Every hamlet in India is seeing new innovations and many new firms are emerging from the rural areas. It’s a positive thing that a lot of new startups in India have evolved that are solving actual problems. India is a global agricultural powerhouse. Most of the world’s food comes from India’s farms. Lately there are more and more new businesses starting up in India, and one of them is KG Agrotech, which is really impressive.
Hailing from the small town of Malegaon, Kamlesh Nanasaheb Ghumare, popularly known as Jugadu Kamlesh emerged as a beacon of innovation, representing the aspirations of the entire farming community of the country. In collaboration with his cousin Naru, Kamlesh dedicated seven relentless years to develop a groundbreaking machine that could revolutionize pesticide application. The company gained significant recognition when it appeared on Shark Tank India Season 1 Episode 23.
Today, on The Inspiring Chapters, we are sharing the story of Jugadu Kamlesh and his venture KG Agrotech.
SourceKG Agrotech – The Beginnings
Hailing from a farming family himself, Kamlesh Nanasaheb Ghumare always wanted to create innovative solutions that would address the challenges he faced in his own farming journey. Using his personal experience Kamlesh came up with an idea to help other farmers and also improve farming in India.
Kamlesh along with his cousin Naru started working on building an extremely beneficial product for farmers in 2014. They incorporated their company on March 04, 2022. And, this is how the journey of KG Agrotech started.
The Innovative Product that Jugadu Kamlesh Built
The flagship product of KG Agrotech is a revolutionary multifunctional 3-wheeler bicycle that caters to various agricultural needs. Designed for pesticide spraying, sowing, and carrying luggage, it helps farmers a lot by making their work easier. It helps them in achieving twice the efficiency in half the time. The bicycle is meant to help farmers who have to carry heavy 17 kg tanks on their backs. Doing that can be bad for their health because they have to come in contact with harmful chemicals that aren’t good for them.
The product that KG Agrotech made is really easy to use and understand. Kamlesh Nanasaheb Ghumare made the device using basic devices and simple technology, so it doesn’t cost much to make or take care of. The ingenious machine bore distinctive features that set it apart. The new machine had tubeless tires that could work on different terrains, a front wheel that could turn around to make it easier to steer, and it was also made to be not heavy.
The way the machine was made could be changed to make it even better, like adding things to help spread seeds or dig the ground. Because it doesn’t cost a lot to make, it is easy for farmers to buy the product.
Funding Challenge and Journey on Shark Tank India
The device that Jugadu Kamlesh made got a lot of attention after its video went viral on YouTube. Many companies wanted the multifunctional bicycle. Despite these promising developments, Kamlesh faced a significant obstacle – the lack of funds. Without funding, he couldn’t go ahead with mass production, which confined his creation to a prototype.
This is why Kamlesh Ghumare used the Shark Tank platform to pitch his remarkable firm. During his pitch on Shark Tank India, Kamlesh sought Rs. 30 lakhs for a 10% stake in KG Agrotech.
Recognizing the immense potential of the company, Peyush Bansal, the CEO of Lenskart, made a strategic investment in KG Agrotech. He invested Rs. 10 lakhs for a 40% equity stake in the startup. Additionally, he extended his support by providing an interest-free loan of 20 lakhs to KG Agrotech. The loan he got helped Kamlesh Ghumare make the farming machine even better.
Competitive Advantage for KG Agrotech
Some other players have tried to solve similar farming problems using flying drones, but those solutions are usually too expensive for most farmers. Because of this, there’s a big gap in the market, and Kamlesh’s device aims to fix that. Jugadu Kamlesh’s device offers a simpler and farmer-friendly solution which many farmers really need. This helps meet a big demand in the market that hasn’t been taken care of yet.
For his achievements, Jugadu Kamlesh got the Maratha Bhushan Purashkar in June 2023.
With promising ventures like KG Agrotech emerging from the grassroots, India’s agricultural landscape is set for a brighter and more sustainable future!
