Steve Case first became interested in KickStart in the fall of 2002, when he attended the annual Technology, Entertainment and Design (TED) conference.  KickStart develops and markets low-cost capital equipment primarily to poor, entrepreneurial farmers, who buy and use the tools to earn more income and thereby "kickstart" family wealth, small businesses, and economic growth. Intrigued by the revolutionary nonprofit and its proven success in reducing poverty in developing countries by promoting sustainable economies, Jean and Steve visited Kenya the next year. There they witnessed firsthand how KickStart's products have transformed the lives of East Africans and have prompted the creation of more than 39,000 businesses generating $40 million in new profits and wages.
  
Jean and Steve Case saw firsthand how KickStart's products have transformed the lives of East Africans and have helped create nearly 40,000 businesses. In Kenya, the Cases met Margaret and Julius Karanja, who shared their extraordinary story that is typical of many of KickStart's consumers.  Not long ago, Margaret and Julius earned little money and lived in a slum without running water or electricity.  To improve their lives, Margaret rented a small plot of land just outside the slum and started growing cabbage and kale, irrigating the crops using a bucket carried from a nearby stream. 

They used the $200 profit from the first crop cycle to buy the KickStart "Super-MoneyMaker" irrigation pump.  This one investment allowed the Karanjas to grow more crops on a larger area, and in their first year they made a $1,500 profit.  
 
Business continued to grow, and they were able to send their daughter to college.  The Karanjas replaced the mud walls of their house with iron sheets and installed piped water, bringing the first water to their slum.  They have opened a small shop to sell their produce, and employ two people and occasionally other workers to help work on the farm.  All of this would have been unthinkable a few short years ago.
 
The Case Foundation provided development expertise to support KickStart's fundraising campaign that will enable it to expand into eight more countries over the next three years.
 
"Steve and Jean really understand what we do, and it is especially gratifying when supporters are engaged on many levels," said KickStart co-founder Martin Fisher.  "Our model leads to significant and highly sustainable impacts, and the Case Foundation's support is helping us expand the program across Africa."

KickStart has received widespread recognition for its innovative work. For the second time in the past two years, KickStart received the 2006 Social Capitalist Award from Fast Company magazine and the Monitor Group. The program honors social entrepreneurs from across the nation who are combining creativity and ingenuity with business solutions to address the world's most challenging social problems. 
 
In the summer of 2005, KickStart was profiled on a PBS series "The New Heroes," which tells the story of 14 social entrepreneurs.  The Skoll Foundation profiles KickStart, as well as ideas and materials that can help teach adults and children about social entrepreneurship and individual social responsibility. Click here for additional information.