MassChallenge is the world’s largest global startup competition and incubator. Out of an initial 440 companies, the first round narrowed the field down to 300 semi-finalists who were contacted to present pitches. Last week, our Founder & CEO Dr. Soren Harrison presented our pitch, explaining his inspiration for creating SolSolution, the environmental and educational problems we address, and our model and vision for the future. Out of the 300, 110 finalists were chosen and are now in the accelerator phase.

After presenting the pitch, Dr. Harrison felt quite satisfied with our team’s performance. “The pitch went really well. We got some great positive feedback from the judges, and it was great to hear it. It’s good to receive some external validation from leaders in the entrepreneurial community.” Now that SolSolution has entered the accelerator phase, we are eager to take advantage of the great resources and mentoring provided by MassChallenge. We look to improve how we connect with our supporters, how to streamline the process of going solar for schools, and how to strengthen our educational offerings as more schools come online with us.

We have a lot of work to do before the presentations in October to see if we can earn a spot in the top 10, but we look forward to the opportunity to strengthen our company in order to improve the environmental quality of the world we live in and bring better education to our children.

You can read more about SolSolution in the news here, read the MassChallenge press release for more details, or go to the Press Releases section to read our own take on our experience through MassChallenge.

Our team may be small in comparison to others, but we are a tight-knit group that plays off each others’ strengths and diverse skill sets, and we love what we do at SolSolution. Find out what inspires us, who made a difference in our lives, and what we do for fun! Each week, we will feature a specific team member on our website in our “About Us” subpage, so check in weekly to find out more about your favorite people in SolSolution.

Thank you so much for your votes and encouragement in the Chase Community Giving Competition on Facebook.

By the end of the competition, we had a total of 76 votes cast! Although that was not enough for us to rank in the top 200 charities and win part of the prize money, participating in this competition taught us a lot about how we can better connect with you and improve our chances for the next contest or competition when it comes our way.

Though we are slightly disappointed with the result, we are not discouraged. We will continue to work hard to make our vision become a reality. We can’t do this without you, so we are grateful to you for taking the time to register and vote in the past month (and for future support). As we move forward to face our next challenge, we will take the lessons learned from this past competition and grow stronger with each new experience.

Thank you for your continuous support of SolSolution!


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Only a few days left to vote for SolSolution in the Chase Community Giving Facebook Competition!

For the past month, Chase Bank has been sponsoring a competition between charities and other non-profit organizations, like SolSolution. Chase will award the top 200 charities with the most Facebook votes a portion of the $5,ooo,ooo+ prize money.

Please cast your vote for SolSolution today or the next time you sign on to Facebook. Or, to make it even easier, click on the link provided and follow the instructions to help kids and protect the environment!

Your Vote Can Make a Difference–Visit SolSolution’s Chase Community Giving Profile

The Black Eyed Peas and Green For All have teamed up during the North America run of the Peas’ World E.N.D. [Energy Never Dies] Tour to help raise awareness about how environmental challenges and lack of economic opportunity combine to adversely impact many American communities. At each tour stop, plastic bottles from the band’s concert venues are being recycled into t-shirts and other band merchandise. Green For All volunteers are conducting educational outreach at those venues, encouraging people to support climate change and green-jobs legislation.

Representative Ford, who is the longest serving black member in the history of the Iowa legislature, praised the band for their work on recycling. “I am very proud that the world-renowned Black Eyed Peas are coming to the city of Des Moines to perform. I especially want to let them know how excited we Iowans are not only about their musical talent, but also about their great community and environmental work worldwide,” Ford said.

Representative Ford is the founder and executive director of Urban Dreams, an organization that has been serving the residents of inner city Des Moines with a series of health and welfare programs for almost 25 years. He added: “I am also very proud that Green For All is part of this tour and of the organization’s untiring dedication to a clean-energy economy that will move America past some of its most pressing challenges.”

Green For All is dedicated to improving the lives of all Americans through a clean energy economy. Working across many platforms, the group is working to fight poverty and pollution at the same time.

“We are honored to have Gov. Culver, Representative Ford, the people of Iowa, and The Black Eyed Peas as allies in this movement to create the kind of economy that lifts people out of poverty while reducing the risks to the planet,” said Green For All CEO Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins. “Together, we are changing the face of environmentalism and the world we live in.”

Representative Ford, who is the longest serving black member in the history of the Iowa legislature, praised the band for their work on recycling. “I am very proud that the world-renowned Black Eyed Peas are coming to the city of Des Moines to perform. I especially want to let them know how excited we Iowans are not only about their musical talent, but also about their great community and environmental work worldwide,” Ford said.

NEW YORK ─ Today, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson and The Hurt Locker’s Anthony Mackie joined local Harlem residents in Green For All’s Earth Day “Dig In.” The community service event, held at Riverside Valley Community Garden, celebrated the 40th anniversary of Earth Day.

“Forty years ago, we introduced the concept of environmentalism to towns across America,” said Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins, CEO of Green For All. “Today, we are redefining this movement. The newest incarnation of environmentalism is not just looking at how we can protect and preserve the Earth. It is looking at how the Earth, and caring for the planet, can protect and preserve us.”

Dozens of participants helped to plant vegetables on the site once considered too dangerous and too dirty to enter. Today, the garden is a thriving public green space, the community cleaner, and the streets safer. In addition to transforming the neighborhood, volunteers have been introduced to the opportunities of a clean-energy economy.

Today’s event raised further awareness about the benefits of going green, including access to green jobs, training programs and other pathways out of poverty.

“Today’s groundbreaking is keeping alive the grassroots spirit of the first Earth Day 40 years ago. This community is coming together to work toward a healthier, safer environment, a better place to live, and new opportunities,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “I’m grateful to Green For All for having me today and I’m inspired by the work they’ve done to uplift and empower this community.”