Featured Startup Pitch: Belgrade, Serbia-based Strawberry Energy’s solar-powered public Wi-Fi-enabled device chargers are built to keep people connected on-the-go

By Miloš Milisavljević, Strawberry Energy founder and CEO

Elevator Pitch: Strawberry Energy is developing clean technology solutions in order to make renewable energy sources more accessible to all the people. We create solar chargers for mobile devices intended both for urban and rural areas in order to enable people power access with freedom of mobility.

Product/Service Description

Strawberry Tree is a solar and Wi-Fi charging station which enlivens peoples’ phones for free when they need it most, and at the same time raises awareness about renewable energy. The energy is stored, so it can still pump out energy when there is no sunshine. Strawberry Mini is a portable solar charger with embedded touch screen, ideal for events of all kinds. Strawberry Mini Rural is a small and practical portable solar charger made to meet the needs of people without access to electricity.

Founders’ Story

The roots of Strawberry Tree go back to my high school days when I was holding lectures about renewable energy and striving to make all the people more familiar with the benefits these clean sources can bring. Knowing that the best way to teach people is to solve some of their problems with the green technology, and at the same time noticing the increasing usage of mobile phones, a public solar charger seemed to me as a perfect solution. I gathered a group of people that shared the same values and first we established a student company. The first prototype of Strawberry Tree was created and finally installed in the city of Obrenovac in 2010. Soon after, we won the first place at the Sustainable Energy Week 2011 in Brussels, and the Strawberry Energy company was established.

Marketing/Promotion Strategy

Our marketing strategy is conducted on multi-levels, as we have more than one stakeholder that is closely related to our business activities.

Market Opportunity

In today’s digital world and battery-hungry smartphones, people are dependent on their mobile phones not just for making phone calls, but also to send messages, surf via Internet, play apps, etc. All these activities drain batteries faster than ever before. The need for charging stations is obvious. On the other hand, cities are striving to be smart and sustainable, embracing the smart solutions that would make the city more desirable for living and attractive for tourists, while brands are searching for new ways to reach customers and show that they care.

How We Differentiate From the Competition

Our vision is to make 100 percent green interactive hubs for the smart cities of the future. So far we are working on providing free energy and Wi-Fi Internet for people, but with constant innovation in the future we plan to gradually add new features and possibilities to Strawberry Tree. From a technological point of view, at the moment our main advantage is the system capacity, as it is made to resist every weather condition. Smart electronics enables better energy efficiency, modules for intelligent system control, measurement of the number of chargings, energy flow measurement, etc. Our technology is tested and optimized. Designs are customizable, with the branding space provided. As charging is completely free, there is then an even better emotional connection between an entity who financed it and citizens.

Business Model

Currently, the revenue comes from sales to diverse entities such as telecommunication companies, cities, public enterprises, etc. But we are preparing a completely new business model which will include interactive digital advertising, and we are searching for investors to support it.

Current Needs

We never raised any capital, but for the purpose of scaling and putting the new business model into operation, we are now actively searching for funds.

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Headquarters: Belgrade, Serbia