Agrayu
Agricultural technology platform providing technical assistance and agricultural inputs to family farmers through voice-based digital identity system and franchise distribution model
Founders Hugo and Robinson liquidated their previous agritech company Sinergia Tech and invested $80,000 of personal capital to launch Agros, driven by the inequity they witnessed in family farming. They conducted a year-long anthropological study across Peru's coast, highlands, and jungle, interviewing over 400 stakeholders to deeply understand the rural agricultural problem.
Agros won the MIT competition, selected from 2,000 applicants down to 5 finalists, becoming only the second Peruvian startup to win this award. The MIT prize included $250,000 in investment and connected the team to academic resources, case studies, and expert mentorship that shaped their strategic focus on Peru.
Agros developed a voice biometrics-based digital identity system called Identi, enabling farmers without smartphones or internet access to conduct financial and agronomic transactions via basic phone calls. A pilot with Tecnocer and USAID-funded Alianza Café successfully unlocked over 150 micro-credits for family farmers using this technology.
Agros strategically split into two separate companies: Agrayu, focused on delivering agricultural input programs and technical assistance to family farmers, and Identi, dedicated to scaling the voice-based digital wallet technology globally. Identi began pilots in Nepal and Colombia, and engaged with the World Food Programme and FIDA for broader humanitarian applications.
Agrayu launched a franchise distribution model, recruiting farmer-franchisees who use their own properties as local distribution centers to deliver pre-packaged crop programs for cacao and avocado in Ayacucho and San Martín. Within 16 months of launch, the network reached four franchisees with a fifth closing, serving hundreds of farmers with double-digit monthly growth.
Agrayu and Identi gained major institutional recognition, with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) becoming their principal investment partner and inviting them to present at the IDB annual governors assembly. Identi was also invited to present as a success case at FIDA's innovation forum in Rome, attended by the Pope and global ministers.