Futurepump

Summary

Futurepump is a manufacturer of solar powered irrigation pumps for smallholder farmers. Across the tropics, there are an estimated 500 million smallholders, many are struggling to irrigate their land daily. We started commercial sales in 2016 and have sold over 8,000 pumps, with a turnover of $1m last year.

• Over 8,000 pumps sold since 2016 with turnover of $1m last year
• Over a billion litres of water pumped so far
• Solar pump addressable market estimated at $3.5bn by Dalberg report
• Ashden award for sustainable energy winner 2017

Idea

Across the tropics, there are estimated to be over 500 million smallholder farmers, many of whom are struggling to irrigate their land. Our market analysis shows that irrigation technologies available to these farmers are not economically, socially or environmentally sustainable.

Our patent pending solar water pumps are built to last and are designed to be easily maintained by rural farmers. Our innovative pumps combine solar power technology with remote monitoring systems and robust engineering.

So far, we’ve made an impact by:

• Selling over 8,000 solar pumps since commercial sales began in 2016, reaching $1m of revenue last year (EBITDA $163k).

• Selling through approved, country-level distributors who buy stock direct from our factory with a typical order value of $85,000.

• Raising $3.6 million non-dilutive capital.

The opportunity for growth is huge: the addressable market for solar irrigation pumps was estimated at $3.5bn in a recent independent industry report. And demand for irrigation is on the rise as climate change brings unpredictable rainfall, floods, and drought.

Now is the time to drive down manufacturing and distribution costs and step up our ambitions to reach many more farmers.

We want you to be part of our journey. By investing today, you will help us amplify our message, reach more customers and together we can improve the lives of smallholder farmers globally.

Team

Toby Hammond, Co-founder and Managing Director

An entrepreneur with 13 years’ experience in renewable energy start-ups. Previously the founder of Better Generation Group, a venture-backed company in the small wind turbine industry. Responsible for strategic direction and overall leadership of Futurepump.

Quentin (Q) Baynes, Co-founder and Financial Director

Having qualified as an accountant at a Big 4 firm and gone on to manage the group finance for a listed multinational business, Q saw the opportunity to bring his accountancy acumen to a business with a mission he truly stood behind.

Gert Jan Bom, Product Inventor (Part time)

Dutch engineer, Gert Jan, started his water pump journey in Tanzania in 1972. Realising the need for reliability in water pumps, he developed The Volanta Hand Pump, then investigated animal traction pumps, wind pumps, and by the early 1990s was inventing solar pump prototypes.

Jitendra Lakhani, Founder Director, Futurepump India

A multi-faceted entrepreneur with a long career in design, development, and manufacturing in mechanical and electronics sectors, Jitendra oversees the Futurepump factory in India.

The wider team

At Futurepump, it’s not just about those at the top. Our team spans the UK, India, Kenya, and The Netherlands all working hard to design and build Futurepump solar pumps from scratch, giving us complete transparency and control over quality.