#EntrepreneurOfTheWeek: Agri-tech Entrepreneur Making Agriculture Fancy Through Digitization: Vivian Opondo

We have come a long way to having young people join the world of Agriculture. In the years past, seeing young people actively in Agriculture would have easily been an extreme spot. However, for this software engineer, she saw the gap in agriculture, and together with her colleagues, they would begin to join the world of young agri-preneurs. This is not the only business, she has been part of, she seems to know food too well, as recently, she launched her second food business that will support many people in food business to access more markets through digital solutions.

Vivian Opondo is an award-winning, two start-up entrepreneur who started business-related activities as early as 2016. She had her hands on luck when her business scooped investment and training that has allowed her to scale up to great heights both locally and regionally. Not without challenges though, as she too has experienced her great setbacks, from having investors who did not have best intentions for her company, to realizing her struggles the lack of alignment with that of her teammates, to even having the courage to start over again. Vivian has passed through it all, and stayed long enough to see success.

Though this Agri-tech entrepreneur is continuously making great waves in the world of Agriculture and the food industry, empowering farmers to access more markets, her journey did not start here.

Vivian started her first real business because she saw demand. Briefly when she lived in Accra, Ghana back in 2018/2019 undertaking a Software entrepreneurship program alongside 50 other individuals from all over Africa. During her stay in Accra she would make Kenyan food and share it with friends. Over time people started offering to pay her to make the food. She would go to the market to buy food products in bulk, prepare it the night before and sell it at a profit. That has been her business journey, which she believes is a true achievement, having the courage to do business. Her vision is to redefine leadership on the African continent through entrepreneurship and technology.

What has kept her up on the journey is her relentless learning and unlearning, constantly chasing growth, always upskilling.

“ I have mastered the skill of learning to learn thus it is really easy for me to unlearn, learn and relearn.” She says

“I am Capable” is Miss. Vivian Opondoh’s mantra and her will is continuous success and empowering others. She is a living, laughing, loving, ball of energy, indeed successful, healthy, happy, and full of abundance. She is full of gratitude for the exceptional life that she has had and though one may not believe her to be shy, she is indeed socially shy in unfamiliar crowds. However, she always makes time to make those she cares for happy. What makes her even more exceptional, is that she doesn’t believe anyone is superior or inferior to the next. This explains why she has devoted her career to reaching out for the well-being of farmers and food producers, and not the engineering studies she had before.

Even though she and her team have just hit the 2-year mark with their first venture Farmula and she successfully launched her second venture Yamacho, she still has her feet on the ground, very solid and humble at the same time.

During her little free time, she enjoys moderating tech/ business panels, partaking in active outdoor activities once in a while, and learning about unfamiliar spaces she is looking to venture into.

Her advice to entrepreneurs is, Know your why, and have it be bigger than you. That is what will keep you going.

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