What is wrong?

For true productivity in today’s digital economy, the PC is a necessary tool, offering access to education, skill-building, and work. But PCs cost too much—both for individuals and for governments to buy en masse—and they’ll never be cheap enough for everyone to be able to afford in cash.

Our solution

We spent years building one of the world’s cheapest computers and saw that, even at $100, so many families still couldn’t afford it. But when we presented to the same people, and made financing available, half of the families signed up to buy a laptop with small monthly payments.

But we had a problem. Many applicants weren’t creditworthy, and the bank was rejecting 90% of applications.

PAY-AS-YOU-GO

It was then that we learned about an idea from the microfinance solar industry. Their solar units operated under a pay-as-you-go model, unlocking whenever a payment was made. As a result, repayment rates skyrocketed and banks had assurance that they would get paid.

So we applied this to computers. Now, a PC costs less than a dollar a day.