AgriFunds

Apollo is a Kenyan ag-tech which uses machine learning and automated operations technology to help small scale farmers access the resources they need to maximise their profitability. Apollo provides an optimised bundle for farmers that includes financing, farming inputs, advice and insurance. Apollo’s vertically integrated digital approach leverages machine learning and satellite data to service customers throughout the entire lifecycle, from acquisition, to credit decisions, and finally, collecting repayments. Apollo acquires customers through a variety of digital marketing channels, and onboards them through their network of field agents, which currently numbers more than 1,200 across Kenya. These agents use Apollo’s mobile app and software to onboard farmers, including collecting the GPS boundaries of their fields. Apollo then uses machine learning models to evaluate customer credit worthiness. Once approved, the farmer receives a voucher code via SMS to redeem at one of Apollo’s 350+ agro-dealer distribution partners in Kenya, who use Apollo software to manage last-mile distribution. The farmer is provided with seeds and fertilizer, instead of cash, and pays back the loan via mobile payments after harvest. The majority of Apollo’s customers farm maize, Africa’s most abundant staple food crop, but Apollo is building on previously run pilots to launch new crops and products that can enable a shift from subsistence maize farming to more profitable, commercial farming.