Driptech blog

Driptech closes series A investment round led by Vinod Khosla

2012-01-12T14:01:00.000-08:00

Contact: Jean Shia

Driptech, inc.

2580 Wyandotte St., Suite B

Mountain View, CA 94043

+1 650-353-2688

jean@driptech.com

Driptech, inc. Closes Series A Funding from Khosla Impact Equity financing led by Vinod Khosla through new social venture fund; Capital will accelerate company expansion and benefit small-plot farmers around the world.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA – January 11, 2012 – Driptech, inc. (www.driptech.com), a for-profit social enterprise that makes affordable irrigation products for small-plot farmers, announced today that it has completed its Series A funding led by Khosla Impact, a social venture capital fund founded by noted entrepreneur and investor Vinod Khosla. The round also incorporated a strategic investment from Westlake Chemical Corporation of Houston, Texas. The new capital will be used to expand Driptech’s global operations to reach more of the world’s small-plot farmers.

“We’re honored to partner with such excellent investors,” said Peter Frykman, Founder and CEO of Driptech. “Their expertise and resources will help us scale to achieve tremendous social and financial impact. Both Khosla Impact and Westlake bring unique insight to our next stage of growth.”

Founded in 2008, Driptech deploys an award-winning, proprietary manufacturing technology that produces affordable, high quality drip irrigation systems. Unlike commercial drip irrigation, the Driptech system is designed specifically for the 600 million small-plot farmers suffering from water scarcity globally. It works with low-pressure water, resists clogging, and is easy for farmers to install and maintain themselves. Small-plot farmers who were previously unable to afford drip irrigation are now able to greatly increase their income through water and labor savings along with improved crop yields.

The insight for Driptech came when mechanical engineer Peter Frykman, then a Stanford University graduate student, traveled to Ethiopia as part of the course “Entrepreneurial Design for Extreme Affordability.” He witnessed firsthand the hardship caused to many small-plot farmers by the drought cycle, leaving them with severely limited water resources and no means to irrigate their crops effectively. Locally available drip irrigation products were too expensive for most farmers and seldom worked properly at small-scale. It became clear that there was a tremendous need to develop affordable and appropriate irrigation solutions for small-plot farmers. After receiving his Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Peter founded Driptech to address this need in a sustainable and scalable way.

Driptech launched commercially in India in January 2011 in partnership with local rural distributors. The new funding will support Driptech’s plans to rapidly expand local distribution and deploy manufacturing facilities closer to its customers. The company focuses on optimizing the entire system for designing, manufacturing, and delivering irrigation products to this underserved market.

"Through modular manufacturing and affordable, easy to use products, Driptech is bringing professional design to the small-plot farmer," said Vinod Khosla. "This is precisely the kind of development that maximizes human potential, while minimizing the use of water, an increasingly precious resource in India, and around the world."

About Driptech

Driptech is an award-winning, revenue-generating, venture capital-backed social enterprise with offices in India, China, and Silicon Valley. Through proprietary manufacturing and novel distribution, Driptech makes affordable and appropriate drip irrigation technology for small-plot farmers in developing countries. Driptech is a 2012 World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer, a Social Venture Network Innovation Award Winner, and a 2009 Tech Award Laureate for Technology Benefiting Humanity. For more information, please visit www.driptech.com.

About Khosla Impact

Khosla Impact is a social venture capital fund, founded by Vinod Khosla, that invests in world-class entrepreneurs who are passionate about solving challenging, often intractable socio-economic problems through careful application of science, technology, and design or through creative business models. The Impact Fund evaluates a wide range of social ventures but is primarily focused on for-profit social enterprises serving the poor: low-income laborers, farmers and families, as well as small businesses in emerging markets.

About Westlake Chemical Corporation

Westlake Chemical (NYSE: WLK) is a premier international manufacturer and supplier of petrochemicals, polymers and building products. Operating from 14 facilities across North America and one in China, they produce approximately 11 billion pounds of product per year and generated $3.2 billion in annual revenue in 2010. Their offerings are the building blocks for a wide variety of consumer and industrial products, including food packaging, automotive products, coatings, as well as building and construction materials, including pipe for water, sewer and irrigation applications along with profiles for windows, fencing and decking.

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Gravity drip systems for small plot farmers in Orissa

2011-11-18T10:09:00.000-08:00

by Sarah Lee

Driptech’s affordable drip irrigation systems are dotting the countryside in the eastern Indian state of Orissa. Phase two of the Kechla drip irrigation project is being rolled out in collaboration with Kopernik, an international technology marketplace, and Auro-Mira Service Society (AMSS), a local NGO involved in education and environment work. Nearly 70 small plot farmers are investing in drip irrigation to bolster their incomes and food security throughout the year.

Back in April, prior to the monsoon rain, farmers attended local language community meetings to learn about the water-saving, labor-saving, and yield-increasing benefits of drip irrigation. They vied with one another to be selected for one of the two demonstration plots during the phase one pilot project.

Rogenath (pictured below) was one of these eager farmers, but since his field was tucked away from the view of passersby it didn’t have the high visibility needed for the initial demonstration plots. After the monsoon rains ended and the rollout of phase two of the Kechla drip irrigation project started, Rogenath’s system was the first to be installed. His 250 square meter plot is located right beside a small creek, which, when dammed to create a small reservoir, will provide an easy water source just steps away from his drip irrigation tank. As the first installation wrapped up and Rogenath could see his system in place, he asked how many drip holes were on the plot. When he calculated that he could grow at least 875 tomato plants during the dry season, a broad smile spread across his face.

Excited at the prospect of a dry season tomato crop, Rogenath poses with his daughter in front of his Driptech system

For some farmers in Kechla like Rogenath, drip irrigation provides the only realistic means of cultivating vegetables during the dry season. Nakul (pictured below in blue) previously carried buckets of water from a small stream in a ravine 50m away to hand water his chili crop. Now he can deliver this hard-earned water precisely to his crops rather than wastefully splashing it across the earth and inadvertently irrigating weeds.

Nakul with project installation team Annie (Kopernik), Sudam (AMSS), and Runa (AMSS), is relieved that drip irrigation will save him from the burden of hand-watering his chili crop

For other farmers in Kechla, drip irrigation represents a step-wise improvement from labor-intensive flood irrigation. Jogenath, another farmer in the community, wanted to install a Driptech system so that he wouldn’t have to spend time and energy moving mud to temporarily channel the flow of a stream through furrows in his field. Now he can simply fill his tank and control irrigation with the turn of a valve.

Driptech irrigation saves time and labor when compared to flood irrigation

Phase two of the Kechla drip irrigation project is in full swing. After a five day training by Driptech, the implementation team composed of AMSS staff, a Kopernik fellow, and local day laborers are disbursing materials and teaching Kechla farmers how to install and maintain their drip systems.

Farmers come to the local NGO to pick up their supplies

Job Posting: Electromechanical Systems Engineer

2011-10-27T12:19:00.000-07:00

Come join Driptech, a for-profit, impact-focused, socially beneficial startup chosen as a 2012 Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum, named by BusinessWeek as one of the world's most intriguing new companies, and voted by its readers as one of the top 5 most promising social ventures in America.

Driptech is laser-focused on making affordable irrigation technologies for small-plot farmers in developing countries. Our early-stage, Mountain View, CA based venture is scaling up for high-volume commercial roll-outs in India and China. By joining the Driptech team you will be part of a compelling social venture that aims to produce a global impact. To achieve this goal we are implementing globally distributed manufacturing systems and the innovative technology required to make it happen. We are rapidly scaling our production capacity and we need your help!

At Driptech, you will use your skills and intelligence to create direct impact on the livelihoods and quality of life of small-plot farmers.

Driptech is seeking an enthusiastic and highly capable Electromechanical Systems Engineer. This full-time position is available immediately. It requires strong circuit and software development skills. The ideal candidate will have first-hand experience with how products are specified, designed, developed, validated, manufactured, inspected, and released for sale. The position requires direct, hands-on experience in designing and manufacturing products, as well as a proactive, dedicated, and hardworking mentality. You'll be working closely with the Engineering Manager, Mechanical Engineers, Director of Operations, and business partners. This position will provide ample opportunities to travel to India and China. 10% will be required as a minimum.

Responsibilities
• Design and develop the analog and digital circuits of our proprietary laser-manufacturing technology
• Design, code, and test software for embedded micro-controllers operating in extreme industrial environments
• Develop and test optical sensing systems for Quality Assurance purposes
• Source and procure off-the-shelf electronic and electromechanical parts
• Create schematics, layouts, BOMs and wiring harness documentation for new parts and assemblies
• Design wiring harnesses to connect PCBs and modules
• Help establish and support manufacturing in the US, India, China, and other nations as we continue to grow
• Assemble and test circuit boards and wiring harnesses using soldering irons, crimp tools, etc
• Coordinate with outside vendors to fabricate custom electronics
• Help evaluate and improve the quality and reliability of our manufacturing technology
Background and Skills
• 3+ years experience in electro-mechanical system design and product development
• Masters in Electrical or Mechanical Engineering, focusing on mechatronics, robotics, electromechanical systems, or equivalent
• Demonstrated digital and analog circuit design, fabrication, and debugging experience
• Demonstrated embedded programming experience in C or C++
• Experience using a variety of sensors
• Hands-on mechanical skills, and a passion for making things

Desired Extras
• Passion for engineering with social impact
• Experience with optics, machine vision, and lasers
• Experience working in highly innovative, design-driven environments
• Altium Designer schematic capture & PCB layout
• Experience building system models, using them for analysis, simulation, and control
• Other software: LabVIEW, Matlab, Simulink, etc.
• Experience working in China or India and relevant language skills
• Reliability and Quality engineering skills, e.g. Design For Six Sigma
• Quality Control & Statistical Process Control
• Machining skills, CAD, CAM, and CNC

Compensation
Driptech offers a competitive salary and benefits package commensurate with our funding stage.

How to Apply
Please submit your resume and cover letter to: jobs@driptech.com with "Electromechanical Systems Engineer" in the subject. To learn more about Driptech, please visit our website at www.driptech.com

Driptech Turns 3!

2011-09-15T14:20:00.000-07:00

Driptech survived terrible two and is charging through tantrum three! This past Saturday we celebrated Driptech's 3rd birthday by throwing a barbecue with 65 of our closest friends and biggest supporters.

The barbecue topped off what has been a very exciting summer for the company. Since last year Driptech's team has grown to 25 full-time employees, signed on 5 new partners, shipped more than 45 tons of drip tape to India, and added production capacity in China. In addition, we recently received the SF Business Times Cleantech + Sustainability Award, the SVN Innovation Award, and were selected by the World Economic Forum as a Technology Pioneer and named one of the GoingGreen Global 200 Top Private Companies- so there was much to celebrate!

Hydrated with Gordon Biersch beer (graciously donated by Dan Gordon) and Honest Tea (graciously donated by Seth Goldman) we enjoyed mingling, shooting hoops and getting back in touch with our elementary school days with a game of four square.

Driptech HQ

Peter and Whit work the crowd

Don Allen speaks with Jim Patell

Rob, Whit, Peter and Sarah enjoying the Gordon Biersch beer

Jackie, Jessica, Austin and Joe warm-up the four square court

New Driptech record holder?

Thank you Gordon Biersch!

Thank you Honest Tea!

We were delighted to see so many of Driptech's supporters turn-out this weekend to celebrate another year of success. We wouldn't have gotten to where we are today without the tremendous help of our friends and advisors. Your introductions and goodwill have led to valuable team members and partnerships. For those of you who couldn't make it, you were sorely missed but we hope to see you next year when we turn 4!

To view more pictures from the event, please visit our picasa album

Introducing Driptech's 2011 Summer Interns

2011-07-18T11:49:00.000-07:00

This summer we hired 4 exceptional interns to work with our techdev team that we'd like to introduce to all our followers.

Meet Brian Argyres

Brian is specializing in Mechatronics at Stanford University for his M.S. in Mechanical Engineering. He is also a teaching assistant at the Stanford University Product Realization Lab. In his spare time, Brian loves to play basketball, ping pong, or spend time working on various personal projects. He is very excited to be working for Driptech this summer and to experience what it is like to be part of a young start up.

Meet Jackie Rogoff

Jackie earned her BS in Mechanical Engineering from MIT with a concentration in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. She just finished year one of her MS at Stanford and is excited to experience her first job at a start up while sharpening her engineering skills. Her past projects include: writing code for Music21, a software suite for musicologists, design and manufacturing projects through 2.007, 2.008, and 2.009 at MIT, and last but not least projects associated with Stanford's yearlong smart product design course. In her spare time, Jackie is training to run a half marathon in July and a full marathon in October.

Meet Kiran Malladi

Kiran is from right down the road from Driptech. He was born at Stanford hospital, never left, and keeps making plans to stick around (except for this summer). He recently graduated from the Stanford Product Design undergraduate program and will be starting a Master's in Mechanical Engineering with a focus in Mechatronics in the fall. He's really excited to ship out to Pune, India for Driptech to test his skills in the field and learn a whole host of new things over the summer. Kiran loves burritos, good coffee, and dance music.

Meet Tej Bhadbhade

Tej is originally from Pune, India. He completed his bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering at VIT Pune, Pune University. He is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering at Stanford University with a specialization in Mechatronics. He’s enjoying his first job in the U.S. here at Driptech. Aside from work, Tej is really into playing squash, listening to music and reading. He’s learning to play the grand piano this summer and wants to learn how to surf, make an autonomous quadrotor and go skydiving!

Our portable demo plot was looking rather shabby so the first project we tasked the interns with was to refurbish the demo plot. Below are some pictures of them in action.

Tej, Brian, and Jackie quickly figure out what it takes to fix-up our demo plot

Already getting their hands dirty first week on the job

Success!

Tej, Jackie, and Brian show off their successful refurbishment

Our summer interns started in early June and will be with us through the end of August. If you or someone you may know is interested in exploring future internship opportunities at Driptech please feel free to contact us at jobs@driptech.com

We are also still accepting applications for our:

Product Design Fellowship & Mechatronics/Manufacturing Fellowship

Three New Job Openings

2011-05-16T16:56:00.000-07:00

Come join Driptech, a for-profit, socially-minded, high-visibility startup named by BusinessWeek as one of the world's most intriguing new companies, and voted by its readers as one of the top 5 most promising social ventures in America.

Driptech is laser-focused on making affordable irrigation technologies for small-plot farmers in developing countries. Our early-stage, privately-funded, Mountain View, CA based venture is scaling up for high-volume commercial roll-outs in India and China. By joining the Driptech team you will be part of a compelling social venture that aims to produce a global impact.

Driptech is seeking enthusiastic and highly capable individuals to fill several new positions. Each position begins at our headquarters in Mountain View, CA followed by deployment to our overseas offices:

Product Development Lead - based in India

Product Design Fellow - based in India

Mechatronics/Manufacturing Fellow - based in China

Please check the links for more details.

Additional info about us can be found at our website:

http://www.driptech.com

Fellowship applications are due June 30, 2011. We look forward to hearing from you. Email all inquiries to jobs@driptech.com

Launch of Retail Sales in Karnataka and Maharashtra

2011-04-13T04:33:00.000-07:00

Driptech recently launched retail sales of Driptech systems in India with one of our distribution partners, Godrej Agrovet! We are very pleased to have the respected Godrej name and its network of dealers supporting our work. Mark Kahn, Executive Vice President for Strategy & Business Development at Godrej Agrovet, joined Driptech Founder and CEO Peter Frykman for this portrait taken at our Hubli launch party.

Our launch events generated a lot of good press in major local Kannada-language papers, such as Samyuktha Karnataka and Sanjevani, as well as in the top two English dailies, the Times of India, and the Hindu.

By partnering with a well-recognized Indian brand that has existing distribution channels, Driptech broadens the social impact of our water-saving, labor-saving, and yield-increasing product.

Peter Frykman (center), founder and CEO of Driptech, pictured with farmers who now have access drip to irrigation.

Godrej sales officers are building relationships with dealer outlets and hanging the co-branded Driptech/Godrej banners in the storefronts (below).

Through dealers and Godrej sales officers, farmers in Maharashtra and Karnataka such as Davalsab Nadaf (pictured below) have access to affordable high-quality drip irrigation. Mr. Nadaf, near Hubli, Karnataka previously relied on flood irrigation for dry season gardening, but was unable to irrigate an elevated portion of his land holdings. After buying a Driptech system from Godrej sales officer Shive Anand, he is now able to irrigate his 1/2 acre plot of chilies, tomatoes and okra. He estimates that using drip irrigation saves him 200 rupees per day (or 4 hours per day) of labor. Mr. Nadaf explained that he is very happy with the system and plans to expand the area of land he irrigates with Driptech systems because he can see that it will protect his soil from the erosion caused by flood irrigation.

Sales Officer Mr. Anand (R) with Mr Nadaf (L).

Fellow Blog Series: The Sun Never Sets on the Driptech Fellow (Part Three)

2011-03-30T10:14:00.000-07:00

Mountain View, CA, USA 06:00 PST

Jessica Martin

“A single entry bond covers only one entry through U.S. customs. The bond amount is for the F.O.B (otherwise known as Freight on Board) value plus duties rounded to the next hundred. The charge for the bond is $4.00 per $1,000 of the bond amount with a minimum of $40.”

Ok, I think to myself. So that means a $25,000 bond would cost (I jot the calculation down)

$25,000/$1,000= 25*$4.00=$100.

So at what point would a continuous bond prove to be cost effective for us? I shuffle back through our customs invoices…

Jean: Jess…Jess.

Me: Yes, I say as I shake myself from the computer screen and take a break from the various intricacies of importing into the U.S. I take a look at the piece of paper Jean hands me from across the desk. It’s her latest draft of the job description (JD) for the China and India business development positions we are trying to fill in the next month or two. Along, with designing a system to manage our supply-chain, I’ll have a hand in hiring as well, mainly by narrowing down which recruiter in India, if any, we feel comfortable hiring to help us with our search for a local business development manager.

I‘m nearly through reading the JD when Peter bursts out of his office with a clap of his hands and a big smile. “Just had a great call with a potential investor!" Since I arrived at Driptech at the end of February, Peter has been busy with cultivating investors for the company’s Series A investment round while simultaneously growing the business. His days have been filled with investor calls and pitches from early in the morning to late into the evening. It’s not uncommon to have one or two of these potential financiers drop by for a tour of our part office, part engineering workshop, and part factory tucked in a discrete commercial-neighborhood of Mountain View.

Driptech’s mini-milestones and not so mini-milestones have been helpful in attracting attention from investors and the pace at which we continue to accumulate these milestones seems to be picking up. The day I started here at Driptech I was greeted by a blurry-eyed but triumphant looking group as I entered the office for the first time. The team had all been in since before 7am that morning packing punched tubing into a 40 foot shipping container. This marked Driptech’s very first full container shipment to India, or the most tubing sent to fill an order in India yet. You can watch Peter’s “Smashing Send-Off” here.

Whit loading Driptech's first full container

Back at my days as a research analyst on Wall Street, growth expansion was just a phrase to determine what bucket an investment fell into, but the phrase is much more tangible to grasp as it plays out here everyday before my eyes. Not a day has gone by since I started that a strategically important decision didn’t have to be made. The atmosphere reminds me of the summer after 3rd grade when my shoe size jumped from a kids size 12 to a woman’s size 6. My mom ran out to buy me new sneakers but was reluctant to invest in a new pair of dress shoes for fear I would jump another size by the end of summer. My project around supply chain management begs similarly ambiguous questions like, what are the right solutions, at what prices, that will work today but will also be dynamic enough to evolve with the company in the future? However, unlike my shoe conundrum, this project I think will be slightly more challenging but exponentially more exciting.

My day on the production line far from the subways, skyscrapers, and pinstripe suits of Wall St.

The sun has set here in California. All the managers have gone into Peter’s office to huddle around the computer for the weekly global managers call. I decide to head home to catch a bite to eat before jumping on a 10 o’clock call with a recruiter in India.

Fellow Blog Series: The Sun Never Sets on the Driptech Fellow (Part Two)

2011-03-29T11:00:00.001-07:00

Pune, India 15:00 IST

Sarah Lee

“No need to meet me at the corner,” I tell my colleague over the phone as my rickshaw enters traffic. I’ve been to our test plot a few times before and think I can retrace my footsteps: second gas station on the right, over the little bridge, right at the school and around the corner. It’s 3pm and having worked on my laptop all day, I’m excited to hear that a water tanker will come fill our tank so that we can do some testing at our drip irrigation demo plot nearby our office.

Only one wrong turn later, I walk up to the warehouse to meet a field assistant, Rupesh. Despite a significant language barrier, Rupesh and I mime our ways through an afternoon of expanding our demo plot.

The task is to determine the area that we can irrigate using a gravity-powered system. We know what has worked for us in the past, and we’ve read the reports, but we want to test the specific configuration that we will use in an installation in a few weeks in a remote part of the country.

Rupesh and I start with a trip to the plumbing store to get the fittings we need to connect the water tank with the ball valve, filter and sub-main water line.

Sarah in search of the right fittings

After measuring out the plot dimensions for testing, we put together the sub-main line, drill holes in the PVC pipe, insert grommets, fit the takeoffs in the holes, and attach the laterals. Then comes the challenge of making the tank connection. We’ve used a stack of shipping pallets to create a stand 1m high for the water tank. With some huffing and puffing, we manage to lift a nearly empty (but cumbersome) water tank up onto the stand. The city’s water supply is turned off but our water tanker arrives and fills the tank for about 1 rupee/ liter.

Rupesh manning the water tank at Driptech's test plot in Pune, India

Since we need to be able to adjust the filter and plot configuration for future tests, we don’t glue the fittings together. Because PVC pipe is made to approximate dimensions to keep the cost low, our fittings wiggle a bit before the system is completed. As the delivery tanker fills our water tank, this wiggly connection suddenly flies off. Rupesh presses his palm against the outlet to save our precious water and I grab the pipe to reconnect. “1, 2, 3” He releases his palm, we are sprayed with water again, and I quickly jam the pipe back in place. In the middle of a 38 degrees C afternoon, getting a little wet is actually quite refreshing!

We run the system, note the results and make a list of what we need for tomorrow’s test. After securing the removable portions of the demo plot inside the locked warehouse, I follow Rupesh along the top of a high wall of an unused sewer system as a shortcut to where he parked his scooter. We hop on the scooter and head to the plumbing store again to place an order for different pipes and fittings. It’s 7pm and the shopkeeper at the plumbing store wants to close up. We make a plan to meet back at the store the next morning to try to beat the heat.

Fellow Blog Series: The Sun Never Sets on the Driptech Fellow (Part One)

2011-03-29T01:12:00.000-07:00

As featured in a recent Wall Street Journal article, not all multinational companies are big; they can be small like Driptech, too. While there are always pluses and minuses to having a global operation, one thing is for sure: someone is always on the job and in this case it’s the Driptech fellow. Currently, Driptech has three fellows based in all of its locations around the world so literally speaking the sun never truly sets on the Driptech fellow. In the following blog post we composed a chronicle of Driptech fellow activities over one full rotation of the earth.

Beijing, China 08:30 CST
Frank Lee

There are precisely two lessons for a foreigner to learn in Beijing to better adapt as a “Beijinger.” The first lesson is the ability to read the hidden messages behind traffic lights for pedestrians. Contrary to the other city traffic systems, Green Light in Beijing actually means proceed with caution. Red Light actually means GO! GO! GO! The second lesson is to avoid riding the subway at all cost during peak traffic hours. This morning, I am making the 40-minute trek on foot from my apartment near the Shuangjing subway station to the Beijing Driptech office near the Jianguomen subway station. Along the way, I see high-rise building after high-rise building. If one wants to witness the economic boom of China, one only needs to walk around the nation's capitol.

The main agenda item for today is our interview with a local media outfit. Global Times is the most read English publication in China. I initially met the reporter Cong Mu during a clean energy networking event. Driptech has been very fortunate with our coverage in the press. Through international media outlets such as the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and Businessweek, we have been able to share our social mission with the world, connecting with business partners in the process. One of our main goals in China is to connect with the local press to help expand our business partnerships with the Chinese government, private ventures, and NGOs.

Around 10 a.m., Cong Mu arrives at our Driptech Beijing office, a space converted from a 4-person conference room. I like to think that our humble office space showcases the scrappiness of Driptech and our resourceful approach. Cong Mu first explains that he is interested in writing about the tremendous water shortage in China, and the $600 billion investment that the government is planning to make over the next 10 years on water conservation projects. He thinks that Driptech is the perfect lead in for this story. Over the next hour and a half, Cong Mu interviews my China colleague Xiaoli and me, on various topics. I detail Driptech's history and manufacturing technology advantage over traditional drip irrigation manufacturers. Xiaoli shares her field experiences working with farmers when we sold systems to greenhouse farmers in Shanxi province. Cong Mu concludes the interview by asking our motivations to join a social venture like Driptech. I explain that understanding how to market a product to small-scale farmers is intellectually stimulating. At P&G, I worked to improve established brands. At Driptech, our team has to build our brand in the hearts and minds of small farmers. How do you sell a product to low-income farmers, who need the product to improve their own standard of living? This is a question that our team strives to chip away and answer everday. At the end of the interview, he explains that the article will be published in the next two days, marking Driptech's official entry into the Chinese press!

You can read the Global Times article here!

Driptech Inducted into the International Green Industry Hall of Fame!

2011-03-25T20:32:00.000-07:00

Today, Driptech was one of the first six organizations to be inducted into the International Green Industry Hall of Fame! I was honored to accept the award on behalf of Peter and the Driptech team! The new Hall of Fame is designed to recognize individuals and organizations for outstanding achievements in the green industry and provide an educational forum for the international public. Driptech was honored among a number of extremely accomplished individuals and organizations including, the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE), Grundfos (an industrial water pump supplier), the City of Fresno Recycling Program, Duke Smart Home Program, and Josh Dorfman (a.k.a The Lazy Environmentalist).

The stage and awards before the inductees had been revealed

The induction ceremony was held on the UC Merced campus, which is ambitiously pursuing the highest standards for the sustainable use of energy and other scarce resources. The details of these standards and plans were presented by the campus architect Thomas E. Lollini, FAIA, LEED AP followed by a motivating speech by Rob Diridon, Executive Director of the Mineta Transportation Institute, on the significance of high speed rail to not only the development of California but also the world.

The inductees were then announced and asked to give a little speech. I commented on the appropriateness of Driptech being honored on the UC Merced campus since it was on another nearby university campus (Stanford) that Driptech was conceived. Students from several local high schools attended the event, and I encouraged them to dream big because their school projects could one day be the basis for a company, too.

A very excited Jessica and Gwen Lauridson, who accepted the life-time achievement award on behalf of Ray Anderson of Interface, Inc.

Sam Geil, IGIHOF Chairman, and Jessica

After the ceremony I was interviewed by Susan Frank from The Better World Group on how Driptech’s product creates solutions for our customers. You can view the video of the interview here.

After a full day, I drove back to Driptech headquarters, and we celebrated in the office. This award inspires and energizes us as we continue our work here at Driptech, alleviating poverty one farmer at a time, and contributing to a more sustainable global economy. Thank you to Sam Geil and the IGIHOF team for honoring Driptech with such a distinction.

Peter and Jessica back at the office

A Driptech System at Hanslok Ashram

2011-03-08T11:57:00.000-08:00

It was a pleasant Tuesday morning in the capital – New Delhi. Sarah Lee, an LGT fellow and myself, Aarthi Vijaykumar, India Product Manager, drove to Hanslok Ashram, a retreat camp about 35kms from the center of Delhi but still within the Delhi city limits. A beaming Ms. Sapna met us at the entrance and showed us around the Ashram – the meditation centre, the cow sheds, the mustard farm, the orchards and the huge auditorium under construction which would have a seating capacity of 5000. As we explained the system to Ms. Sapna, its design and benefits, we had a very unusual audience also listening intently – MONKEYS!

Ms. Sapna soon showed us the plots of land. The vegetables grown supplied the Ashram Kitchen. We were to complete a half acre installation and we keenly looked for a piece of land which was yet to be planted. We decided to install the system on the land where 1/4 acre was bare and the other half had potatoes which were soon to be harvested. We noticed that the current method of irrigation was through furrows which were about a foot and a half deep. It took the caretaker 2 days to completely irrigate the entire farm of 1 acre. We then made a list of all the fittings that would be required to connect the water source to the Driptech system and went with Ms. Sapna to the local pipe store. We requested that the owner send us the pipes at the earliest possible time. He said he would deliver them to the farm at 8:30 am the next day.

Wednesday

Sarah Lee and I hurried through breakfast to get to the farm on time. Beaming Ms. Sapna greeted us at the Ashram and we left immediately for the farm. On arriving at the farm, the store dealer said it would take another 10 minutes to have the material delivered. We decided that as we waited for the PVC pipes and other fittings to arrive, we could begin cutting the Driptape to the length of the plot. Ms. Sapna called the farm hands together to brief them of our plan and asked them to assist. Almost immediately, the farm hands divided into two groups and some men started walking away. Numerous questions plagued my mind – do they not want to help, are they insulted to have women instructing them, what is the real issue?! On enquiring, I realized that all the workers who were uneducated were being sent off. Immediately I explained to Ms. Sapna that a Driptech system was non-technical. It is straight-forward and can be installed by following simple diagrams. Ms. Sapna gave a loud yell and we had more enthusiastic hands helping with the installation.

It was almost lunch time and numerous calls had been made to the pipe dealer but the delivery hadn’t arrived. We realized that empty stomachs made us more annoyed and we headed to the Ashram Kitchen for lunch. The all vegetarian lunch was amazing and the salad was as fresh as ever. We returned to the farm and were happy to see that the pipes had finally arrived. We explained the system to the caretaker of the farm and the plumber. The caretaker was unimpressed. He said that he didn’t think the system would add any value. Ms. Sapna told him that we would install it, he could have a look and then give us feedback. His sarcastic smile said it all. The local plumber on the other hand was eager to see and called his teenage son to be trained to set up the system. He soon connected the water source with fittings to the submain of the Driptech system.

With all the fittings in place, we began our performance. We laid out the submain, drilled the holes, fit the grommets and take offs, and flushed the system to remove all particles of plastic and mud from the pipes. Then the interesting part began, we closed the pipes with end-caps and connected the laterals to the take-offs. It was five in the evening and the sun had begun to set. We decided to turn on the system. Everyone stood back. Little kids soon passed the news to the neighbours who looked intently over the wall. One of them even climbed the tree to have a better view. The water came from a ¾ inch outlet and slowly began to fill the submain and shoot out of the holes from the laterals. Driptech once again had created an environment of awe. The caretaker broke the silence.“It is wonderful, “ he said, “something I never could have imagined.” Almost immediately, everyone started praising the system. They all saw the value and savings in terms of water and labour.

The Driptech team trained the caretaker on usage and maintenance of the system. The Driptech system with its water spouts looked brilliant in the setting sun. Chips and chai from the caretaker’s wife was a loud gesture of their gratefulness.

Job Posting: China Research Consultant

2011-03-07T23:53:00.000-08:00

Come join our for-profit, socially minded, high visibility startup, named by BusinessWeek as one of the world’s most intriguing new companies and recently featured in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and the Economic Times.

Driptech is an international water technologies company based in Silicon Valley, with offices in Pune, India and Beijing, China. Our mission is to alleviate poverty by creating extremely affordable, water efficient irrigation solutions for small-plot farmers in developing countries. We are currently scaling up for high-volume commercial rollouts in India and China. By joining the Driptech team you will be part of a compelling social venture that aims to produce a global impact, reaching millions of small-plot farmers in the coming years.

Driptech is seeking an experienced and highly capable Consultant to conduct high level research and analysis, resulting in strategic recommendations to Driptech’s executive team for our China market development. This position will start as a 3-4 month part-time engagement with the potential to transition into a permanent, full-time position.

Responsibilities:

The Consultant shall provide research and analysis in the following areas:

Government and Policy: Map the political landscape as it relates to the intersection of agricultural development and water conservation, identifying key initiatives, funding and projects. Identify government ministries, individual decision makers, and important stakeholders at the central, regional, and local levels, in particular, those working closely with smallholder farmers.
Academia: Research and identify academic institutions (universities and research academies) that are relevant to Driptech from an advising and/or partnership standpoint. Identify the key academic influencers to the Chinese government, both individuals and institutions. Research and analyze initiatives, such as those addressing water efficiency or adoption of new technologies that may represent opportunities for Driptech.
Industry: Research and analyze the agriculture industry and competitors with effective business models targeting smallholder farmers. Identify the key players with relevant distribution infrastructure. Understand competitor product offering and pricing structures.

Deliverables:

At minimum, Consultant shall provide a concise written report and presentation to Driptech’s CEO and China team.

Background and Skills:

Minimum 3 years of relevant academic research or work experience in agriculture, water management, rural development, etc.
Familiarity with agriculture industry players and policy landscape
Experience living or working in rural China and interacting with all levels of government
Fluent in English and Mandarin
Strong communications skills, both written and verbal
Minimum of Bachelor’s degree

Compensation:

Competitive pay will be offered that is commensurate with Candidate’s experience.

How to Apply:

Please submit a CV and a cover letter explaining your interest to jobs@driptech.com with "China Research Consultant” in the subject line.

To learn more about Driptech, please visit our website at http://www.driptech.com/

Job Posting: Business Development Managers – India and China

2011-03-01T22:39:00.000-08:00

Driptech is seeking an enthusiastic and highly capable Business Development Manager in each of China and India to drive expansion of our distribution network. The India position is based in our Pune office, and the China position is based in our Beijing office. Both are available immediately. This is an ideal position for someone looking for entrepreneurial experience in a high-profile startup as well as the opportunity to have major social impact.

Responsibilities:

Develop and execute a channel strategy for a new agricultural product, through developing criteria for qualifying and prioritizing distribution partners and formulating processes for effective engagement
Develop distribution partnerships with companies, governments, and NGOs with strong access to small-plot farmers, through market research, networking, presentations, sales meetings, management of demo installations, and contract negotiation
Manage relationships with distribution partners – including follow-on sales, marketing support, training of partner staff, logistics, and management of junior sales staff• Contribute to Driptech strategy for business development, product development, and marketing
Promote Driptech at agricultural exhibitions and to the press• Maintain strong knowledge of end-customers and market through regular visits to farmers and industry research

Background and Skills:

5 - 10 years of professional work experience, including experience in the agriculture industry and in sales or business development
Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree
Fluent in written and spoken English and Hindi or Mandarin; fluency in other local languages desired
Ability to perform well with the limited management and support inherent in a multi-national startup, demonstrating initiative, independence, creativity, and resourcefulness
Ability to communicate effectively in a variety of settings – formal presentations, informal sales pitches, planning and discussions with Driptech team, meetings with farmers in villages, etc.
Experience working in a multinational organization preferred

Compensation:

Driptech offers a competitive salary commensurate with our funding stage.

How to Apply:

Please submit a CV and a cover letter explaining your interest to jobs@driptech.com with "Business Development Manager" plus “India” or “China” in the subject line.

To learn more about Driptech, please visit our website at http://www.driptech.com/

Beyond the Magic Bullet: Innovation in Bottom-up Development

2011-02-21T18:43:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, Stanford University invited Peter to speak on a panel about Design for Extreme Affordability as part of an annual conference put on by the Stanford Association for International Development. Alongside Banny Banjaree, director of the Stanford Design Program, and Krista Donaldson, CEO of D-Rev, Peter discussed the engineering and design needs of the developing world.

The social entrepreneurs

The panel discussion focused on three main processes of evolving organizations looking to reduce poverty: need-finding, prototyping, and implementation. Peter shared the story of the birth of Driptech, when on a trip with his Stanford design class to Ethiopia he realized the very life-threatening problem of water scarcity and started looking for a solution. Throughout the development of the company, Peter has emphasized the necessity of embracing ambiguity in the early design stage, and working comprehensively from problem to solution.

Rapid prototyping is a key component of Driptech, to test form and function in the most efficient way, testing models with customers to integrate their feedback and make a product most suitable to their needs. Peter pointed out that prototyping is important in all aspects of a company, even marketing, sales strategies, and partnership models.

There were plenty of questions asked and lively discussion between the panel and audience. Aside from the main points of the panel, Peter also discussed the advantages and disadvantages of being a foreigner with an outside perspective in the need-finding process, how to find a balance between short-term and long-term strategy, and the multidisciplinary backgrounds necessary in a successful startup.

Why Do Farmers Buy Driptech Irrigation Systems?

2010-12-10T10:57:00.000-08:00

For more updates, follow us on Facebook!

Is that a Robotic Elephant from the Future to Save Mankind? Or is that a Filter Qualification System?

2010-12-02T13:25:00.001-08:00

What’s up Driptech friends! Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. My name is Frank, and this is my post to give you an inside look at the eventful life of a Social Venture Fellow. Everyone at Driptech comes from different backgrounds with distinct skills. Together, we form a powerful fist that punches poverty in the face. Our mission is to empower farmers in developing countries by producing affordable micro-irrigation systems. Before Driptech, I worked for a consumer products company, first as an engineer and then as a marketer, on brands like Bounty and Prilosec OTC. In September, I joined Driptech as a Social Venture Fellow. Today, I want to share my experiences in one of my first projects.

The Driptech irrigation system is tailored to the unique needs of small-plot farmers in India and China. We make our system modular, so the farmers can either size up or down, depending on their plot space. Since our farmers are very price sensitive, when we design each system component, our team has to maintain a delicate balance between cost and performance. One of my first projects was to qualify our selection of cost-effective irrigation filters.

The nature of this project reflects the entrepreneurial culture at Driptech. I had to put my engineering skills to work and qualify selected filters by simulating actual field conditions. To irrigate up to one acre of land, I estimated that 300 gallons per minute (GPM) of water flow is required. The problem was, well, 300 GPM is a LOT of water! How could I move so much water at one time to qualify these filters? Luckily, our engineering team consists of some of the smartest out-of-the-box thinkers I have ever met. These guys really understand how to solve a problem with the limited resources of a start-up. We bounced several ideas off of each other. One of the coolest ideas was to rent a fire hydrant from the city of Mountain View. Our garden faucet produces about 10 GPM of water. A fire hydrant produces about 50X that flow rate. I was excited about this idea. I mean, when is the next time I will get to play with a fire hydrant?

Unfortunately, the moon and stars did not align for me on the fire hydrant idea. The upfront cost to rent from the city was too high. However, I did end up building a filter validation system with a 6.5 horsepower gas pump, a 600-gallon inflatable swimming pool, and some plumber-grade piping.

The day of our first run was about 20 degrees too cold. Our office park neighbors looked curiously at our 600-gallon swimming pool sitting in the back parking lot. After 1.5 hour of setting the system up, we were finally doing some major filter qualifications! As Thomas Edison once said, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” Well, maybe our first run wasn’t that dramatic, but the filter qualification system did blow up a few times under high water pressure. Unfortunately, the explosions were not captured on video, but here is footage when the system was working properly:

One of our original intents was to qualify plastic filters that could complement the much more expensive metal filters. After some fine tuning of the filter qualification system, we found two plastic filters that could accommodate water flow rates for farmers with less than 0.5 acre of land and farmers with up to 1.0 acre of land. Victory.

Lesson Points from the Education of a Driptech Social Venture Fellow:

Thinking really outside-the-box gets your brain to churn out options that you may not think you would have…especially cool ones like the fire hydrant idea.
However, connecting the dots is just as important…all big ideas are nothing without practical execution and understanding of the resources at your disposal.

Of Eggplant & Papaya

2010-11-22T02:31:00.000-08:00

Perched on the back of a red Yamaha motorbike, I whiz through the Jharkhandi countryside. We pass road side tea stalls, creaky buses, a herd of cattle tended by a young boy, and finally turn off onto a crowded market street and then onto a narrow dirt track. We bounce over the ruts, round a bend and come to a stop in front of a small farmhouse.

The installation team from our local NGO partner takes me around the house to where Krishna, the house’s owner, has his fields. Four rolls of driptape and several bags of components lay waiting for us, beside a field that’s intercropped with papaya and eggplant.

We’re here to do a demo installation on Krishna’s field – he’s been selected by the NGO to be a model drip irrigation farmer for the surrounding community. His demo field will be an educational and marketing aid to show the benefits of adopting our low-cost drip irrigation.

Three sweaty hours later, we pose for smiling photos in front of our newly installed drip irrigation. Krishna flips the switch on his electric water pump and we all watch with excitement as the water starts to flow through the pipes and drip lightly onto the waiting plants.

I ask the team what they think. “It’s good, Krishna will be able to show the village how to use drip.” Krishna says, “When I plant my other field, I’ll extend the drip system to cover that too.”

I hop back on the motorcycle and we zip off again through the jumble of small-plot farms. As the fresh rural air blows through my hair, I smile to myself - another installation complete, another partnership underway!

Why is Driptech Scalable?

2010-11-16T12:59:00.000-08:00

In November, Stanford University invited Peter to speak at a panel discussion on Social Innovation and the Social Entrepreneur. The panel consisted of leaders from different social enterprises, including Driptech, OneBreath, and Avanti Fellows.

Within a packed lecture hall with standing-room only, Peter shared his experiences, from building a product in the classroom to converting Driptech’s first sales in India and China. He emphasized the importance of prototyping your product, understanding your customers, and getting your hands dirty.

The panel went overtime, as eager minds posed insightful questions to the social entrepreneurs. Through Q&A, Peter explained why Driptech’s drip irrigation product is scalable. First, the product design allows flexibility to accommodate specific customer needs by scaling up or down based on the size of a farmer’s plot. This ability broadens the range of customers that Driptech is able to serve. Second, Peter explained that Driptech connects with local partners to leverage the existing distribution channels and infrastructure. This approach allows the team to focus on refining the technology, while getting the product out into the hands of customers quickly.

The panel attendees walked away that night with a profound appreciation of what makes Driptech and other social enterprises successful.

Things are VERY exciting right now at Driptech, so be sure to follow us on Facebook!

Moving Product

2010-11-04T10:27:00.000-07:00

"Ship it!"

Here at Driptech, we strive to simultaneously develop our technology and ship our products. Recently, we finalized a large agreement with a partner organization (stay tuned for more details). Hand-in-hand with this exciting news, we are proud to be scaling up our production capacity.

On the technology development side, we recently received and installed a Haas VF-1, which will allow our engineers to rapidly fabricate, learn from, and improve their designs. Anyone who knows Peter will not find it surprising that he excited about our new ability to CNC our own parts.

We are now CNC capable!

On the production side of things, we are shipping tons of tubing, and each month we increase our production. How many angel-funded startups out there can make the same claim? We have hired several more production associates to allow our engineers to stay focused on developing the next generation of manufacturing equipment.

Unloading our shipment at the CFS station near SFO.

Keep checking back for more updates to see how we put the CNC machine to use, and how our production numbers continue to increase in the coming months!

From Suitcase to Shipping Container

2010-10-13T17:29:00.000-07:00

At the invitation of Santa Clara University’s Center for Technology and Society (CSTS), Peter recently treated a roomful of interested SCU students and staff to his perspective on the founding of Driptech. The CSTS manages the nomination and application process for the Tech Awards, the signature program of The Tech Museum, and the organization’s ongoing interest in Driptech as a 2009 Tech Awards Laureate is always appreciated.

Peter addressed the challenges of growing the company from a project for the Stanford University class “Entrepreneurial Design for Extreme Affordability” to a professional operation employing over 20 team members in India, China, and the US. He described an early prototype of Driptech’s proprietary manufacturing technology, packaged in a suitcase to demonstrate its portability, and he outlined his vision for the future.

The first step toward this vision will be to transition production to where the markets are, establishing the distributed manufacturing model. The “factory in a shipping container” will enable Driptech to scale huge and fulfill its potential for maximum impact.

Peter closed by sharing three valuable insights acquired along the way:

Always bring a prototype. People understand best when they can see what you’re talking about.
Get your hands (and feet) dirty. There’s no substitute for actual experience, and those you meet will welcome you if you pitch in.
Customers are your best salespeople. Keep them happy and they become an invaluable resource.

Listen to the audio recording at http://www.scu.edu/sts/PublicEngagement/speakers/archives/20092010/driptech.cfm

Driptech at Agriculture 2.0

2010-09-22T18:50:00.000-07:00

Hello Driptech friends, I’m Sarah, and this is my first blog post as Driptech’s Director of Business Development. Following three weeks in India meeting with local partners, I flew to New York to present at the Agriculture 2.0 conference. This event is hosted by New Seed Advisors several times a year to promote investment in agricultural technologies that are socially, environmentally, and financially sustainable. I’d say that fits us to a ‘T’.
To start off the day, investors in the sustainable agriculture space, including Omnivore, Acumen, and Root Capital, discussed their investment philosophy and portfolios. Following this, we heard from investment banks, the US government, the IFC, the academic community, and heavy hitters in the agriculture space like Coca-Cola and John Deere – all of whom have a stake in sustainable agriculture. I was personally most fascinated by the work of AgDevCo – a non-profit that takes the early stage risk of setting up sustainable agriculture projects in Africa and then hands them over for private sector investment.

After that it was time to share Driptech’s exciting success so far on the Investment Opportunities panel, where I discussed our cutting edge technical development, rapidly growing manufacturing capabilities, and distribution through strong local partners. I also got to share some news fresh from the field – some of our farmers are seeing their crops go for 2x the price per kilogram they sold for before due to dramatically higher quality. (Below, learning about this in Hubli, India.)

Driptech’s simple but powerful mission seemed to resonate deeply with all kinds of people, from industry to government to bloggers. Additionally, as one participant pointed out, my outfit had ended up matching Driptech’s logo, making for a particularly striking presentation. A subconscious sign of innate devotion? All I can say is that my lifelong favorite color is green, and, having spent six years in New York, I also own a lot of black.

Finally, I’d like to share a couple of great statistics that reinforced for me the urgency of Driptech’s mission:

From Columbia University - the world’s population is expected to increase by 3 billion people by 2050, but 80% of all farmland in the world is already being cultivated
From the USDA - remaining cultivable land is particularly scarce in Asia – only 15 million hectares remain versus 123 million in Latin America and over 200 million in Africa

Lights, Camera, Irrigation

2010-09-13T22:37:00.000-07:00

We were excited to have the producer and camera crew of the Korean Broadcasting System’s "Science Café " visit Driptech in Mountain View recently to shoot footage for an upcoming episode of the weekly one hour television documentary.

Science Café’s mission is to make practical science issues fun and accessible. To illustrate how technology can be applied to help people in the developing world, the KBS crew also visited Driptech advisor Paul Polak, National Geographic Museum’s “Design for the other 90%” exhibit, The Stanford University Institute of Design , the San Francisco chapter of Engineers Without Borders, and companies such as Vestergaard Frandsen.

Members of our Mountain View team demonstrated the Driptech system and enthusiastically provided on camera interviews.

Peter awoke ridiculously early in Beijing in order to make a guest appearance via Skype from our new office there.

The KBS crew pointed out that although drip irrigation itself may not be high tech, everything supporting the business of bringing it to the small-plot farmers of the world is. We look forward to seeing the show when it’s first aired later this year. Stay tuned!

Interviews at the End of the Road

2010-09-06T03:24:00.000-07:00

Earlier this summer, Driptech colleagues and I spent a month crisscrossing our way around northern and western India, conducting interviews with farmers who had been shown a demonstration of our affordable irrigation solution. Our goal was to learn more about the rural environment in India and to gauge reactions to our product.

The farmers made for enthusiastic interview subjects, offering outspoken opinions alongside piping hot milk tea. Never mind that when the temperature is above 100 F, you’re not in the mood for hot tea; it was a great time, and we enjoyed the opportunity to meet our potential customers and learn more about their lives.

We learned more about the difficulties that farmers in Rajasthan face with water shortages and the hot season, we heard about family members who had left for the cities to look for more opportunity, we heard about the time spent (wasted?) on making mud irrigation channels to move water through the fields in Karnataka, we heard about the material and technological developments that are slowly filtering down from the cities to towns and then on to the villages. In the end, we came away with a much better understanding of our potential customers that will only allow us to serve them better.

Peter Speaks at Stanford d.School

2010-08-13T14:01:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, Peter spoke to a small group at the Stanford Design School’s weekly Brown Bag lunches. The program, designed for the Social E Lab’s summer residents, brings in established Social Entrepreneurs to share their knowledge and experiences with the next generation of product designers. The informal sessions are a great way for us to share Driptech’s mission with others, as well as practicing the ol’ presentation skills.

Peter in full presentation mode

The small group setting of the event allowed for a more intimate interaction and greater flexibility of discussion. Peter spoke to the group for about 15 minutes, before opening up the floor to an extended Q&A session. He fielded questions about all aspects of running a social business, from specifics about affording the Dripech system to his favorite and least favorite things about working overseas.

The depth of the questions asked and the two-way flow of ideas and information were particularly striking. While the group was small, they asked an astounding number of questions, and many of them had to do with the business side of the operation. There was clearly an abundance of revolutionary ideas and talent in the audience that simply lacked the business guidance or leadership to be implemented successfully: if social entrepreneurship is to fulfill its potential for positive impact, the challenge is to find ways to connect these ideas with leadership and business acumen. Simultaneously, while the group did have a number of questions about the business side of social entrepreneurship, the event was by no means one sided. The audience contributed their own helpful knowledge from outside the field of drip irrigation. For example, one audience member suggested looking into a water purification company that was implementing a Distributed manufacturing model similar to what we hope to use eventually.

They also suggested we get these chairs. If they are actually chairs

As Driptech becomes commercially viable, it is good to see that we are not resting on our laurels, and instead are always on the lookout for new ideas.

Adventures of an Intern in Beijing

2010-08-12T00:18:00.000-07:00

In Which the Intern Recounts the Quest for the Plastic Packaging Bags

We have had our eyes on a certain bag for packaging our systems in Beijing. In China, it seems that half the travelers at the train station own this type of bag, yet do not recall where they purchased it. I know this because I have enthusiastically asked half the travelers at the train station. This is a bag that an average person has lying around the house, not a bag that an average person goes shopping for.

With my host family’s guidance, I found myself this morning at the biggest department store I have ever seen: Jin Wu Xing, or Golden Five Star. Think Home Depot, Costco, and Wal-Mart rolled into one. A store filled with things that average people have lying around the house, as well as a million other things they don’t. The character at the end of the sign? That literally means “city.” If this store didn’t have the bag I was looking for, no place would.

I passed building materials and the furniture department before I finally got to the office supplies section. Rows and rows of stalls seemed to stretch into infinity.

I did find my elusive plastic bag. But it was hard not to walk aimlessly around in circles. I was almost lured in by the flashing orbs and party crackers at these stands in particular.

I found the door before I made any regrettable purchases for the office.

The Tubing Arrives

2010-08-04T10:52:00.000-07:00

After weeks of planning, organization, international phone calls, customs payments, late nights, early mornings, and lots of waiting, the moment is finally upon us: the 1 ton of plastic tubing ordered from China in early July has, at long last, arrived.

The arrival of the tubing sparks a swift transition of pressure in the office. For the last few weeks, Jean, our director of business operations, has tackled the problems associated with shipping a ton of plastic from China and hoping nothing unexpected transpired. With the tubing here, however, Jean can once again resume breathing while the engineering team takes over. They have the monumental task of punching all 1000 kilograms of tubing by the end of the month so it can be shipped to small farmers.

Jean is excited to see the tubing arrive...

...while Trevor, not so much

The engineers are very confident of their ability to meet the challenge, however, and rightly so: while the tubing has been in transit, the team has been ramping up our production capabilities, testing and recalibrating the manufacturing machines, finalizing production shifts, and mentally preparing themselves for the task ahead.

Trust us, there’s plenty to do

The tubing arrival marks an important step in Driptech’s history as we attempt to fill our first large order under the pressure of a deadline. As you read this, production is already underway, and we all hope for the best.

BONUS FUN STUFF

Danny, our returning mechanical engineering intern from last year, recently attended the Clean Tech Open in San Jose, where he was interviewed by Colleen Edwards of “The Real Story” blog. You can check out the interview at http://therealstoryblog.com/tag/driptech/

Additionally, we’re all very proud of the work that we do at Driptech every day, but some achievements are more impressive-looking than others. Brett recently finished one such project: the size alone makes it worth seeing.

For context, that black pipe at the end of the track is 10 feet tall

Peter Goes To China, Brings Back New Friends

2010-07-27T13:56:00.000-07:00

Last week, our esteemed leader Peter visited Driptech operations in China for ten days, which was a necessary and very important visit. However, more entertainingly, Peter returned with 11 new members of the Driptech team.

Acting in response to complaints that he never brought anything fun back from his trips, Peter picked up “Chairman Meow” and his 10 associates, who have joined the Driptech team as part of an extended HR push. Mostly, they drink coffee and waste company time on the internet.

However, they have had quite the impact on some of the team. Aaron in particular has drawn the eyes of the chairman, who seems to watch his every move.

In addition to our new team members, the China trip also yielded cool China pens and some brand new, hand carved signage to brighten up the office space.

All in all, a successful trip.

Job Posting: Lead Mechanical Engineer

2010-07-08T12:18:00.000-07:00

Driptech is laser-focused on making affordable irrigation technologies for small farmers in developing countries. Our early-stage, privately-funded, Mountain View, CA based venture is scaling up for high-volume commercial roll-outs in India and China. By joining the Driptech team you will be part of a compelling social venture that aims to produce a global impact.

We are looking to turn our current prototype, proof-of-concept drip-irrigation manufacturing system into a commercial-grade solution to be installed in factories overseas. We are working hard to develop a vertically integrated manufacturing line capable of meeting our growing sales demands by the end of 2010. In fact, we must currently refuse incoming sales orders until we can ramp up our production system, so we need your help!

Driptech is seeking an enthusiastic and highly capable Lead Mechanical Engineer. This full-time position is available immediately. It requires strong mechanical design, manufacturing, and product development skills. The ideal candidate will have first-hand experience with how products are specified, designed, developed, validated, manufactured, inspected, and released for sale. The position requires direct, hands-on experience in designing and manufacturing products, as well as a proactive, dedicated, and hardworking mentality.

Responsibilities:

1. Lead the mechanical design efforts of the next generation of our proprietary laser-drilling machinery. We have working proof-of-concept machines, but we need to expand our capability and reliability as we gear up for overseas production.

2. Create CAD models and manufacturing process documents for new parts and assemblies.

3. Build prototypes (some rough, some high-quality) of newly designed parts.

4. Work hand in hand with the team members working to develop the electrical, and software systems for performing, monitoring and controlling all aspects of our manufacturing process.

5. Develop and refine our innovative product line to meet and exceed the demands of our customers. You'll be working closely with the Engineering Manager, Lead Mechatronic Engineer, Quality Control Engineers, and business partners.

6. Help establish manufacturing lines and operations in the US, India, China, and other nations as we continue to grow.

7. Help establish specifications and procedures for the manufacturing line.

8. Help evaluate the quality and reliability of the manufacturing equipment and the products of the equipment.

9. Work with component suppliers to insure delivery of components that meet specifications set by the product development team.

Background and Skills:

1. 5+ years experience in mechanical design, product development, and manufacturing/assembly.

2. Bachelors in Mechanical or Industrial Engineering, focusing on machine design (or equivalent).

3. Demonstrated CAD skills.

4. Demonstrated machine shop skills.

5. Knowledge of geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T).

6. Strong leadership characteristics and a great, can-do attitude are absolutely required.

Desired Extras:

1. Experience with high volume material handling and packaging strongly desired.

2. Electronics or mechatronics experience highly valued.

3. Optics and laser experience highly valued.

4. Experience working in China and India deeply appreciated.

5. Reliability engineering skills a plus.

6. Experience working in highly innovative, design-driven environments a plus.

7. A desire to change the world and empower farmers throughout developing nations will be invaluable and rewarded.

Compensation:

Driptech offers a competitive salary and benefits package commensurate with our funding stage.

How to Apply:

Please submit your resume and cover letter to: jobs@driptech.com with "Lead Mechanical Engineer" in the subject. We will be accepting application through July 31st.

For More Info:

See our website: www.driptech.com

Search for us at www.businessweek.com

Driptech Turns 2!

2010-07-07T13:26:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago Driptech celebrated its second birthday at our brand new Mountain View office, taking advantage of the stunning Northern California summer weather to host 70 of our friends for a barbecue.

Some early party mingling

Floors were stripped and cleaned, furniture was moved and removed (and re-removed), and piles of tools, tubing, and electrical devices were organized and hidden: the team worked incredibly hard to get the place ready, and managed to pull it off.

Trevor contributes to the clean up operation

One of the highlights of the barbecue was the arrival of “Drip Beerigation”, a custom built kegerator inside a Driptech barrel. Expertly designed and built by our friends at Monkey Wrench Design and graciously filled by Dan Gordon at Gordon Biersch (who also provided a wooden keg for the event), Drip Beerigation now sits proudly in our lobby dispensing root beer and looking impressive.

The Team poses with Drip Beerigation and the wood keg

Thank you to everyone who made it out: we hope you had as much fun as we did. For those of you who couldn’t make it, we’re sorry you missed out, and we hope to see you next year when we turn three!

To see more photos of this event, visit http://picasaweb.google.com/driptechphotos/DriptechS2ndBirthdayParty#

Visit to Dindori (Madhya Pradesh)

2010-07-05T21:27:00.001-07:00

By Vaibhav Lodha, Driptech, Business Development Fellow - India

My second field visit was to Dindori in the central part of the country. It was a part of the learning exercise with Driptech to understand about Indian agriculture in detail, and to gauge the need for drip Irrigation. We came to know of this place through our friend, Rikin Gandhi, CEO of Digital Green (DG). Rikin then introduced us to Mr. Gulzar who heads the operations for DG in Dindori, and also, Pradan which is DG’s local NGO partner in Madhya Pradesh.

Digital Green has a team of 4-5 people in Dindori who work in coordination with Pradan to spread the use of better agricultural practices through videos shown on a pico projector. Digital Green is a three year old nonprofit project funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. It was started as a research project at Microsoft and is now a successful separate organization headed by Rikin.

DG showcasing one of the videos to villagers with pico projector

Representatives of DG and Pradan during concept sitting explaining to farmers how DG can help them

The agricultural setup in that area is not well organized. Small land holders use traditional agricultural practices in the absence of knowledge of any new ones. In addition to groundwater, the community ponds and river channels from Narmada are the primary sources of irrigation water. There is heavy dependence on rains, the absence of which can cause serious impacts to day to day livelihoods. During summers 70% of the land is not planted due to water scarcity and the majority of the farmers are forced to take up work as laborers.

Large land portions underutilized due to water shortage, uneven terrains and rocky beds

Crops grown vary from rice during the monsoon season to oilseeds, pulses (legumes grown for their dry seed), and a few intercropped vegetables during winters. Summers generally see most of the land left barren or planted with millet, barley, and less water intensive crops. The vegetable market has not realized its true potential. Most of the farmers only grow them for their own subsistence. Drip irrigation could change this and allow farmers to grow vegetables for sale during the dry season. Some Digital Green videos show farmers earning up to two hundred thousand rupees in one season by doing this.

Drip Irrigation also perfectly suits the requirements for sericulture, where I believe it could have a long term impact. To promote the growth of silk, the government provides pump sets and seeds. It sets fixed prices at the start of the season, provides interest free loans, and pays for all the expenses incurred for crops during the first four years.

Worms which feed on Mulberry leaves and finally produce silk

Silk balls with worms inside are boiled to extract the silk

Despite certain bad experiences and credit terms in their past that make some farmers cautious about making an investment, the farmers seemed very excited about the potential of drip irrigation. We are looking forward to making our affordable drip irrigation available in the market.

Thank You for Voting Us #4 in America!

2010-07-01T07:40:00.001-07:00

We are extremely excited to have finished fourth in BusinessWeek’s “America’s Most Promising Social Entrepreneurs” 2010. The contest, which profiles companies who “all share a commitment to using business to create a broader benefit”, recognizes start-ups as well as established businesses that are trying to make a significant impact on worldwide issues. While being selected among the top 25 finalists is a fantastic accomplishment, to be voted in the top five most promising social startups is a monumental achievement and a testament to the Driptech mission. For those of you who voted, thank you for your support: we couldn’t have done it without you.

Driptech is getting the word out in China!

2010-06-09T03:44:00.000-07:00

This week, we participated in the 2010 China Cleantech Business Forum as one of ten business showcases. The event included over 350 attendees from investment firms, industry analysts, academia, government agencies, media groups, and other startup companies.

The Driptech table, with demo kit and brochures

Driptech's table featured a simple demonstration of our driptape that attracted many curious attendees. Driptech was one of the few organizations focused on water-saving technology, and many people from all different backgrounds left with our brochures.

Daniel explaining the Driptech system to an interested conference goer

Though it is not technically planting season in China yet, Driptech is busy sowing seeds for future partners and sales!

Next stop: June 30 JUCCCE China Energy Forum!

Driptech Job Posting - Engineering Manager

2010-05-14T16:47:00.000-07:00

From:
Peter Frykman
Founder, CEO
Driptech, inc.

May 13, 2010:

Job Posting: Engineering Manager

Come join a for-profit, socially-minded, high-visibility startup named by BusinessWeek as one of the world’s most intriguing new companies.

Driptech is laser-focused on making affordable irrigation technologies for small farmers in developing countries. Our early-stage, privately-funded, Mountain View, CA based venture is scaling up for high-volume commercial roll-outs in India and China. By joining the Driptech team you will be part of a compelling social venture that aims to produce a global impact.

We are looking to turn our current prototype, proof-of-concept drip-irrigation manufacturing system into a commercial-grade solution to be installed in factories overseas. We are working hard to develop a vertically integrated manufacturing line capable of meeting our growing sales demands by the end of 2010. In fact, we are currently refusing incoming sales orders until we can ramp up our production system, so we need your help!

Driptech is seeking an enthusiastic and highly capable Engineering and Product Development Manager. This full-time (50+ hours per week) position is available immediately.

This position requires strong technical skills as well as managerial experience. The ideal candidate will have knowledge of how products are specified, designed, developed, validated, manufactured, inspected, and released for sale. This requires direct experience in all aspects of product development.

Technical Responsibilities:
1. Lead the commercial-grade design of our proprietary laser-drilling machinery and develop a manufacturing line capable of meeting high volume demand. We have working proof-of-concept machines but we need to massively expand our capability and reliability as we gear up for overseas production.
2. Identify critical process parameters that control final product quality, reliability and performance.
3. Lead and manage the development of mechanical, electrical, and software systems for performing, monitoring and controlling all aspects of our manufacturing process.
4. Lead and manage the design of mechanical and electromechanical measurement tools for received goods inspection, post-process inspection and final inspection.
5. Develop and refine our innovative product line to meet and exceed the demands of our customers. You'll be working closely with the CEO, business partners, and development teams.

Managerial Responsibilities:
1. Coordinate the efforts of a small team of electromechanical engineers to design, build and validate a complete manufacturing solution.
2. Oversee establishment of manufacturing line and operations team in the US, India, China, and possibly other nations as our operations continue to grow.
3. Help create a prototyping and manufacturing machine shop capable of supporting R&D and operations.
4. Help establish specifications and procedures for the manufacturing line.
5. Help write protocols for evaluating the manufacturing equipment and the products of the equipment.
6. Assist in establishing QC department and procedures that are appropriate to our field of operations.
7. Working with component suppliers to insure delivery of components that meet specifications set by the product development team.

Background and Skills:
1. 3 years minimum experience in a mechanical product development firm that did some or all of its own manufacturing and assembly.
2. Bachelors in Mechanical or Industrial Engineering focusing on machine design (or equivalent).
3. Knowledge of geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T).
4. Knowledge and skill with Gantt charts and project schedule management.
5. Knowledge and experience with inspection plans, lot sampling, and process control practices.
6. General knowledge of digital electronics suitable for electromechanical systems.
7. General knowledge of embedded software development suitable for electromechanical systems (ie C for microcontrollers, assembly language, etc).
8. Strong leadership characteristics and a great, can-do attitude are absolutely required.

Desired Extras:
1. Optics and laser experience highly valued.
2. Experience working in China and India deeply appreciated.
3. Prototyping skills highly desired, we're a hands-on kind of company.
4. Experience working in highly innovative, design-driven environments a plus.
5. A desire to change the world and empower farmers throughout developing nations will be invaluable and rewarded.

Compensation:
Driptech offers a competitive salary and benefits package commensurate with our funding stage.

How to Apply:
Please submit your resume and cover letter to: jobs@driptech.com with "Engineering Manager" in the subject.

To learn more please visit our website at www.driptech.com

Driptech at the Cool Products Expo

2010-04-04T17:11:00.000-07:00

Driptech is happy to announce its participation in the Cool Products Expo again this year. The Expo will be held at the Arillaga Alumni Center on the Stanford Campus on this Wednesday, April 7th from 12-6pm. Our demo will be held in the outdoor section of the expo on the south side of the building. It is predicted to be 70 degrees and sunny so come talk to us there and check out our new mobile demo of Driptech tubing! For more details on the event go to http://coolproductexpo.stanford.edu/

Take a look at this video taken by one of our visitors last year:

Proud to be a Certified B Corporation

2010-03-30T18:59:00.000-07:00

That’s B for Benefit, and Driptech recently earned this distinction from B Lab, the nonprofit organization focused on defining a new class of businesses empowered to solve social and environmental problems. Our certification earned us recognition from CSRwire as well.

To merit certification, Driptech met rigorous social and environmental performance standards which verify creation of economic opportunity, contribution to strong communities and preservation of a healthy environment. In addition, B Corporations commit to looking out for the interests of not only shareholders, but all stakeholders, including employees, suppliers, consumers, the community, and the environment. In the future, B corporations will potentially become a legally recognized new corporate form (like a C corp or an S corp). Tax incentives, procurement preferences, and a social stock exchange for sustainable businesses are in the works.

Driptech garnered special recognition for excellence in leadership and public benefit, which is inherent in our products and mission. Becoming a B Corporation ensures that our positive social mission will continue to drive the company for the long term. Chrissy Houlahan, B Lab’s Vice President of Services, called Driptech “…a quintessential example of a B Corporation that is using business to alleviate a poverty issue.”

Thank you, B Lab.

Visit to Darin (Uttar Pradesh)

2010-03-22T22:45:00.000-07:00

An early morning view in Darin

As a Business Development Fellow with Driptech’s India office through LGT – Venture Philanthropy’s “iCATs Program,” I went to Darin, a small village in Uttar Pradesh, to learn the nuances of agriculture and explore village life as part of my work.

Sunil, the driver, who is a resident of Darin, was my primary source of contact for this village. I stayed at his place, a "kothi." These are like row houses, typically having two to three floors. Soon after reaching Sunil’s kothi, I left to meet the farmers in the village.

I have learned and heard over the years that villages and villagers in India are generally poor. Now, however, the goverment is buying the farmers’ property for city planning. Darin has been proposed to become incorporated into the city planning of “Super Noida.” Many in the village have recently seen a lot of money due to a steep rise in prices as a city is being planned around their villages. People who at one time struggled for a square meal a day are now feeling almost rich.

This was the first thing that struck me. The first farmer I met there had just sold half his agricultural land for Rs. 14 million, the equivalent of about $31,000. He still continues his work as a part time farmer on his remaining property and as a laborer for others at Rs. 200 a day, about $4.40. Like many others in the village, he is extremely down to earth and does not want to change his lifestyle, which he has been born to and brought up in. For this reason his house is still very basic and not crowded with materialistic things. It had only recently been roofed and still had no basic amenities.

A village storehouse

“We do not have any water shortage,” was one of the first things I heard from an elderly farmer, clearly not taking a long term perspective. Farmers rely on rains during monsoons. Due to the increasing shortage of rainfall every year, these farmers have been forced to keep going deeper into their tube wells for water the rest of the year. Also, there are times in summer when they do not cultivate a part of their land due to water shortage.

Even though they have been able to find water, they need to use the diesel pump to water the fields. The village does not have power for more than 12 hours a day. Generally with all the diesel costs and limited power, it costs them a fortune. “A farmer operates on no profit, no loss. He is into farming because he has land to do so,” said another farmer. After further questioning, I realized they end up with Rs. 800 profit, about $17.60 , every harvest which does not include their own labor charges. Other than this Rs. 800 that they earn, they are able to get enough food to sustain their family.

"Baithak" (meeting) of the elderly

Interestingly, when explained in detail, a lot of interest in Driptech’s product was shown by the farmers. These people knew the value of technology and time. They realized that drip irrigation could really save them a lot of water and diesel, in turn providing better income levels.

It was an interesting two day field visit for me with hopefully a lot more to come.

Mustard Plantation ready to be harvested

Issues, Trends, and Opportunities

2010-03-02T14:29:00.000-08:00

Friday’s social entrepreneurship panel at the Stanford Graduate School of Business 2010 Conference on Entrepreneurship included our own Peter Frykman along with Revolution Foods founder and CEO Kristin Groos Richmond, and investors Russ Hall of Legacy Venture and Jed Smith of Catamount Ventures. Moderated by Gina Jorasch, Stanford GSB’s Director of its Public Management Program, the panelists explored the unique position of social enterprises balanced between socially driven non-profit organizations and traditional profit maximizing corporations.

The session focused on the perpetual tension between social mission and profit that serves as a backdrop for the day to day operations of these hybrid businesses. Moderator Jorasch led the discussions to address some basic questions:

• How does a social entrepreneur acquire funding?

A pilot study can demonstrate the validity of an idea to potential investors, Frykman and Richmond agreed. The Revolution Foods pilot program provided an invaluable way for its investors to connect with the students it serves and the meals the company supplies. Demonstrating the business’s impact with real children and their neighborhood school brought the concept to life. Taking a slightly different approach, Frykman found that piloting Driptech in India generated the sales that provided the impetus for his first round of angel funding.

Both philanthropy and investment are good sources of capital. The philosophical differentiation between the two is no longer as sharp as it once was. According to Smith, there are plenty of great investors who are more mission driven. Frykman confirmed that all of Driptech’s investors are interested in financial as well as social returns. Hall emphasized that foundations specifically fund mission and program related investments. No matter what the source, it is important to connect with funders who are intrinsically aligned with the direction of the business.

Foundations, venture capital, and angel investors can all play a role. Smith prefers the professionalism of venture capital funds. Frykman needed institutions that could move quickly as well as go the distance. Individual angel investors have proven to be the more appropriate choice for Driptech in its early stages. Hall added that foundations tend to be conservative, hands off, and dispassionate. VCs are more willing to offer experience and wisdom. Richmond strongly supported including investors with operating experience.

Commercial debt for early stage companies is difficult to find and always has been. The debt market for these ventures is completely cyclical, Smith warned. Loans can kill a company, so an entrepreneur needs to be extremely thoughtful as to when to take them on. Lenders need to be thoughtful, too, he added.

Always have your business hat on, Hall advised. Whether or not the returns of a social enterprise are at the market rate, funders want to know that you have a trustworthy management team, that you can reach scale, and that you have a business plan. Smith added his emphasis on focused objectives together with a culture of innovation and experimentation.

• How does a for-profit social venture protect its social mission?

Authenticity is key, according to investors Smith and Hall. It is the first requirement for considering social impact across every aspect of a company’s value chain.

Build the social mission into the product offerings, both Frykman and Richmond advised. This approach by Driptech and Revolution Foods has proven to be an effective means of minimizing potential incongruities between the dual bottom lines.

Establish a mission-driven company culture with absolute alignment of the interests of the whole team, including investors, and a strong brand. Panelists unanimously confirmed this to be essential.

• How does a company measure social return?

Early stage companies measure activity, said Hall. Accordingly, Frykman monitors the number of customers Driptech serves. Since customers purchase drip systems themselves, their financial commitment to the product testifies to the value they receive from it. Likewise, for Revolution Foods impact is a matter of scale. Having served seven million meals meeting rigorous nutritional standards, Richmond trusts the in depth testimonials of school staff to verify her company’s success.

Later metrics target efficiency or productivity, Hall continued.

Measuring effectiveness is most important, Smith and Hall agreed. Because these measurements are difficult and require more scientific methods, they tend to happen last.

Hall and Smith believe social entrepreneurship is still a young and emerging approach to doing business. In the past, the delivery of social value was considered to be the exclusive domain of non-profits. Now social entrepreneurs like Frykman and Richmond are revolutionizing that thinking, proving that social value can be provided across a broad spectrum of business models. Consequently, Smith and Hall see a major opportunity to fill the needs of the poor and operate at a profit. “It’s a unique time in history where you can do both exceedingly well,” said Smith. He sees the business powerhouses of the future arising from the likes of Driptech and Revolution Foods. That’s great news for investors as well as society.

What does a ton of tubing look like?

2010-02-08T15:12:00.000-08:00

Our drip tape tubing shipment finally arrived! This week 200 farmers will be picking up their rolls of drip tape so that they can connect filters, submains, endcaps, takeoffs, laterals, and lateral caps, and finally get their irrigation going. After customs delays and shipping delays, we were glad to wake up this morning and discover that both the snow and the tubing had arrived.

The snow softens the landscape and muffles sound, and it feels warmer outside. Inside, the greenhouses are filled with fog and the whisper of snow on their plastic skins.

Team Driptech arrives!

2010-02-07T22:52:00.000-08:00

I’ve been joined in Lingqiu by Peter, Vaibhav, Su, and Ira. We’re spending these last few days before the holiday visiting as many farmers as possible; today we got fed radishes by some of the farmers in the first 8 greenhouses we installed. We’ve been busy putting together irrigations sytems with farmers, asking questions about vegetable markets and fertilizer costs, measuring water pressure and flow rates, and visiting local agricultural shops. Meanwhile, Lingqiu is getting ready for Spring Festival: the markets are booming, and all the shops and houses have red lanterns and banners strung up. Some of the greenhouses have even been decorated for the holiday! The growers are taking advantage of the higher vegetable prices and harvesting everything they can: this woman has just finished loading up her bicycle cart with celery and is about to head into market.

Mushrooms, Squash, and Snow

2010-02-04T14:53:00.000-08:00

I’m back in China again! This week, I’m in Lingqiu, where we’re installing 200 drip irrigation systems in passive solar greenhouses. These are the same greenhouses we visited in the summer, when heavy rains were flooding farms and tearing plastic greenhouse covers—the same greenhouses we saw again in fall, when the mornings were cool and crisp, and farmers were harvesting fields of millet and corn. Now it’s midwinter, and the landscape is bleak, dotted with patches of ice and snow encrusted with coal ash. It’s been weeks since the snow fell, but nothing melts quickly: even on bright sunny days, the temperature is well below freezing.

What a wonder, then, to duck into a tiny brick passageway, pass through insulated curtains, and come out inside one of these greenhouses. The ground is blanketed in green crops, the air is warm and humid, and in most greenhouses, little pots of houseplants and flowers adorn the entryway. One greenhouse has a spreading grapevine trellised up to the roof; it’s dormant right now, but its vines spread wide, describing the shady canopy it will make in summer. Another is filled with rows and rows of delicate summer squash plants: these heat lovers blacken and die at the first touch of frost, but inside the greenhouses, they are blooming and fruiting and stretching towards the sun. Veggies aren’t the only crop enjoying the warmth: another grower has filled his greenhouse with rows and rows of oyster mushroom bags. Each day, he carefully harvests the delicate mushrooms, packing them into Styrofoam coolers so that they won’t freeze during the trip to market.

We’ll be here another week, finishing installations right up until Chinese New Year on the 14th. Already, people have started returning to the countryside to spend the holidays with their families: college students are on vacation, and most workers get at least a week off. Soon everyone will be busy preparing extravagant meals for the holiday, and what a joy it is to have fresh and local ingredients for those dishes—fragrant mushrooms, crisp celeries, deep green spinach, and sweet, bright carrots. Happy New Year, everyone!
--Anna

First Shipment to China!

2010-01-10T06:08:00.000-08:00

Everyone at Driptech was hard at work during December to ship our first order to China. If you recall, we had sold 200 Driptech systems to a local government for their greenhouse farmers. We were exhausted when we finally loaded 3 pallets in a truck on Christmas Eve. Some of our team will be flying to China to help with installations in early Feb. I'll let the photos speak for themselves. Many thanks to Nick, Brad, Eric, Dave, and Trevor for making this possible.

Job Posting - Marketing and PR Associate (part-time)

2009-12-22T21:58:00.000-08:00

Job Posting: Marketing and PR Associate (part-time)

Come join a socially-minded startup named by BusinessWeek as one of the world’s most intriguing new companies.

Driptech is a socially responsible startup out of Stanford University making affordable drip irrigation for small farmers in developing countries. We are currently seeking an enthusiastic Marketing and Public Relations Associate. This part-time (10 hours per week) position is available immediately and pays a stipend of $500 per month. Our early-stage venture is scaling up to commercial roll-out, by joining the Driptech team you will be part of a compelling social venture that aims to produce a global impact.

responsibilities

• manage company blog, monitor relevant web activity and engage community

• manage and update presence on Facebook, Twitter and other social media outlets

• manage and update website "news" section

• draft press releases

• draft and post monthly e-newsletter

• research, evaluate and recommend marketing opportunities

• lead special marketing efforts including swag and product sample distribution

• be creative and help us find new ways to get the good word out

qualifications

• current university student or recent graduate

• superior writing skills

• excellent communication and organization skills

• desire and ability to roll up your sleeves and get things done

• team player

• ability to work independently and to be resourceful

• ability to gather and synthesize information

• ability to implement strategic initiatives

• thrive in a startup environment

• available for a six month commitment

• available to attend bi-monthly company meetings in Palo Alto

• strong desire to make a profound social impact through sustainable business practices

bonus skills

• web development experience; knowledge of HTML

• graphic design experience

• video editing experience

• SEM experience

• experience working with international companies

• experience working with social ventures

• experience working with NGO’s

• multi-lingual capabilities, particularly Indian or Chinese languages

to apply

Send a brief cover letter, your CV/resume and two writing samples to jobs@driptech.com with the subject line “Marketing and PR Associate”. For consideration, all application materials must be submitted by January 8, 2010.

The ideal candidate will have a great experience helping market Driptech. Our exposure to date has been earned on a grass-roots level — our supporters include everyone from micro farmers in India to VCs in Silicon Valley. The company has been featured in publications such as BusinessWeek, Forbes, Red Herring and the San Francisco Chronicle. Driptech recently won a Tech Award for creating technology benefiting humanity.

We believe that with your enthusiasm for Marketing and PR we can gain additional recognition for our work, build greater support for our mission and generate a huge impact in developing nations.

To learn more about Driptech, please visit www.driptech.com.

Driptech Honored as Tech Award Laureate

2009-11-22T21:25:00.000-08:00

11/22/09 - San Jose, CA
Driptech was recognized this week at the Tech Awards as a 2009 Laureate in the Economic Development category. This prestigious honor is bestowed upon top organizations using "technology for the benefit of humanity."

Laureates are selected yearly from hundreds of nominations by a team of expert judges, evaluating submissions based on their current social impact and potential to scale.

"This is a tremendous achievement to be selected at such an early stage," said Peter Frykman, founder and CEO of Driptech. "It demonstrates the growing awareness of the water issues facing small scale farmers in developing countries."

In addition to the Gala dinner and awards ceremony, Laureates were invited to present their beneficial technologies at an exclusive showcase before the event. Many of the over 1,500 guests had the opportunity to meet the Laureates in person and get a closer look at their innovative solutions.

Driptech was no exception. Peter and his team provided a miniature demonstration garden complete with functional drip irrigation. "The goal is to show just how simple our product is for small farmers to use," said Frykman. "We've had a number of people today try to buy systems for their backyard gardens."

These home gardeners will have to wait, says Frykman, who points out that Driptech is producing at maximum capacity for its Chinese customers. "This is why we're currently raising capital...to scale our manufacturing."

Peter Frykman explains the Driptech system to Tech Museum President Peter Friess

For more of Driptech's photos of the event please visit our album here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/driptechphotos/TechAwards2009#

Driptech featured in Businessweek

2009-11-16T15:12:00.000-08:00

This has been a pretty exciting couple of weeks at Driptech. Businessweek has been doing a story on us for their special report on "The Most Intriguing New Businesses." I never knew how much effort went into producing this type of feature. Besides the actual interviews and fact-checks by phone and email I also had two photo sessions in San Francisco studios with a great photographer, Timothy Archibald. These were pretty fun although we put in a lot of hours.

It all paid off when I saw the result. I was in New York City on my way to speak at Net Impact in Ithaca when I heard that the story would finally run. Early last Friday I stopped by the newstand by my hotel and picked up a copy of the Nov. 23rd Businessweek. On the cover it said "Special Report: The Most Intriguing Startups." I checked the table of contents and flipped to page 46. I couldn't believe it! I was the main photo feature of the article.

I suddenly started laughing loudly, which scared off a woman nearby. This got the attention of the guys running the newstand, who I showed the 2-page spread. They were just as excited as I was and were happy to take a photo with me:

They wouldn't let me pay for the copy and as soon as I left they grabbed another to start reading about the crazy guy who came to their stand:

Besides the embarrassingly large size of my photo, the funniest thing about the whole process is the actual photo that was chosen. Tim must have taken hundreds, if not thousands, of photos of me over the course of two sessions. But right at the end of the second shoot when we finished I rolled up the sleeves of my shirt. We took just a few more photos like that before we called it a day. Those were the photos that the editor ended up picking from for the magazine. If only we had known beforehand!

Anyway, I'm very pleased with the article and hope that everyone can pick up a copy this week. I think that the writer, Venessa Wong, did a great job of telling our story. The publicity has already sparked a flurry of emails from readers around the world who want to be involved in various ways. It's always good to be reminded of how exciting our low-cost drip irrigation is to people who need it.

You can check out the article online here where we are also featured in the video discussion by the editor, but I recommend that you also pick it up in person.

A good time was had by all

2009-10-11T10:26:00.000-07:00

On behalf of the entire Driptech team I wanted to say thanks to everyone who made it out to our booth at the West Coast Green event last week. The organizers also deserve a round of applause, especially Diane Loviglio the Innovation Pipeline coordinator (above with the Driptech team).

Although I got tired of disappointing all the people who wanted to buy our system for their own backyards, the conference was overall very helpful in publicizing and connecting with potential investors. It's a good sign that people are thinking about water conservation, and if we weren't already shipping every roll of tubing we can make to China, I'd be happy to provide systems locally. After all, the first location we got it working was in my back yard in Palo Alto, and we've been benefiting all summer from fresh tomatoes and peppers. Some of you will remember the mountains of onions before that.

I'm also pretty sure that we're the only company importing materials from India to manufacture in Palo Alto and re-export to China :) Obviously we are looking forward to eventually transitioning our manufacturing overseas to the local markets. This will help support the local economies while cutting out transportation costs and headaches.

In the meantime we'll keep churning out low cost drip irrigation in our Palo Alto facility. And for all you contractors, landscape architects, and rain water collection enthusiasts, I'll try to see if we can hustle some product out the back door for your gardens.

What do you call this? Where can I buy one? Where can I buy 100 of them? Part II

2009-10-06T10:40:00.000-07:00

This week, we’ve been talking plastics—meeting with producers of pipes, filters, takeoffs, and everything else we need to connect our drip irrigation. It’s a great adventure, tracking the entire chain, from seeing products in the greenhouse, to meeting the retailers who sell to farmers, to finding the actual manufacturers and visiting their factories to see the irrigation components being made. I came to China with my bags full of drip tape; now I’m returning with bags full of samples.

Our first Chinese installations: the greenhouses of Lingqiu

2009-10-05T10:25:00.000-07:00

This is Gung Gin, the owner of greenhouse #1 in Qing Ni Jian, a small town near Lingqiu. He and his wife, Liu Guipin, are raising onions inside their greenhouse this summer, as well as tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers outside. They have a small pen for three pigs, and soon they’ll be harvesting their summer crop of millet and corn. In many ways, they’re typical of the farmers we’ll be working with in Lingqiu: they have a diversified farm, raising animals, growing grains in their larger fields, and raising vegetables on a much smaller piece of land. Like most American farmers, Gung Gin and Liu Guipin are in their late 50s; their children have grown up and moved away, and these two, along with two hired workers who are also in their fifties, do all the work to keep their farm running.
It’s not easy, but it’s possible, thanks in large part to some technologies that weren’t available when Gung Gin and Liu Guipin first started working on their families’ farms: they can buy improved seed varieties and inorganic fertilizers in town, and get them delivered by truck to their farm. They use a walk-behind rototiller to till up their greenhouse and vegetable fields. And now, they’re using drip irrigation.
The family greenhouse is 70 meters long and about 8 meters wide; without drip irrigation, it takes three hours to water all the rows. All the greenhouses are hooked up to the same water supply, so if the neighbors are watering at the same time, the pressure drops and it takes even longer. Some commercial drip irrigation won’t work with such variable pressure, but ours is designed to work best with low pressure and low volume. So far, it’s working well in Gung Gin’s Greenhouse #1 and the other seven greenhouses in the row; come November, we’ll be installing systems in 200 greenhouses in this region.

Job Posting - Business Development Executive

2009-09-26T16:14:00.000-07:00

We have an important job posting, please forward widely:

From:
Peter Frykman
Founder, CEO
driptech, inc.

Job Posting: Business Development Executive

About Driptech

Driptech, inc. is an award-winning, revenue-generating, angel-backed social venture startup based in Palo Alto, CA. We produce low-cost drip irrigation systems for use by small farmers in developing countries. Through proprietary manufacturing and novel distribution Driptech plans to profitably reach the hundreds of millions of people who have not previously been able to use water-efficient drip irrigation, helping small farmers greatly increase their standard of living.

We have just sold all of our prototype product and are struggling to meet demand with our initial partners in India and China. Now we are about to launch in the two biggest markets in the world.

Business Development Executive

In response to our successful pilot study in India and initial sales in both India and China, I am looking for a key business partner to help me bring the venture to scale. This individual will provide business and operations experience to complement our existing depth in design and engineering.

This is an opportunity for the right person to help build the largest Bottom of the Pyramid irrigation company from the ground up. We have the proven technology and now we need the customers, business model, and funding to scale quickly. This position is based in Palo Alto, CA and will work in close partnership with the CEO.

I am seeking a candidate with the following background to be an early and integral member of our management team:

* Experience raising previous funding or working at an earlier stage venture required
* 4-6 years of business experience; 2-3 years on a business development team desired
* Hands-on experience scaling a startup, including systems, processes, staffing, and planning
* MBA desirable
* Strong project management skills required
* Proficient in excel, financial modeling, and creating fundraising pitchdecks
* Desire to make a profound social impact through sustainable business practices
* Enjoys the fast-paced, highly flexible and dynamic environment of a startup
* Excellent written and oral English communication skills
* Recent experience with international companies, social entities, or NGO’s a plus
* International experience a must
* Multi-lingual a plus (India/China)

Job Content

* Full time executive role, starting immediately
* Research and evaluate new channel and partnership opportunities
* Fundraising with top tier VC's, and social enterprise funds
* Interaction with Board members and investors
* Assistance with selection and recruitment of management team
* Coordination with technical teams
* Fine tuning business plan, financial model, and pitch deck
* Other general management/operations duties as they arise...

Our venture is at an exciting stage of fundraising to scale up to commercial roll-out. By joining the Driptech team you will help build a social venture that will produce global impact as a result of your involvement.

Compensation

Compensation will be primarily equity until funding event and is commensurate with experience level.

How to Apply

Interested applicants should send their cover letter and most recent CV/resume to jobs@driptech.com with the subject line “Business Development Executive”. All application materials should be submitted by October 10, 2009 at the latest. Qualified applicants will be contacted regarding an interview within 2-4 weeks.

Awards and Recognition

Tech Award Laureate 2009: http://techawards.org/
San Francisco Chronicle, front page of business section. Also featured in Forbes, Business Week, Red Herring, and others: http://driptech.com/news.html

To learn more please visit our website at http://www.driptech.com

Join us at West Coast Green

2009-09-23T12:16:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, my name is Adam.... I'm a guy who does things, and I'm excited to be working with Driptech to help with fundraising, to refine our sales and marketing strategy, and to help out however else I can. In addition to working at Driptech, I run an exciting national and growing nonprofit called New Leaders Council (NLC) and will eventually be training for the Boston Marathon. One of the things I'm working on is getting us ready for West Coast Green (WCG). I am looking forward to meeting everyone there.

From October 1st through 3rd we will be at the WCG conference. We will be in the Innovation Pipeline with other early stage, green companies. This is a pretty exciting place for us since we will be singled out with the early stage and most innovative companies. You should come check out the exhibit hall and come visit us. The exhibit hall is open from 10 am to 5 pm on October 1st and 2nd and from 10 am to 4 pm on October 3rd. The conference is at the Fort Mason Center in San Francisco and it includes a great list of speakers.

It's a big honor to be invited to take part in this conference and especially to be where we are -- in the Innovation Pipeline. As part of the Innovation Pipeline, we are able to give our supporters a free guest pass. Like I said, its a big honor to be a part of the conference, especially the Innovation Pipeline. If you are interested in a guest pass, please contact us by Sunday with the subject "Complimentary West Coast Green Pass" and we will get you one. We have a limited number and will give them out on a first come, first serve basis. You can also register for the conference on your own.

If you have not yet met the Driptech team, come out to the conference and meet us and, if you have already met us, come anyways. We hope to see you at the West Coast Green conference.

Driptech Honored with Prestigious Award

2009-09-11T18:53:00.001-07:00

DRIPTECH NAMED A
2009 TECH AWARDS LAUREATE BY THE TECH MUSEUM

Driptech is One of 15 Innovators From Around the World Recognized for Applying Technology to Benefit Humanity

SAN JOSE, Calif. Sept. 2, 2009 – Driptech, inc. was today named to The Tech Awards Laureates 2009, one of 15 global innovators recognized each year for applying technology to benefit humanity and spark global change. The Tech Awards, a signature program of The Tech Museum, and presented by Applied Materials, Inc., selected Driptech from among hundreds of nominations representing 66 countries.

Hundreds of millions of people in the developing world face water shortages in crop production; drip irrigation delivers precisely the right amount of water and not more. Driptech’s unique manufacturing drills precision holes in thin plastic tubing, thereby reducing the number of parts and the cost of a drip irrigation system. www.driptech.com

The Tech Awards: Technology Benefiting Humanity is one of the premier annual humanitarian awards programs in the world, recognizing technical solutions that benefit humanity and address the most critical issues facing our planet and its people. The awards program honors 15 scientists and innovators annually alongside the recipient of the Global Humanitarian Award. Laureates are selected by a prestigious panel of international judges organized by the Center for Science, Technology, and Society at Santa Clara University, and made up of Santa Clara University faculty as well as leaders from educational and research institutions, industry and the public sector around the world.

“The Tech Awards is an incredible honor, recognizing individuals and organizations whose ideas and execution of those ideas are changing the world,” said Peter Frykman, founder and CEO of Driptech. “We are proud to be among those recognized for their contributions, and will continue to develop solutions that help rural farmers increase their income and standard of living.”

“The global challenges of the day have become increasingly strident, more deeply rooted,” said Peter Friess, president of The Tech Museum. “Still, there is hope. These incredibly impressive Laureates have all proven to be equal to, or better than, the challenge to make the world a better place. By celebrating their accomplishments today, we are encouraging future innovators to work toward solutions to make the world healthier, safer and more sustainable.”

Established in 2000, The Tech Awards recognizes 15 Laureates in five universal categories: education, equality, environment, economic development and health. These Laureates have developed new technological solutions or innovative ways to use existing technologies to significantly improve the lives of people around the world. One Laureate in each category will receive a $50,000 cash prize during the annual Awards Gala in San Jose, Calif. on November 19.

This year, the Laureates represent the truly global vision of the program, spanning countries such as Brazil, Bangladesh, Botswana and the Bay Area. Their work impacts people in many more countries worldwide.

The Tech Awards collaborates with humanitarian, educational, and business partners through global outreach efforts, giving people around the world the opportunity to benefit from the successful technologies recognized through The Tech Awards. The selected Laureates’ projects address multiple humanitarian efforts including developing alternate ways to generate electricity, creating free educational tools, evaluating ethical wage standards and reducing counterfeit drugs.

For more information about The Tech Awards, visit www.techawards.org.

Nine Four One One Five

2009-07-26T19:02:00.000-07:00

Peter and I (Anna) been in China this past week, looking at potential drip irrigation customers; the farmers who are most interested are the proud owners of low-cost greenhouses. These simple greenhouses are covered with a clear polyethylene film, which lets light in but traps heat. The back and side walls of each greenhouses is a thick brick and earthen wall; during the day, this heats up, and at night, that heat is released slowly, keeping the greenhouse nice and toasty even in the coldest frozen days of winter. We’ve seen hundreds of these greenhouses in use now, and hundreds more under construction: they all follow a simple formula of Nine Four One One Five: The greenhouse is nine meters wide and four meters tall at the back wall; the heatsink walls are one meter thick; and the angle of the polyethylene front wall is 15 degrees. For the last dimension, length, there’s a bit more variability: some of the greenhouses we visited were about 50 meters long, while others stretched to just over 100 meters.

Inside, the farmers are growing beans, tomatoes, radishes, and all sorts of greens; they say that now that more Chinese are living in cities and getting higher salaries, demand for vegetables has gone way up. In the summer, it’s pretty easy to grow good vegetables outdoors, but with a first frost date in November and a last frost date in March, it’s hard to get fresh vegetables year-round without a greenhouse. These greenhouses are fairly easy to build, and the heatsink keeps inside temperatures above freezing year round, with no need for electric or propane heaters. They’re actually warm enough that the new models are constructed with a living space for a family attached at one end—the heat from the greenhouse cuts way down on families’ winter heating costs, and it’s quite convenient to be able to step from your kitchen into your greenhouse.

Redistribution of land in China means that everyone's got a fairly equal amount of land-- but that amount is small. Most families have 1-2 Chinese acres; since each acre is only 667 square meters, that's not much space for rain-fed crops. Greenhouses, however, can produce two crops a year, and the vegetable crops sell for much higher prices than grains or legumes. The greenhouses we visited covered anywhere from 25-100% of a family's total land, and the farmers said that the higher incomes from vegetable crops have made an amazing difference in their lives. The only problem is that year-round cultivation means year-round watering. The government wants to encourage farmers to make their land more productive by building greenhouses, and so they subsidize the cost of electricity for water pumping. However, both power and water are limited resources, and the government workers we met with were interested in any way these resources could be used more efficiently. They like the idea of drip irrigation because it will reduce water use, and thus electricity use, without reducing yields-- in fact, yields should increase as water distribution efficiency is improved.

Right now these farmers water by hand, from a hosepipe in the center of each greenhouse. It works well enough right now, but takes a lot of time. As more greenhouses are built, that time becomes more precious; the farmers we talked to want to be able to just turn on a drip system and let it run while they do other work in the greenhouse, weeding, pruning, and harvesting. Since many of them grow tomatoes, drip will be useful for applying water directly to the plants’ roots and avoiding splashing soil up onto the leaves; tomatoes are very vulnerable to soil-borne fungal diseases, and the moist, warm conditions of a greenhouse mean an infection can spread quickly. We’re hoping our drip will free up the farmers’ time so they can keep working on expanding their greenhouses, and keep the crops healthier.

Bring on the heat!

2009-06-26T11:09:00.000-07:00

Summer is here and what better to keep your crops growing than a Driptech irrigation system. Hi my name is Danny Gilliland and I just joined the Driptech team full time as a summer intern. This spring I helped out by making the demo kit for the cool products expo and then installed our first retail system at Hammarskjold house on the Stanford campus. The system has been in place for a few months now and the veggies are practically exploding, all with extreme water efficiency, of course. Feast your eyes on this:

One of the first things I have been able to help with is the move to our new office off of San Antonio Road. The whole team is excited to move in to the new location and spread out a little bit. We are almost all moved in and should be back in full swing again by early next week.

In other news, we have all been practicing our smiles and persuasive diction for our DFJ tech presentation on Tuesday. As one of the final sixteen contenders in the DFJ tech competition, we are hoping to come off strong and be selected for the $250,000 grand prize. Read more about the competition here: http://www.dfj.com/bizcomp/

Prize Money, Pop!Tech, and Chillies

2009-05-30T12:25:00.000-07:00

It is high-time for an update. These last few months we have been scrambling to refine our business plan for various competitions as well as our fundraising efforts. This has taken a remarkable amount of time, but I'm happy to say that it has begun to pay off. Last Friday, to an engaged group of friends new and old, I pitched in the final round of the Stanford Social Enterprise Challenge.

Out of a record number of submissions this year we found ourselves in the top 19 semifinalists last month and, after impressing judges, advanced to the final 6 which presented on Friday. The pitch went well and it was amazing to feel the support that we received leading up to the event. It was also great to see our friends who made it to the event for our pitch. Although the new set of judges did not seem to fully appreciate our goals and accomplishments, I have heard from many that we were an audience favorite. At the end of the day we still took home $1,000 in prize money which will help us with our upcoming operations in India.

While I was sitting in the audience during the next presentation I got an email saying that I had been selected as a semifinalist for the Pop!Tech Social Innovation Fellowship. This prestigious award goes to "visionary change agents" who are leading "organizations that are well positioned for sustainable growth", so it is a great honor to make it to the semifinalist round. More information here: http://poptech.org/sifellows/

Which reminds me that Driptech has also been nominated for a Tech Award this year. This award was previously won by Paul Polak, founder of International Development Enterprises and Driptech Board of Adviser Member, for his work on low cost drip irrigation. Now, with the innovative Driptech manufacturing system, drip irrigation may once again be on the Tech Award's radar. We have been nominated in the area of Economic Development, and more information can be found at http://techawards.org

Last but not least, veggies! In the last month of sun my garden has absolutely exploded with the tomato, chili, and squash seedlings that we planted. As always, these crops are %100 drip irrigated with the same Driptech tubing we use in developing countries. Here is a photo of my back yard (and yes, that is a 1969 Postal Jeep with right hand drive and sliding doors) and the link to the picasa album with the rest.

Check out the YouTube video that shows the actual irrigation in progress: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5Yf030l5c4

Driptech Events Coming Up

2009-04-06T20:56:00.000-07:00

April is full of Driptech events. Here are some of the public events coming up, hope to see you there:

PRN First Annual Spring Conference - April 7

http://www.stanford.edu/group/prn/

1:45 – 2:30pm
Design for Extreme Affordability: Low Cost Drip Irrigation for Developing Countries
Peter Frykman, CEO, Driptech Inc.

2:45-3:45pm
Panel: Young Product Entrepreneurs
Panelists: Steven Jacobs, Kelly Schmutte, Krista Schnell, Choong Ng, Grace Huynh, Peter Frykman, Naganand Murti, Linus Liang

Stanford Cool Products Expo on April 8th
http://coolproductexpo.stanford.edu/

Here we will be presenting a working demonstration of our drip irrigation system. This event is open to the public and will draw large crowds and big companies demoing their new products.

Stanford Food for Thought Conference April 11th
http://foodforthought.stanford.edu/program.html

10:00am: Opening Keynote Address, Dr. Gurdev Khush
11:00am: Panel Session I (Choose "International Economics" or "Environment")
12:30pm: Lunch, Networking & Driptech Demonstration
1:30pm: Panel Session II (Choose "Ethics" or "Food and Technology")
3:00pm: Closing Keynote Address, Dr. Peter Timmer

Jetlag and more good press

2009-03-31T19:59:00.000-07:00

I'm now back in the US after a 3 week trip to India and China (more on that later). While I'm adjusting to the time change I'm catching up on some emails. This includes sharing all the good press that we've had over the last weeks with our friends and supporters.

Just today we were featured in an article on Red Herring based on my panel discussion last month at the Cleantech Forum in San Francisco:

http://www.redherring.com/Home/25980

There's also the article that ran in The Chandigarh Tribune describing one of my visits with farmers while I was in India:

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2009/20090320/harplus.htm#6

The staff photographer got some great photos of me demonstrating the system. The moment that water was flowing through the demo kit the entire group burst into loud animated discussion, with around five of them simultaneously asking me questions in Hindi. The messages were slowly translated, "How much does this cost?", "How large will it work?", and "Where can I buy it?":

The funniest part of the whole event was when the photographer insisted on taking a dozen or so photos of me in the strawberry patch demonstrating... the strawberries? I think I missed something.

"Mr. Frykman", "an entrepreneur from the USA"

driptech in the news

2009-03-24T19:17:00.000-07:00

Check out the article below at forbes.com, a nice piece that covers our irrigation (#8 in the slide show) as well as other interesting eco-friendly innovations.

http://www.forbes.com/2009/03/23/greentech-solar-irrigation-technology-breakthroughs-greentech_slide.html