Brastorne

On a mission to connect 760 million Africans, Brastorne transforms feature phones into affordable but robust devices that connect to the internet. Utilizing Short Message Service (SMS), Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD), and Interactive Voice Response (IVR) technologies, Brastorne enables users to access information and markets through their existing telecom networks, bridging the digital divide and fostering economic resilience in Africa.

Brastorne’s platform currently hosts more than four million users, creating a measurable impact for each individual. For example, its agricultural platform has increased yields by 250% for farmers and has successfully communicated crucial health information to over 600,000 people through a partnership with UNICEF and the Ministry of Health.

In collaboration with MIT Solve, Brastorne secured over half a million dollars, including an investment from Solve Innovation Future. Through this partnership, Brastorne unlocked access to investment options that would best support their model.

Together, Brastorne and Solve Innovation Future decided that a revenue share agreement aligned with their mutual incentives. Solve Innovation Future is repaid as Brastorne grows. If Brastorne grows quickly, the investment is repaid quickly, with a cap to ensure that the investment does not burden the maturing company. If the work grows slowly, repayment aligns with that growth.

This entrepreneur-friendly structure is core to the Solve Innovation Future philosophy: using flexible structures to help investees like Brastorne remain focused on impact.