Esoko, the M-Agri pioneer, will split up in two different companies for better management

Esoko, the platform that sends market prices and agricultural tips to farmers will soon retire its brand. After having begun with professional tips sent to farmers through SMS, the Esoko team started to explore innovations on mobile finance for smallholder farmers. In November 2016, Esoko developed a mobile commerce platform that allows farmers to save and borrow toward the purchase of inputs and to sell their crops.

Two very different products were now developed, and the team started to face the first challenges. "Our limited management resources were being stretched thin and neither business line was getting the time and attention from me and other key team members that they each required." says Hillary Miller-Wis, founder and CEO of Tulaa.

By the end of 2016, Esoko had stopped selling the original products of market prices, ag tips and weather forecasts as stand-alone services. In March 2017, decision was made to split up the company. The m-commerce business is now a new company called Tulaa, and the survey business is re-branded as Insyt.

Today, Tulaa continues to offer agronomic tips: once farmers receive their inputs, they begin to receive tailored messages on good agricultural practices tied to their crops, input purchases and location. Insyt, on the other hand, continues to collect and disseminate market prices in Ghana. Through the restructuring and spinoff, the Esoko team has improved its focus, and created more value by establishing two companies, each with its own growth trajectory.

Source: NextBillion