Why did you decide to focus on this specific problem?
Alexander (A): Part of my family are farmers and I saw the situation since I was a child. I wondered why they threw away their crops if it cost them so much to harvest them: time, money, family sacrifices… Inquiring about the problem, we saw that the cost of the crops was not fair to them and that no one is paying attention to the Mexican countryside, despite because we are important exporters.
This is how we began to ask what the farmers would like, we formulated a hypothesis and Rurusi was born. We used Artificial Intelligence to find out which crops were the best for the region; In addition to a marketplace within the app so that they can acquire all the supplies at a fair price and we look for a way so that they can sell to the final buyer, such as distribution centers, food industries or supply markets.
Light (L): I was in charge of the focus groups in Hidalgo. I showed them the app, but I didn’t teach them how to use it. What we want is for it to be easy to understand. That, from the visualization, they can understand structures or components without the need for a person to assist them; that is intuitive and simple and that no one has to teach us. Some farmers were not very open to acquiring a technological tool that would help them in the field. They were resisting. But as we went along we realized that it was a cultural factor.
We kept working on improving the design and the tools, until it became much easier to use.
What technological challenges are farmers facing in your communities?
L: It is important to mention that agriculture in the center is very different from that in the north, and so in all regions. And that, practically, support is scarce for agriculture throughout the region. They have to provide themselves with the tools to be able to have their crop or final product.
It is a fact that they are closed to technology because it is not a tool that they can exploit. But, what I did notice was that they are already more open to having a mobile device. They told me: “I only use the phone for calls, messages and social networks like Facebook”. Since you already have an idea of how to do that, so we looked to make a tool that is similar in structure and design. We are also looking to design an app that can run on low-end devices.
David (D): One thing we can add about limited resources is that a lot of government funding goes to men, more than women. Rurusi also seeks to be a tool for Mexican farmers.
Did they receive any type of support or incentive from organizations, schools or the government? And once you’ve won the Microsoft Imagine Cup, do you think you’ve been properly supported?
A: We were the only Latin American startup that made it to the finals. If we were excited to have come so far. But honestly no. I think that many young entrepreneurs are going to identify themselves; everything was 100% financed by us. We do not receive support from anyone… if we would like to receive support from the government in the future because we think that the public sector should work together with us to make a strategy to digitize the field, because it has not been given attention in the region. Yes, we are in the process of talking with an NGO, but it is outside the country.
D: Institutions have supported us in terms of mentoring, but not in money. It was Ing. Rogelio Alan Chavero Callejas, from the Higher Technological Institute of Huichapan.
What’s next for you Rurusi?
A: We are finishing up well considering all the requirements of the users -farmers, suppliers and buyers-. We hope to release an alpha version that any farmer or person with internet can get into. We are also looking to join forces, part of the government and part of the private sector, to give movement to our startup.
On the other hand, in the short term, it is to make exports possible. Imagine that farmers who sell avocado can offer it directly to those families.
L: Rurusi’s main objectives are a better quality of life and a fairer remuneration for his work.