First workweek with Stakeholder visits

Monday, Michel and I worked from the poolside at the hotel to synch up face to face and to create our project plan as prep for Tuesday when we were to meet our client.

Tuesday, Michel, myself and the Client - Sundar - worked in the Michels hotel room all day as the client appears not to have an office at present. We have received tons of information and understand the key question that needs to be addressed: just give me 500K USD and I proof that the concept works with 1500 farmers -instead of the 200 that are involved now- so that Venture Capitalists will go for it and invest so that it can be applied throughout the entire province (ie. 600.000 farmers). How to do that is another story. For now, we have suggested to talk to the key stakeholders. But of course, ideas how to get an entrepreneur to a true business is a different story.

So Wednesday afternoon off to the first stakeholder: IIIT (triple I T verbally) University after our first experience in the meeting room at the 7th floor ... a floor that is being refurbished, has no functioning airco in 35° and did not have electricity either as the outlets still have to be placed -these last two go together of course). So kindly enough the manager on duty moved us to an executive room. IIIT actually has thought out the core of the concept: eSagu - an application especially for farmers. We were in the University until 7 pm, so back just in time to join the group for dinner at 8. Intensive day this was, and combined with remains of a jetlag and cold extra challenging for me.

Thursday we already were closer to getting real work done in the hotel: airco and power outlet are now present, just an extension cord is needed ... and water / tea / coffee .... And in the afternoon we took off to IBM to meet the IBM Hyderabad people that have participated in the pilot of Sundars concept. So we are the first ones to have been to IBM ... the team envies us now. Oh, it is easier to bring your badge by the way ... I left it in the hotel room :-)

Friday is going to be an 7th floor day for us, and for another team. This gives the opportunity to digest some of the endless information dump.