Financial Inclusion Challenge

Selected

Agpreneur

Finance, climate-smart training, and market access for farm cooperatives

Team Lead

Michael Iyanro

Solution Pitch 

The Problem

Smallholder farmers in developing nations grapple with limited capital, climate change, and market instability. Globally, 500 million such farmers produce 70% of our food but face growth barriers. Particularly in Nigeria, the agriculture sector needs $10 billion in financing. Agpreneur addresses these capital and training deficits.

The Solution

Agpreneur is a transformative social enterprise that serves the smallholder farmers and agribusinesses in Nigeria and other developing countries. By harnessing a cutting-edge AI underwriting algorithm, Agpreneur assesses lending risks, enabling it to provide these farmers with affordable financing. Beyond financial support, the Agpreneur platform offers specialized training on climate-smart farming practices, equipping farmers to adapt to changing environmental conditions and improve yields. Additionally, the buyer connection platform ensures that farmers can directly link up with buyers willing to pay fair prices, optimizing their return on investment. With both online and offline presence, Agpreneur stands as a beacon of hope, aiming to uplift the farming community by addressing their core challenges and fostering sustainable growth.

Stats

  • 33,000 lives are directly affected including buyers and individual farmers served and trained on the Agpreneur platform.

Market Opportunity

Agpreneur operates in Nigeria's agricultural sector, targeting smallholder farmers. It chose this $10 billion market segment due to its vast unmet financing needs. Agpreneur's AI-driven risk assessment and climate-smart training make it ideal for addressing the unique challenges faced by these farmers in this segment.

Organization Highlights

Agpreneur partners with several esteemed organizations that align with its mission and objectives:

  • Local Financial Institutions: By collaborating with local banks and fintechs, Agpreneur facilitates the loan disbursement process, ensuring that farmers get timely access to capital.
  • Agritech Start-ups: It works with innovative agritech start-ups in Nigeria to integrate advanced farming technologies and methodologies, enhancing the offerings of our training platform.
  • Local NGOs and Community Organizations: These partnerships allow Agpreneur to deepen its grassroots connections, ensuring that its services are tailored to the unique needs of various farming communities. They also aid in community outreach, feedback collection, and trust-building.
  • Supply Chain Companies: By partnering with supply chain organizations, Agpreneur streamlines the buyer connection platform, ensuring that farmers can efficiently connect with potential buyers and distributors.

Partnership Goals

Agpreneur seeks:

  • Mentorship and Strategic Guidance from seasoned professionals, especially those with experience in agritech, fintech, international expansion, navigating regulatory environments, building sustainable partnerships, and expanding technological offerings.
  • Access to capital: introductions to impact investors, philanthropists, and grant-making organizations.
  • Technology development support in areas like AI, machine learning, and mobile app development.
  • Market research and expansion strategy
  • Branding and public relations
  • Introduced to stakeholders in the agriculture ecosystem, from suppliers to distributors, in its target expansion countries would accelerate growth. Connections to organizations or cooperatives of farmers in these regions would be instrumental too.
  • Connections to recruitment firms or platforms specializing in agritech talent

Organization Type:
For-profit, including B-Corp or similar models

Headquarters:
Abeokuta, Nigeria

Stage:
Growth

Working In:
Nigeria

Current Employees:
15

Solution Website:
https://agpreneur.com.ng/

Solution Team:

 
 
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