EarthEnable is disrupting the housing industry by offering an alternative to unhygienic dirt floors across East Africa. Over 1.6 billion people live in homes that have dirt floors and mud structures across the globe, which act as breeding grounds for parasites and pathogens. Utilizing local materials, EarthEnable developed a high-quality earthen floor system, which can be installed by local masons at a fraction of the cost of carbon-intensive concrete. Since 2014, EarthEnable has delivered its product to over 150,000 people and trained over 1,000 local masons. EarthEnable is now building healthy homes and developing a housing market in Rwanda in partnership with the government.

PSF challenged EarthEnable to raise $5M to unlock a match which would fully fund the organization through 2026, allowing it to scale and grow at a faster rate. After following EarthEnable’s growth over a number of years, PSF was impressed by the organization’s ability to innovate on its business model and generate significant scale and innovation.

Our bet allowed Gayatri Datar, CEO and Co-Founder of EarthEnable, to think bigger, giving her the ability to build out her team and impact instead of fundraising. PSF saw the potential in EarthEnable’s leadership and model and decided to provide substantial support, allowing EarthEnable to innovate on its model, generate more revenue, and scale to five countries.

EarthEnable has now served over 150,000 people and trained 1,000+ masons. EarthEnable is the only organization developing eco-friendly housing solutions from local materials. The floors are 80% more affordable than concrete with 95% less carbon-embodied energy. EarthEnable is hoping to catalyze a market by shifting from donor subsidies to local payors to generate significant earned revenue.

• The Elevate Prize

• World Habitat Awards 2018

• Postcode Lottery Green Challenge 2017

• Lipman Prize

• Echoing Green Fellowship