Dowin Technology Business PLC Agricultural Mechanization Solutions

Agricultural mechanization is the major input to increase productivity; improve timeliness of agricultural operations; and reduce drudgery and alleviate the load on women. However, it is out of reach of smallholder farmers which account for more than 90% of agriculture in Ethiopia. This is because the smallholders tend to be, generally speaking, resource-poor with correspondingly low incomes that they are unable to own agricultural machinery, thus resulting in low level productivity and continual cycle of poverty from which is difficult to escape.

DOWIN is establishing Custom Hiring Centre (CHC) that provides tailored, accessible, affordable and effective custom hiring services of agricultural machinery for the smallholders. The CHC aggregates tractors belonging to individual owners and creates a network of tractors through ICT platform (call centre and GPS) and it supplements the tractors with various tractor implements for the entire crop cycle till harvest and post-harvest.

Fundraising

This venture has not initiated a round of financing on this platform. If they choose to, the summary of the fundraising round will appear to registered investors here.

Idea

We plan to develop a new offering for our current <abbr title="Base of the Pyramid">BoP</abbr> customers.

We only have a longer pitch. We plan to develop a new offering for our current BoP customers.

DOWIN provides tailored, accessible, affordable and effective custom hiring services of agricultural machinery for the smallholders through networked aggregate tractors. The company (franchiser) establishes franchise partnership with individual tractor owners (franchisees) and supports them with various tractor implements and tech platform.

Team

Our founder has the business savvy and persistence to turn ideas into a company.

We have a business network and can get introduced to the right people.

We can build the product. Given the time and money, we can deliver on our promises.

Our founder has the business savvy and persistence to turn ideas into a company. We have a business network and can get introduced to the right people. We can build the product. Given the time and money, we can deliver on our promises.

The team is made of qualified technical personnel in the field of mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, automotive technology, etc. and have extensive knowledge and experience in the area of fleet management and maintenance.

Product

We have a demo or prototype and are ready for the next step. We have developed the product ourselves and own all of the IP for the product.

Partially tested on small scale

Revenue

We have identified one or more revenue streams. We plan to monetise our offering in the next phase.

The CHC generates income through provision of custom hiring service of various agricultural equipment for the smallholder farmers.

Inclusiveness

We involve low-income groups as consumers.

We involve low-income groups as distributors.

Our business idea is beneficial to the low income smallholders, especially women smallholders, in terms of better access to machinery service otherwise economically and technically out of reach. Besides, it generates employment opportunity to the unemployed rural youth in operation and maintenance of agricultural equipment.

We involve low-income groups as consumers. We involve low-income groups as distributors. We involve low-income groups as employees.

Over 3000 farmers will have access to custom hiring services within 2 years and the number escalates to 5000 farmers within 5 years time.

Registered investors only

Funding history is only visible to registered investors.

Idea and Stage
- Are you working on this business full time?
- Is there a demo, prototype or working product?
- Do you have paying customers?
- Are you making a profit?
- Has the business existed longer than one year?
- Has the business existed longer than three years?
- Do you have more than five employees?
- Do you have more than 10 employees?
- Is your annual turnover more than USD $50,000?
- Is your annual turnover more than USD $100,000?
- Is your company registered?
Team and Organization
- Have you started a business before in a similar/same sector?
- Is this your first time running a company?
- Have you exited a previous business successfully?
- Do you have co-founders?
- Is there technical/product development experience in the team?
- Is there sales and marketing experience in the team?
- Do you have an advisory board?
- Do you have a board of directors?
- Are you already incorporated?
- Do you have references?
Market and Marketing
- Do you know your customer acquisition cost?
- Do you know your profit margin per customer?
- Do you know the size of your market?
- Do you know how many customers you need to break even?
- Do you know your competitors?
- Do you have signed contracts with customers?
- If low-income groups are your customers, can you explain how your marketing plan towards them?
Finance
- Do you have a three year financial forecast?
- Have you calculated your break even point?
- Do you have audited financial statements?
- Do you have a finance expert in your team?
- Have you invested your own money in the company?
- Have you received grant funding?
- Have you received outside investment?
- Have you already connected with impact investors?
- Can you describe your assets?
Impact
- Do you know the role of low-income groups in your business?
- Do you know how you will engage low-income groups?
- Do you know the environmental impact of your business?
Investment
- Do you know what your social impact will be?
- Do you need capital investment?
- Are you willing to give up equity?
- Are you willing to give up a majority share?
- Are you looking for debt finance?
- Do you prefer an active investor?
- Do you need working capital?
- Do you already have external shareholders?
- Do you need technical support along investment?

Registered investors only

Documents are only visible to registered investors when the venture is fundraising.

Team

Do-win Tech
Works at Dowin Technology Business PLC

Dowin Technology Business PLC Agricultural Mechanization Solutions

Fundraising

Idea