“If you love a challenge and want to bring impact to this world, build a meaningful and trusted startup,” says Stephanie Jesselyn of JFDI Discover startup Eragano.
1. Tell us about your startup and team – who are you, and what are you aiming to do?
I am Stephanie, Co-Founder and CEO of Eragano.We are developing a mobile app for smallholder farmers to manage their farms with an integrated automated AI (artificial intelligence) farm schedule, affordable farm supply and micro-financing plus crop insurance.
We are aiming to improve the lives of over 3.5 million farmers by the end of our 7th year, freeing them from poverty created by systemic inequality.
2. What brought you to JFDI Discover?
Our initial interest in JFDI Discover was based on a desire to validate our idea in the problem-solution stages. Although we had conducted our own research, we felt JFDI Discover could aid us in further validating our business and providing more advice on acceleration.
3. Why did you start this business?
We were inspired to start Eragano through our desire to improve smallholder farmers’ lives. We believe Eragano can help farmers find affordable farm resources and improve their farming strategies whilst protecting them from financial risks.
4. What were some of the challenges you faced before joining JFDI Discover?
Our biggest challenge prior to JFDI Discover were our priorities. We were set on moving fast leading us to try to do everything at the same time, which was not efficient.
5. How did JFDI Discover help your startup?
JFDI Discover helped us in providing useful tools for the development of our startup. Meaningful discussions with mentors helped us get our priorities in check, and we are now able to progress quickly from stage to stage.
6. What was your favorite and least favorite aspect of JFDI Discover?
Our favourite aspect of JFDI Discover was the mentoring, particularly the provided material and advice as it helped us to get on the right track.
However we did not like the lack of mobile accessibility, using the JFDI Discover dashboard via mobile was a challenge.
7. What is the one lesson you took away from JFDI Discover that you think other founders should know too?
The most important lesson we learned was regarding risk prioritisation on each stage of a startup. The JFDI Discover material on risk prioritisation is more specific than Lean Canvas and therefore helped us focus on what was creating a greater impact at each stage.
8. Where is your team planning to go from here?
We have validated our product, and are now planning on raising funds to build our beta product for testing directly with a group of farmers.
9. Which resources do you look to for startup related advice? Have you read any books on startups?
We look for any book relevant to startup optimisation, specifically in the areas of technology, marketing and business strategies. In particular we have read Eric Ries’ Lean Startup.
10. Who would you recommend to Discover?
I would definitely recommend JFDI Discover to anyone wanting to learn more about building startups, especially first time entrepreneurs.
11. ‘What was the biggest surprise for you coming out of the program?
The biggest surprise for us coming out of JFDI Discover is our awareness of real problems from user interactions, and findings on customers’ farming methods to help us better our development in the Artificial Intelligence program.
13. How has doing a startup impacted your life?
Building this startup has really impacted my life. It takes a lot of hard work, but throughout the process there’s an excitement toward finishing the challenge and bringing something of value of the world. The idea of positively impacting other people’s lives is extremely motivating.
Thinking of starting your own business? JFDI Discover will help you find out if you really want to be an entrepreneur. It will reveal if your team is aligned to deliver results. And it will show you how to solve a real problem for customers who are willing to pay thus moving closer to a “problem-solution fit”.
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Cui-Lyn Huang is on the Editorial team for JFDI Asia. Currently pursuing a combined major in Computer Science & Journalism at Northeastern University in Boston, and after growing up on the little red dot. She loves to write, she loves to eat, and loves to write about eating.