Our
History

John Steininger was the mastermind behind divi. His vision was to bring affordable, safe lighting to anyone who wanted it. He founded Sonopro, Inc (dba ‘divi’) in 2011 to meet that objective — beginning with diviLite, a solar powered light intended to help students do their homework at night.

Though John did not live to see the final product brought to market, his wife and his brother proceeded in carrying out his vision. With diviLite, customers in Africa could make small, incremental payments of just $2 a week toward the cost of their lights – roughly the same amount they’d normally spend each week on kerosene or candles.

Each payment ensured that the light could be used again for the following week. After ten weeks of payments, the user would own their diviLite outright for unlimited use — while eliminating that weekly expense for the future. Not to mention, they had a much safer and more reliable method of lighting.

Divi then partnered with another company to integrate PAYG technology into a larger, brighter lamp that also offered USB ports for charging mobile phones. This was a whole new step in simplifying basic tasks for customers, no matter where they lived.

“With diviLite, customers in Africa could make small, incremental payments of just $2 a week toward the cost of their lights – roughly the same amount they’d normally spend each week on kerosene or candles.”

When John’s family decided to step away from day-to-day operations of divi in 2016, new owners Kevin Allen and Mark Bianchi took their place. Since that time, divi has integrated its payment systems into additional products, including solar home systems that can power a whole house with everything from lights and fans, to radios and TVs.

Today, divi PAYG technology serves customers in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ghana, Namibia, India, Peru, Panama, and Nicaragua — and we’re ambitiously seeking new opportunities to partner with distributors and manufacturers to integrate our unique pay-as-you-go technology into products that will continue to improve the lives of even more people around the world.