Who is Andrea Sreshta?
Andrea Sreshta was a graduate architecture student at Columbia University when the 2010 Haiti earthquake prompted her and classmate Anna Stork to design an inflatable, waterproof solar lantern that packs flat for disaster relief. They formally launched LuminAID in 2011, selling to campers in the U.S. while using give-one programs and NGO partnerships to get lights to disaster zones and refugee camps. The company won a 2013 Midwest clean energy challenge and the Social New Venture Challenge at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, where Sreshta later earned her MBA in 2016. On Shark Tank in 2015, the founders drew offers from all five sharks and accepted Mark Cuban's $200,000 for 15%.
LuminAID went on to add phone-charging lanterns, expand into outdoor retail and supply lights after hurricanes including Irma. Adventure Ready Brands, owner of Adventure Medical Kits, acquired LuminAID in November 2021. Sreshta stayed on through 2022, then moved to a role focused on LuminAID's work with NGOs and humanitarian organizations.
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