Archive · 19 May 2025
Small-Town Youth's Agritech Startup Wows Gates, Achieves Success
Imagine a young man named Yogesh, whose family farms.
Seeing his brother's illness from pesticides, he invented a special sprayer for farmers.
This sprayer runs on the sun!
He started in college, got help from mentors, and even got a loan.
His idea turned into a company called Niyo FarmTech, which makes and sells these sprayers.
People loved it, including Bill Gates!
The sprayers help farmers spray their fields more easily.
Yogesh's company is now worth millions of rupees, helps many farmers, and is growing.
He wants to make farming better for everyone.
Yogesh Gawande, inspired by a family experience, developed solar-powered sprayers for farmers.
His college project evolved into Niyo FarmTech, a startup that has sold over 5,000 units.
Bill Gates personally operated the sprayer, increasing recognition and demand for the product.
The company has achieved a Rs 4.3 crore turnover, created 100+ jobs, and serves 12,000+ farmers.
Gawande aims to expand operations and seeks collaboration with government bodies, including entering African markets.
- Who
- Yogesh Gawande and his team at Niyo FarmTech.
- What
- Developed and commercialized solar-powered sprayers for farmers.
- When
- Started in 2014-2015, with significant growth after Bill Gates's recognition.
- Where
- Near Aurangabad, India, with plans to expand across India and into African markets.
- Why
- To improve farming practices and address pesticide-related issues, aiming for sustainable agriculture.
- Product
- Solar-powered sprayers
- Startup Turnover
- Rs 4.3 crore
- Farmers Empowered
- 12,000+
- Jobs Created
- 100+
- Location
- Aurangabad, India
- Government Subsidy Eligibility
- 40-50%
- Partnership
- Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, IAIN