Isaac Sesi, the founder of Sesi Technologies, is one of this year’s founders in the Master of Business Creation program and is currently based in Ghana. His agritech company provides affordable technology solutions to African farmers that helps them reduce losses, maximize productivity, and increase their income.
Sesi studied electrical engineering at the Kwame Nkrumah’ University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, Ghana, for his undergraduate degree and stayed there as a research engineer. He broke ground on his product and founded his company to commercialize the output of his research.
Sesi’s product, GrainMate, helps farmers salvage over 30% of grains that are lost post-harvest by measuring moisture levels of maize, wheat, rice, and more. If the grains being sold aren’t dried enough before they’re stored, the moist grains can develop harmful toxins and contaminate an entire batch.
Other solutions tend to be more expensive and inaccessible for farmers in Ghana. “A few unique challenges that I face as an African entrepreneur is how sometimes very basic infrastructure services are unreliable such as access to electricity and access to good internet connectivity,” Sesi said. Farmers who lose post-harvest grains face lower incomes and less productivity.
“Our purpose is to create and live in a world where poverty and hunger does not exist and we’re doing this by empowering African farmers with affordable technology solutions,” Sesi said.
GrainMate helps farmers salvage over 30% of grains that are lost post-harvest by measuring moisture levels of maize, wheat, rice, and more.
In 2019, Isaac Sesi was honored by MIT as an innovator under 35 making a difference in the world. His grain-moisture meter sells for $80, which is significantly cheaper than other alternatives available to sub-Saharan African farmers. While the device is currently being sold in Ghana, they’re raising funds to expand in Kenya and Nigeria. Sesi and his team hope to help farmers in Africa improve the safety of their products and help increase their income.
Sesi Technologies is taking the agribusiness world by storm and offers a variety of technology solutions at affordable prices, including the GrainMate Moisture Meter, GrainMate Warehouse Monitor, and AgroMarket platforms to help farmers manage post-harvest grains.
The Master of Business Creation (MBC) program is provided by the Department of Entrepreneurship & Strategy at the David Eccles School of Business with support from the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute. Sensi is participating in the MBC program remotely through a partnership with Generation Africa.
“One of the things I really love about the program is that you have mentors that are really committed to guiding you, assisting you, and helping you become successful,” Sesi said. “You don’t feel like you are part of an academic program, everybody is just so invested in your success and in seeing you thrive as an entrepreneur.”
Since joining the MBC program, Sesi Technologies has refined their business model, developed a financial model and marketing strategy, and they’re implementing a sales strategy. By the end of the program, they want to be at a point where all fundamental structures are in place and that they’ll be able to raise a seed round to expand.
Learn more about Sesi Technologies at sesitechnologies.com.
