

Disruptive start-ups - tutu

Poor farmers make up a potential market of 445 million farms worldwide. That's a lot of potential profit for a disruptive start-up.<p>Poor people can, and will, pay for products that fit their lifestyle and needs, that are affordable, and that they recognize as valuable. These three characteristics make them just as much as a customer as you or I. For example, over 85% of the world's farms are smaller than 5 acres. That's about 800 million people worldwide that make their living from small-plot farms, a potentially huge market opportunity - yet there are currently no mainstream small-plot irrigation methods for developing world farmers. Most all irrigation methods on the market are for farms that are so much larger that it doesn't make financial or economic sense for small farmers to purchase.<p>For a small, innovative start-up that designs a scaleable, affordable small-plot irrigation method for farms of 5 acres or less, their market opportunity is 445 million farms worldwide.<p>More here: http://bit.ly/pq4Tnw
and Vivek Wadhwa here: http://www.businessweek.com/small-business/disruptive-startups-that-dont-get-funded-07282011_page_2.html
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PeterisP
When discussing potential markets, please do calculate money instead of
customers. Maybe 100 million poorest farmers offer just $50 million of
potential revenue, making it useless to invest. Maybe the numbers are very
good due to the large number of people - but do show them if you are trying to
argue for them!

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konradm
Check <http://www.farmeron.com/> latest Seedcamp member.

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ippisl
see: <http://www.ideorg.org/OurTechnologies/DripIrrigation.aspx>

look at "our technologies" for similar stuff.

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tutu
Paul Polak is the father of this mindset, IDE. thanks for the link.

