The disparity between the world’s richest and the world’s poorest seems to be getting greater and greater, but even if you don’t consider yourself to be a one-percenter, just by having a computer and an internet connection, you can still count yourself among the world’s financially wealthiest people. Most startups in the developed world are in the same category, and though fledgling businesses certainly have their own financial hurdles to deal with, a few have made the very issue of wealth and money the focus of their business model.

Through tackling poverty, these startups aim to give hope to people who could use a boost, and they definitely deserve a shout-out for the ways in which they’re making a difference to those in need.

Gram Power

India has one of the world’s most inefficient electrical systems. In some areas with complete lack of electricity, kerosene lamps are still used, causing fire hazards and environmental dangers. Yashraj Khaitan and Jacob Dickinson, from Califorina-based startup Gram Power, have invented a way to get rid of both the kerosene and the inefficient electricity, with smart direct-current microgrids that can each bring sustainable electric power to up to a thousand homes.

Califorina-based startup Gram Power invented a way to get rid of both the kerosene and the inefficient electricity

Gram Power’s plan to help the poor with sustainable power is working so well, they are already starting to expand into Sub-Saharan Africa and other developing areas. In regions where children cannot study and businesses cannot operate properly because of lack of electricity, the sudden access to an electrical grid helps communities make a huge jump forward in terms of socioeconomic development. The company’s goal is to create a technology revolution similar to the mobile communications boom.

Paga

It may be difficult to imagine a place where 70% of the population does not have access to banking, but that is the case in Nigeria. Nigerians live in a cash-driven society, and even those who do have access to bank cards often find that the infrastructure for using those cards is simply not there. Paga, a Nigerian startup, is combating the issues of money transfer in the country by harnessing the power of mobile communications, which most residents do have access to.

In the five years since its founding, Paga has accumulated 1.8 million users, allowing them to send money to merchants and to each other, even when banking facilities are not available. The technology gives freedom to Nigerians that most people in Western countries take for granted, and makes up for the ways in which the banking system has failed the people of Nigeria.

Paga allows users to send money to merchants and to each other, even when banking facilities are not available

MPOWER Financing

The cost of being a college student in the United States is so high that many young people cannot even consider it, at least not without significant financial help. However, there’s a catch-22 that many people who need loans in order to attend school, don’t qualify for the loans because of their financial situation. MPOWER Financing is a startup with the goal of helping these potential students get the monetary help they need, while ensuring that the money gets used in the most efficient manner.

MPOWER crowdfunds loans, often through alumni associations, and then pays the college directly on behalf of the student. Loans can be used to cover anything from tuition and housing, to meals, health care, and other essentials. For students who have no chance of getting traditional financial help, MPOWER can give them hope of finishing their education.

MPOWER crowdfunds loans and then pays the college directly on behalf of the student.

Eneza Education

Kenya is another African country where mobile technology is in the hands of most people, even those well below the poverty line, and so startups can use this technology to help solve problems in even the poorest communities. Eneza Education, for example, uses text messages to distribute educational materials, helping students in areas where these materials would otherwise be unavailable.

In addition to helping students with learning materials, Eneza also uses some of its profits to create scholarships for talented students

In addition to helping students with learning materials, Eneza also uses some of its profits to create scholarships for talented students in underserved communities in Kenya. Of the nine million students in Kenya who attend primary schools, only about three-hundred thousand will go on to secondary school due to financial restraints, but scholarships like the ones Eneza provides help some of those children continue their education.