Aurangabad engineer Yogesh Gawande turned his college project into Niyo FarmTech, a solar-powered sprayer startup that has empowered over 12,000 farmers across 14 states. With 5,000+ units sold and 100+ jobs created, the Rs 4.3 crore venture even impressed Bill Gates, who personally tested the innovation during his India visit.

Yogesh Gawande didn’t start with dreams of fame or foreign investors. He began with pain, and purpose.

“Back in 2014-15, my elder brother had to be hospitalised due to pesticide poisoning,” he shares. His family, like many others in his village near Aurangabad, relied on farming. That hospital visit shook him up.

His father’s words still echo: “You’re studying engineering, do something for us.” That’s when the gears started turning in Yogesh’s mind…read more