FarmDrive is a mobile tech, agri-tech startup that looks to advance bankable farmer initiatives. FarmDrive is a Kenyan-based social enterprise that connects unbanked and underserved smallholder farmers to credit, while helping financial institutions cost effectively increase their agricultural loan portfolios. Using simple mobile phone technology, alternative data sets, and sophisticated data analytics, FarmDrive is closing the critical information gap that keeps smallholder farmers from loans that would allow them to grow and diversify their businesses.
FarmDrive has won the Thomson Reuters Africa Startups Challenge 2016. The Thomson Reuters Africa Startups Challenge seeks to find the best new companies coming out of Africa. As a large continent made up of many emerging markets Africa is home to some exciting ventures who are able to leverage new technology and new business models to leap-frog the current players. It won over other 13 competitors.