Interview with Global Cycle Solutions

Hi Jesse,

I am Caroline Hane-Weijman, one of the team members working with GCS. I am an undergraduate mechanical engineer here at MIT with great interest in entrepreneurship in the developing world.

We all appreciated your email to us- it's always exciting to get feedback from others with the same intentions and interests as us. I answered your questions below but would gladly set up a phone interview with you if you have further questions.

Tell me a little about the decision to start Global Cycle Solutions?

Jodie initially went to Tanzania summer of 2008 in hope of bringing affordable, simple, and accessible technology to those living on those living on less than a dollar a day. The target group was small-acreage farmers and as the staple crop in Tanzania is corn, she focused on using bicycles as a means to increase efficiency for shelling corn. Our technology was created through her collaboration with some of the locals. The decision to start Global Cycle Solutions grew not only from the wonderful positive feedback from end-users but also from the business model that the locals themselves initiated. They took the bicycle and the adapted corn sheller and cycled around to multiple farmers in the area, providing the pedal-power corn sheller as a service and thereby creating revenue enough to pay for the corn sheller within a week! Thereafter, she returned to MIT, recruited us to help set up a business model for GCS and further develop the technology.

Paul Polak writes in his 12 steps for practical problem solving that number one is to go where the action is, how do you choose where to impliment your products?

We've chosen our initial markets that are conducive to our first line of products- the sheller and grinder- (Mexico and Tanzania both have corn as a staple crop) These are also two locations where we have a lot of contacts and a broad network to work with. There are multiple other countries that we see ourselves in the near future but in the beginning, as this is our first summer truly launching, we need to focus on specific markets.

Whats coming up for GCS, what are the next steps?

There are a lot of things happening right now. To summarize broadly: We currently have three members on location right now. We are trying to set up distributors, market ourselves, possibly partner with a bicycle organization, finalize our prototype of our product, and collaborate with micro-finance institutions to help with the initial capital investment.

I would suggest going to our blog and reading about our updates from the field- I think that would be more useful for a better idea of the progress we are making: http://globalcyclesolutions.blogspot.com/

Any advice for someone like me working on similar projects?

I would suggest a few things;

-Regarding the implementation of your product- Direct sales is very difficult and limiting, especially in Africa, if you do not have a large sales force. Try to create a business model that relies on distributors or partner with an organization with an existing infrastructure (NGOs have been very interested in working with these types of projects). You will be able to reach more people and minimize overhead costs. Furthermore, it will benefit locals on multiple levels- providing income generating possibilities and creating a more sustainable model for the community. Don't only provide locals with the end technology; provide them with knowledge and skills.

-Recruit a good team with the necessary skills to help you

-Stay focused- start small and grow big. Easy to get distracted by too many offers and too many possibilities. Know your capabilities and limits.

-Don't be discouraged!! Things will seem impossible and overwhelming, but be resilient if you believe in what you are doing.

- Don't hesitate to contact people for whatever you need

- Stay organized- record contacts, possible partners, press, accomplishments, documents etc. Things can happen very quickly and its useful to keep documents of "catchy pitches", summaries, information brochures etc and with all the people you meet that may prove to be useful in the future.

- Take advantage of the Green movement at the moment- a lot of investor events focus on green tech.

Hope this was helpful for you,

Don't hesitate to to ask for more information if you need. As mentioned, our blog has more updated information than our website- so feel free to follow our progress and stories in the future. Best of luck with your projects and thesis.

Best,

Caroline