Growing up in a Freetown neighbourhood where electricity arrived maybe once a week, Kelvin Doe began teaching himself electronics around age 10, scavenging scrap metal and discarded parts to repair radios and generators for his neighbours. At 13, calling himself "DJ Focus," he built his own FM transmitter, mixer and battery from acid, soda and scrap tin, and launched a community radio station broadcasting news and music from his bedroom.
In 2012, Sierra Leonean MIT student David Sengeh spotted Doe's talent through the Innovate Salone competition and brought him to the United States, where he became the youngest person ever admitted to MIT's Visiting Practitioner's Program.
Doe has since founded his own technology company and a foundation supporting young African inventors, continuing to build solar and battery solutions for communities without reliable power.
- Youngest person admitted to MIT's Visiting Practitioner's Program
- Built a functioning FM radio station entirely from salvaged electronics
- Finalist, Innovate Salone national innovation challenge
- Founder, KDoe-Tech and the Kelvin Doe Foundation
- Scarcity is a design constraint, not a dead end.. He built batteries and generators from acid, soda and scrap tin.
- Give yourself a name and a platform before anyone else offers one.. He launched his own radio station and DJ identity at age 13.
- Bring the next generation with you once the door opens.. His foundation now mentors other young African inventors.