Kisan Network

Kisan Network operates as a technology-enabled supply chain platform within India's agricultural sector, directly connecting farmers with business buyers across the country. The company was founded in August 2015 by the father-son duo, Sanjay and Aditya Agarwalla. The inspiration for the startup originated from Aditya's undergraduate thesis at Princeton University, which explored the challenges faced by Indian farmers, such as opaque pricing, limited market access, and delayed payments. Convinced of the business's viability, Aditya left Princeton to launch the company full-time with his father.

Sanjay Agarwalla brings decades of entrepreneurial experience, having founded Integrated Digital Systems (IDS) in 1992, a company specializing in Geo-Spatial Analytics (GSA). His expertise in GIS and rural distribution systems provided a strong foundation for the logistical and technological challenges at Kisan Network. Aditya, who studied computer science, was named a Thiel Fellow and led the company through the Y Combinator accelerator program, securing early backing from prominent investors.

The firm's business model is centered on disintermediating the traditional agricultural supply chain. It provides an end-to-end solution that manages the entire process from farm to buyer, including sourcing, sorting, grading, packaging, and transportation. This integrated approach is designed to eliminate the multiple layers of middlemen, thereby increasing transparency and profitability for farmers, who can earn approximately 10% more than through traditional channels. The company's revenue is generated by taking a commission of 5% to 15% on the sales facilitated through its platform. Clients are primarily businesses, ranging from small and medium-sized enterprises to restaurants and industrial food processors.

The core of Kisan Network's service is its proprietary digital platform, which includes a mobile application for farmers and a management portal. Farmers can list their crops, set desired prices, and access information on market rates and crop quality reports. The entire process is paperless, with each transaction digitally captured and monitored. A key feature is the use of computer vision technology to remotely and accurately assess the physical characteristics and quality of produce, which informs pricing decisions. As of early 2020, the platform had expanded its reach to over 55,000 farmers across more than 6,000 villages in India.

Keywords: agricultural supply chain, agritech, farm to business, B2B marketplace, crop procurement, digital agriculture, farmer empowerment, market linkages, supply chain technology, rural India, produce distribution, commodity trading, Aditya Agarwalla, Sanjay K Agarwalla, Y Combinator, Thiel Fellowship, post-harvest solutions, food logistics, agricultural marketplace, Indian agriculture