Kenya’s Illumininum Greenhouse emerges second at #GES2015 GIST Tech-I contest

Illumininum Greenhouse, a start-up founded by Taita Ngetich, that seeks to create a limitless integrated modern greenhouse with sensors the monitor temperature, humidity, soil moisture and water supply scooped the second place in this year’s GIST Tech-I competition.

The farm automation system, helps a farmer to monitor his farm regardless of the distance.If the levels are not okay, the device sends two SMS alerts to the farmer, and if he/she doesn’t respond, it makes a call.To enable texting, the system has a SIM card,(currently using Safaricom as a service provider due to its widespread network coverage) which has to be loaded with airtime.This system is also powered by solar panels and can work in rural areas where electricity is a challenge. The farmer shall also be getting periodic SMSs on the status of the greenhouse or also send a query SMS to the device which in turn responds with a summary of the greenhouse micro climate parameters.

The first place was taken by Carlos Francisco Bernal from Mexico who is the founder of Eido Innova with GlucosAlarm a start up with a key focus on diabetic urine glucose sensor that is placed inside the toilet bowl and sends information to the patients smart phone, physician, or insurance company. He got a total grant of US $25,000 while Ng’etich on the hand got a grant of US $15,000

At third place was Blessing Mene from Nigeria who is the founder of UNFIRE, a company that tackles the high cost of poultry/livestock feeds by producing novel, culturally acceptable feeds that are highly nutritious and low cost.

The GIST Tech-I Competition is an annual competition for science and technology entrepreneurs from emerging economies worldwide. Aspiring innovators submit their ideas and startups online in an application consisting of an executive summary and promotional video.

Their applications are then reviewed by experts and voted on by the global voting public in order to determine the finalists. Thirty finalists receive an all-expense paid trip to the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) to showcase their ventures and to receive intensive training. Tech-I winners, selected by experts at the GES, win mini-grants, and receive one-on-one mentorship and training.

At the 2015 GES, 30 finalists from around received two days of training with mentors on entrepreneurial topics such as networking and funding before preparing for their last pitch.

“Getting to this stage was no easy task. First, a record 792 applicants from 74 countries applied. After an expert review of the proposals, the list was narrowed down to 76 semi-finalists. Finally, the global public weighed in, casting an unprecedented over 407,000 votes to bring the competition down to 30 finalists. The passion and dedication of these 30 entrepreneurs came through clearly as they offered solutions to solve local and global problems through innovative startups,”read a statement by U.S. Department of State through the GIST Network site.

Since 2011, innovators from over 86 countries have showcased their science and technology ventures to the world through GIST Tech-I Competitions. Thousands of expert reviews have taken place and the online voting public has cast over 1 million votes in support of these talented young innovators, selecting finalists representing Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Middle East.

To view all the winners for this year’s sixth annual GIST Tech-I competition, click here.