle for years to obtain water. “Watching the women go down the hill to get a bucket of water and trudge back up the hill: that is something! These women are incredible. The men will not go to get water.”

Have they explored other potential partnerships? Divya explains that they have but they didn’t take off. For example, they would meet a corporate client with whom there was a shared vision and plans would be made to do a project together. But during the execution of the project, they’d discover that the vision in action wasn’t the same, for example in the way that the people in the organization were treated. True commitment to the project and perseverance are also important values concerning which Rishi and Divya aren’t willing to compromise.

Divya says that the main challenge they are facing at present is human resources. She explains, “We need solar technicians. The technicians we have are highly respected but we don’t have enough: there’s a big demand for them both inside Auroville as well as outside.”

While Sunlit Future intends to retain the boutique-style business model they also want to grow. Instead of scaling up as a regular market-driven business, they have decided to diversify. Now they are exploring a partnership with a large Indian corporation. Divya explains. “There is a huge market, a high demand, there are few providers and there’s not a ‘quality brand’ in solar technology yet. It’s an excellent opportunity to enter the on-grid solar market. The state government has made favorable policy changes and we’re perfectly placed to take this step in the changing environment.”

At present, they are exploring a partnership with a large Chennai group. Divya explains, “The Chennai group has a brand, is an established corporate presence, has funds to invest and has a reputed management team and they want to make a solar company,” But why is the Chennai group interested in Sunlit Future? “Their team is in agreement with us on so many levels, including commitment, business values, and personal contact, all of which are so critical in a partnership.”

The Chennai group is also concerned about training solar technicians, which would allow Sunlit Future to develop the training programme they’ve been dreaming of to meet the emerging demands of the Indian market. And they both have a vision of providing solar technology all over India.

Sunlit Future could opt to form the partnership in terms of equity, consultancy, vendor/supplier, or training. However, the role they’re exploring is as a ‘services supplier’. Sunlit Future is poised to be the sole technology partner of the Chennai group. “Think of it this way,” explains Divya, “A computer has many parts, RAM, motherboard, sound card, CD reader and all those pieces that need to be put into a container. When a technician puts those pieces together, you get a system that runs optimally. We’ll be providing the expert technicians to make the solar systems run optimally.”

Divya is hopeful that Sunlit Future will see the financial results of such a partnership in three to four years.