By Katja Schroeder, Expedition PR
Summer just started and July Fourth is around the corner. We are ready to hit the beach to spend some time in the sun with friends and family over the holidays.
While for most people the beach is a venue to relax and leave the wheeling and dealing of the office behind, for others it’s a cradle of creation. Lounging in the sun can spark great business ideas.
One example is Voltaic Systems. The New York-based company offers solar systems that can power all electronic devices with the power of the sun. At a recent Green Breakfast Club event in New York, Shayne McQuade, the founder and CEO of Voltaic Systems, talked about how he got the idea of creating a backpack that charges mobile devices using solar energy while vacationing at the coast of Spain. The idea led to the creation of Voltaic Systems. He started the company with one product, a backpack equipped with solar panels to charge mobile devices on the go. Today Voltaic Systems has a broad portfolio of chargers, adapters and batteries and lighting systems that can power all types of phones, cameras, tablets, laptops and lights.
An interesting talk off McQuade’s talk was the battle between perfectionism, competition and commercialization. His passion for sustainability inspired him to engineer and perfect the company’s portable solar chargers and solar panels, often forgoing the advantage of being first to market for delivering a high quality product.