TL;DR Solomon Islands has about 839,000 people, most of them rural, and a GDP per head near US$2,100. Farming and fishing carry the economy and fewer than a third of people use the internet. The ideas that fit are practical ones - village power, better harvests, safer water and skills - sold through people rather than apps.

The market in numbers

  • Population: about 839,000 in 2025[1].
  • GDP per capita: about US$2,090 in 2025[2].
  • Internet use: about 29% of people were online in 2024[3].
  • Mobile phones: about 62 subscriptions per 100 people in 2022[4].
  • Farming and fishing: agriculture, forestry and fishing were about 30% of GDP in 2024[5].
  • Remittances: personal remittances received were about 6% of GDP in 2024[6].
  • Currency: the Solomon Islands dollar (SBD), issued by the Central Bank of Solomon Islands[7].

What founders here actually have to work with

The first thing to accept is that this is an offline market. With under a third of people online[3], a business that depends on downloads and in-app payments will struggle outside Honiara. Agents, radio, church groups and market days do the selling.

The second is that the land and sea pay the bills. Farming, forestry and fishing are close to a third of GDP[5], so anything that lifts a harvest, keeps a catch fresh or cuts diesel spend has a buyer who already understands the problem.

Spending power is modest at around US$2,100 a head[2], and remittances matter less here than in some neighbours[6]. That pushes you towards pay-per-use, harvest-timed payments and donor or government contracts. Shipping between provinces is slow, so spare parts and simple repairs belong in your plan from day one.

Ideas that fit Solomon Islands

These ideas were all researched for India. The rupee costs and Indian rules don't apply, so use each page as a brief you will rework.

The sea and the catch

  • Wakeline: Satellite checks for fishing vessels that switch off their trackers suit a nation with a big sea area to police. Expect a government or regional fisheries body as the buyer, and long sales cycles.
  • Lostline: Lifting abandoned nets off reefs protects the fishing that coastal families rely on. Grants and conservation groups are the likelier payers.
  • Aquabed: Growing vegetables on fish-tank water could give small fish farmers a second crop. Try it with one village group first.
  • Coldcart: Shared cold transport from farm clusters to market cuts spoilage. Here it might move fish and produce into Honiara, if the power and roads allow it.

Farms and harvests

  • Frondline: Coconuts are a staple crop and climbing for them is hard work. Test the machine on local palms before you order more than one.
  • Furrowlight: A single loan paid back after harvest matches how farmers earn. Find a local lender or credit union to carry the money.
  • Dewalert: A shared weather station that tells a village when to spray could save crops in a wet climate. Translate the alerts into Pijin and send them by SMS.
  • Seedlinghub: A village nursery selling strong vegetable seedlings shortens the path to a good crop. Choose the varieties with local agriculture staff.

Power off the grid

  • Lathelamp: Solar machines rented by the hour suit small village trades with no grid. Start with whatever machine people walk a long way to use now.
  • Anchorwatt: Solar at rural phone towers with the spare daytime power sold nearby fits remote provinces. You'd need a telco willing to be the anchor customer.
  • Hamletwatt: Mini-grids fail when battery faults go unnoticed. Sell monitoring to whoever runs the grid, usually a donor-backed operator.
  • Dusklog: Solar streetlights paid for by aid often stop working without anyone noticing. Report uptime to the funders, since they're paying.

Health, water and skills

  • Saltfree: Solar units that make brackish water drinkable suit low-lying coastal and atoll communities. Design for repair by a trained local.
  • Pulpstrip: Paper water tests read by a phone camera give villages a fast check after heavy rain. The health ministry should agree what a bad result means [Requires validation].
  • Skyclinic: Scheduled drone flights between a hospital and rural clinics fit a scattered country. Approvals and range over water decide whether it works.
  • Trainervan: A mobile workshop that certifies village mechanics and electricians brings training to people who can't travel. Line up who issues the certificates first [Requires validation].
  • Coopstarter: Helping new savings and credit groups make their first loans fills a gap where banks are far away. Check how cooperatives register under local law [Requires validation].

Rules to check before you start

Companies are registered through the Solomon Islands Business Registry, which also runs company and director searches[8]. Tax goes to the Inland Revenue Division[9]. The Central Bank of Solomon Islands is the central bank and issues the currency[7]. I couldn't confirm the current foreign investment process, so ask the registry or the commerce ministry before you set up [Requires validation]. Fishing, drones, health and lending ideas each need their own approvals [Requires validation].

This is a starting list, not legal advice. Check with a local lawyer or the agency itself.

Questions founders ask

Pay-per-use services in villages, such as renting solar machines or running a seedling nursery, need little up front and earn from day one. Lathelamp and Seedlinghub above are the cheapest places to begin.

Do foreigners need a local partner to start a company in Solomon Islands?

I couldn't confirm a rule either way. Check with the Solomon Islands Business Registry[8] before you plan the ownership of your company.

Do I need an app to reach customers here?

Usually not. With about 29% of people online[3], SMS, agents and face-to-face selling reach far more customers, and an app can come later for the Honiara market.

Talk to Yash

Building for a market where most buyers are offline and paid at harvest takes a different plan, and I'm happy to work through yours. If you need a hand, you know where to find me.

Talk to Yash →

Sources

  1. World Bank, "Population, total: Solomon Islands", 2025. https://api.worldbank.org/v2/country/SLB/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL?format=json&mrv=1
  2. World Bank, "GDP per capita (current US$): Solomon Islands", 2025. https://api.worldbank.org/v2/country/SLB/indicator/NY.GDP.PCAP.CD?format=json&mrv=1
  3. World Bank (ITU data), "Individuals using the Internet (% of population): Solomon Islands", 2024. https://api.worldbank.org/v2/country/SLB/indicator/IT.NET.USER.ZS?format=json&mrv=1
  4. World Bank (ITU data), "Mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people): Solomon Islands", 2022. https://api.worldbank.org/v2/country/SLB/indicator/IT.CEL.SETS.P2?format=json&mrv=1
  5. World Bank, "Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (% of GDP): Solomon Islands", 2024. https://api.worldbank.org/v2/country/SLB/indicator/NV.AGR.TOTL.ZS?format=json&mrv=1
  6. World Bank, "Personal remittances, received (% of GDP): Solomon Islands", 2024. https://api.worldbank.org/v2/country/SLB/indicator/BX.TRF.PWKR.DT.GD.ZS?format=json&mrv=1
  7. Central Bank of Solomon Islands, home page, 2026. https://www.cbsi.com.sb/
  8. Solomon Islands Business Registry, home page, 2026. https://www.solomonbusinessregistry.gov.sb/
  9. Inland Revenue Division, Solomon Islands, home page, 2026. https://www.ird.gov.sb/

For illustration only. Names are fictional and ideas hypothetical; sourced facts are real but may be out of date. Nothing here is legal, financial or professional advice, and Yash Khatri is not personally liable for any use of it. Read the full disclaimer.