How an AIM-Educated Entrepreneur Helped Set a World Record for Social Good
When Illac Diaz, a graduate of the Master in Entrepreneurship (ME) program, walked into the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) more than two decades ago, he didn’t imagine that the lessons he would learn about scaling businesses would one day help him illuminate communities around the world.
Today, as the founder and executive director of Liter of Light, Illac leads a global grassroots movement using solar lighting to combat energy poverty. With operations in 32 countries, a dedicated team of 201 employees, and more than one million people helped annually, his work proves that business acumen can be a powerful tool for solving humanity’s biggest challenges.
And this July, Illac and Liter of Light made history.
Lighting the Way to a World Record
In partnership with Sun Life Philippines and the National Museum of the Philippines, Liter of Light officially set a new Guinness World Records title for the largest disAplay of solar-powered lamps. Held on 01 July 2025, the event, titled Circle of Light, featured a breathtaking installation of 3,500 hand-built solar lamps arranged in the formation of a radiant sun.
Each lamp was not only a symbol of unity and sustainability, but also a practical tool that will soon light up the homes of underserved communities living without access to electricity. As part of Liter of Light’s circular impact model, the lamps will be distributed to off-grid areas, where they will serve as sources of clean energy for at least five years.
“This Guinness World Record is about solving energy poverty… We wanted to make a Guinness World Record of change,” Illac shared. “After the event, those 3,500 lights would light up 3,500 people’s homes,”
Business with Purpose: Lessons from AIM
Illac credits much of his social entrepreneurship mindset to his time at AIM.
“The ME program showed me how with little capital and a lot of creativity, you can really scale—not only nationally but internationally,” he says.
While completing his Master in Entrepreneurship, Illac developed the idea for Pier One Seafarer’s Dormitory, a lodging facility for OFWs waiting to be deployed. That small pilot—40 beds at 50 pesos a night—eventually grew into a 1,500-bed business that has served over 80,000 Filipino seafarers.
It was at AIM that Illac first began asking profound questions: What if entrepreneurship wasn’t just about profit? What if it could also be about dignity, access, and transformation?
From building low-cost dormitories to pioneering economical and environmentally friendly construction processes through the MyShelter Foundation, Illac has consistently used entrepreneurial principles to design inclusive, sustainable, and locally rooted solutions.
A Filipino Legacy on the Global Stage
Illac’s drive to uplift forgotten communities has earned him accolades around the world. In 2008, the World Economic Forum named him a Young Global Leader. Yet despite his international education and exposure, Illac’s work remains deeply Filipino at heart.
“We needed a standard—and that’s why we put together a Guinness World Record event here at the Asian Institute of Management. The most important part: the Bayanihan story,” he emphasized.
True to that spirit, the Circle of Light was not a top-down production. The solar lamps were crafted with the help of the AIM community, together with Sun Life employees, volunteers, and local artisans from Odangputik Art Space at the Institute’s Stephen Fuller Hall. Each participant became, in Illac’s words, a “solar engineer”—bringing sweat equity, creativity, and purpose into every lamp.
“It’s the human achievement of the AIM community,” he reflected.
A Call to Future Entrepreneurs
Illac’s story is a testament to the kind of leadership AIM cultivates: bold, ethical, and impact-driven. His message to aspiring entrepreneurs today is clear:
“What use is a business without long-term sustainability? We must take care of people, of the planet. That’s what makes leadership meaningful. It doesn’t take a lot to use the same skills that make you successful… to bring as many people along with you in your success.”
From a 50-peso bed to a 3,500-lamp display seen around the world, Illac continues to prove that entrepreneurship, when led with empathy and intention, can light the way for generations to come.
