They’re calling it “the world’s most powerful iPhone case,” but not because of its physical strength.
Cases4Cause is powerful in its mission to give back to people in need.
Created by 21 year old entrepreneurs Chris Ceraldi of Langley and Alec Morgana of Ladner, every cellphone case bought from their company Cases4Cause provides a solar light and a meal to someone suffering in Nepal.
“As entrepreneurs we really love business, but we want to show that there is a new way of business where you don’t take from your customers — you give back,” said Ceraldi, a graduate of Brookswood Secondary School.
“You don’t take all this money, you try to help people.
“That’s where I think business is going and people need to get on that more.”
It’s an idea Ceraldi and Morgana have been working on since meeting in business school two years ago.
But because of exams and heavy course loads, they were not able to fully begin work on their company until September, 2014.
Since then, they’ve developed a full concept including suppliers, graphics and marketing.
The only thing they were missing was a cause.
Then, on April 25, 2015 the devastating 7.8 earthquake struck near Katmandu, Nepal, killing an estimated 8,600 people and displacing 2.8 million.
Ceraldi and Morgana knew they had a way to help.
Teaming up with Kiran Kreer from iMKIRAN, a campaign providing solar lights and aid to people in Third World countries, they launched their Cases4Cause campaign on the crowd funding website Indiegogo.
At a cost of $25 per case, their goal is to raise $12,000 USD by Aug. 22 at midnight — a figure they need just to break even.
The stylish cases, available only for iPhones 5, 5s and 6, feature a graphic with four colour blocks representing four different causes. Red is health, blue is water, yellow is mental health and green is environment.
“We want to create something that’s not just for Nepal, but that can get transferred if another disaster happens,” Ceraldi said.
“We want to create Cases4Cause as something that helps people and gives back.”
Their long-term plan is to develop a “4Cause” brand on a number of products that will help organizations around the world in their four buckets of health, water, mental health and environment.
“I grew up in a business family … business is in my blood, but I want to give back,” Ceraldi said.
“I look at some business today and they don’t do that.
“All that media outlet, all that marketing power — I think it’s important to give back and it’s actually statistically proven that companies that give back actually do better themselves.”
To support the Cases4Cause Indiegogo campaign, visit www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-world-s-most-powerful-iphone-case#/story or www.cases4cause.org.
For those who do not own an
iPhone but still want to help, a $20 donation will provide one meal and one solar light.
For $25, you will receive a case and donate one meal and one solar light.
Cases can still be purchased after the Indiegogo deadline of Aug. 22.