aQysta envisions a world where even the smallest farmers can be profitable, while farming in harmony with nature
our Purpose
our Mission
Our story
aQysta’s inspiration comes from our Nepalese CEO, Pratap Thapa, who grew up in a farmer community in Nepal. His parents had their farm right next to a river but could not get the water from the river to the farm. Instead, they depended on rainfall and tried to ‘catch the rain’ when the first monsoon rains came. The question that stayed on his mind was: “Can the river’s power be used to lift water to nearby farms?”
Pratap grew up to become an engineer and received a scholarship to do an MSc program at the Technical University of Delft, the Netherlands. He met aQysta’s co-founders, Fred Henny and Lennart Budelmann and started working on solutions for his community. Together they developed the “Barsha Pump”, a renewable irrigation pump that uses the power of flowing water sources (like rivers) to lift water to farmlands without external inputs. Today, Pratap’s parents and more than 7,000 smallholder farmers in 27 countries benefit from this technology.
However, work remains to be done. While access to irrigation water is essential to increasing farmers’ productivity, aQysta has seen that many farmers still generate insufficient incomes to sustain themselves and their families with farming. Farmers need proper training, quality farming inputs (like seeds and fertilizers), and a market where they can receive a fair price for their products to further increase their productivity and profitability.
These insights encouraged aQysta to start its Farm Incubator, in which we link farmers to premium markets that provide higher prices for their harvest. We then prepare the farmers to be able to supply to these premium markets by providing the right capital, knowledge, quality inputs, and technology.
Our journey
- 2012-2013
Founded
Philips innovation Award
Bearing Point Award
DOW SISCA Award
- 2014-2015
First commercial
production
European venture competition
- 2016-2017
Market
Introduction
- 2018-2020
International
expansion
- 2021
Transformation of
business model
Our team
International and management team with a strong track record of product development
Inspiring leader with first-hand experience of small-holder farming in Nepal
Msc. Economics and finance with annotation in Entrepreneurship
Previous experience: Bosch, BoP Inc, Kathamndu University
Forbes 30 under 30
Strategy, Business development, Sales, Marketing and Finance
Diligent leader with experience in operations and project management
Passionate to bridge impact and profit
Msc. Supply Chain Management with annotation in Technology in Sustainable Development.
Previous experience: Airbus, Mercedes
Process & People Management, Finance, Strategy, Sales
Inspiring leader with first-hand experience of small-holder farming in Nepal
Msc. Economics and finance with annotation in Entrepreneurship
Previous experience: Bosch, BoP Inc, Kathamndu University
Forbes 30 under 30
Strategy, Business development, Sales, Marketing and Finance
pratap thapa
Diligent leader with experience in operations and project management
Passionate to bridge impact and profit
Msc. Supply Chain Management with annotation in Technology in Sustainable Development.
Previous experience: Airbus, Mercedes