# Soofa

> Soofa builds solar-powered, network-connected digital signs that turn ordinary street corners into two-way community bulletin boards. Spun out of the MIT Media Lab in 2014, the women-founded company started with a phone-charging park bench and grew into a network of zero-carbon kiosks that broadcast hyperlocal news, transit updates, and events while giving advertisers and cities measurable pedestrian data - smart, social, and sustainable street furniture for the modern city.

- **Founded:** 2014
- **Headquarters:** Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
- **Founders:** Sandra Richter (Co-Founder & CEO), Nan Zhao (Co-Founder), Jutta Friedrichs (Co-Founder & VP of Operations)
- **Team size:** ~16 employees
- **Products:** Soofa Sign, ZerOOH Smart Street Kiosk, Soofa Bench, Advertising Platform / Book Now, City Communication System
- **Notable:** First Soofa Bench prototype installed in Boston's Titus Sparrow Park in June 2014., Presented to President Barack Obama at the first White House Maker Faire; Obama charged his phone on the bench., Grew from a single bench to a network of solar signs in 57+ U.S. cities and 120+ communities.

## Products & services

- **Soofa Sign** — A solar-powered, network-connected digital display that acts as a neighborhood bulletin board for transit info, community events, PSAs, and local business offers.
- **ZerOOH Smart Street Kiosk** — A 75-inch full-color, zero-carbon street kiosk billed as a world-first, blending city wayfinding and communication with premium out-of-home advertising.
- **Soofa Bench** — The original product: a solar-powered park bench with an embedded phone-charging station and pedestrian-activity sensor.
- **Advertising Platform / Book Now** — A self-serve campaign tool letting brands and small businesses build hyperlocal, demographically targeted outdoor campaigns and measure results with data.
- **City Communication System** — A dashboard for municipalities to push real-time messaging, emergency alerts, wayfinding, and pull pedestrian foot-traffic insights.

## Achievements

- First Soofa Bench prototype installed in Boston's Titus Sparrow Park in June 2014.
- Presented to President Barack Obama at the first White House Maker Faire; Obama charged his phone on the bench.
- Grew from a single bench to a network of solar signs in 57+ U.S. cities and 120+ communities.
- Spun out of the MIT Media Lab as an all-women founding team.
- Launched the ZerOOH kiosk, billed as the world's first 75-inch full-color zero-carbon street kiosk.

## Latest updates

- **2025-05** — Welcomed Solano Community College to the Soofa network.
- **2025-05** — Fullerton, California installed two Soofa Signs to boost resident and visitor communication.
- **2025-01** — Launched a self-serve 'Book Now' feature letting brands and small businesses build custom digital campaigns at reduced cost.

## Links

- Website: https://soofadigital.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/soofa-co
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/mysoofa
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mysoofa/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mysoofa

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/soofa
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-07-02