We at Social Edge are big fans of Sam Goldman. We first met him over a drink in California and agreed immediately to interview him for our Peace Corps Entrepreneurs podcast series. Sam grew up in Mauritania, Pakistan, Peru, India and Rwanda and studied biology and environmental studies in Canada, then launched an NGO in Benin while in the Peace Corps.

He went on to Stanford to get his MBA while launching d.light design to replace toxic kerosene lighting in rural areas with solar-powered light emitting diodes (LEDs). “My neighbor’s son in Benin was badly burned by a kerosene lamp. I decided to provide a source of light that is safe and cheap,” remembers Sam.

That's when he ran into Global X, who interviewed him for our X-Interview series. And that's when we also offered him a chance to share his story on Social Edge. The result: a fascinating blog, let there d.light!

And today, we found out that Sam Goldman had just raised US$6 million in venture funding in a round led by Nexus India Capital. Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Garage Technology Ventures, Mahindra & Mahindra, Acumen Fund and Gray Matters Capital are also participating.

Social Edge, along with its community of emerging social entrepreneurs, is very proud of Sam Goldman. And we should all remember that his advice to social entrepreneurs was: Don’t be afraid of change!

Before arriving in Benin, he was not too fond of the capitalist system, but he quickly changed his mind when he saw that businesses were having a faster positive impact than traditional development organizations. We are glad venture capitalists are joining him in his efforts to fight against toxic kerosene lights.