Today that the Cisco Global Problem Solver Challenge 2020 winners have already been officially announced, you’ll desire to find out about each winning group and the complete story right behind each innovation. Year in its fourth, this online competitors awards money prizes to early-phase startups to develop a remedy that drives economic growth or solves a cultural or environmental problem.

We are excited so that you can find out more about the 2020 winning teams addressing a few of the biggest problems we encounter through technology-based solutions. Not long ago i interviewed the founder and CEO of Preemar, Alejandro Valdés Martínez, champion of a Third Runner-Up $10,000 USD prize.

What problem can be your technology solution attempting to solve?

Alejandro: We are usually solving the issue of production losses inside the aquaculture industry, every year which amounts to 6 billion dollars. These manufacturing losses happen due to variations in water high quality, that are not detected by the aquaculture farmers. If these drinking water quality variations aren’t detected and corrected, aquaculture organisms obtain stressed, and their disease fighting capability weakens. These variations enable pathogens in the drinking water to infect aquaculture organisms like seafood, shrimp, oysters, etc., resulting in disease, eliminating the aquaculture organism. At Preemar, a tool originated by us known as Pro-viden, a real-time monitoring program of water quality, that allows the farmer to avoid diseases and raise his production.

What inspired one to develop this solution?

Alejandro: A single of our co-founders, Andrea Morales, includes a background inside marine biology. She caused aquaculture farmers, and she noticed how that they had significant creation losses, and 50-60 % of their manufacturing was lost sometimes. Occasionally, the farmers didn’t even understand what had happened since they didn’t possess this capability to measure water high quality continuously. When Andrea informed us concerning this nagging problem, we started going to aquaculture farms and interviewing farmers. We saw what size this nagging issue was in Mexico, Latin America, along with other elements of the global entire world. We obtained to the primary cause of the issue: aquaculture farmers didn’t have an instrument to detect sudden drinking water quality variations that may result in the production losses. That’s how we started focusing on Pro-viden.

Can you explain the way the solution works?

Alejandro: The technology we use may be the Internet of Items (IoT) coupled with Artificial Cleverness (AI). Our gadget is similar to a buoy that’s placed in the drinking water, and it autonomously moves. It performs dimensions of pH, oxygen, temp, and all of the water parameters necessary to aquaculture. These details is continually measured [and] stored inside our database, therefore the aquaculture farmer can gain access to these details in real-period and remotely through our internet platform and our cellular program. The aquaculture farmer can entry the info through graphs, detailed reviews, and preventive alerts every time a danger is detected. We likewise have a predictive design that shows the farmer what things to expect later on, [based on] the existing measurements and the historical measurements that people have, helping to ward off diseases and [finding] methods to improve production.

How will winning a prize inside the Cisco Global Issue Solver Challenge assist you to advance your organization?

Alejandro: What we experienced instantly is certainly that it gave all of us contact with possible clients. We’ve been posting the announcement on social media marketing, which includes given us some publicity. The financial prize in this present situation can help us a whole lot because we’ve been struggling to maintain with operations in the last couple of months. With the direct exposure we have been getting, I am hoping we shall benefit from new opportunities to improve our sales.

Do guess what happens you shall utilize the prize money for particularly?

Alejandro: We released our product this season, so our primary focus keeps growing sales inside Mexico here, Latin America, and THE UNITED STATES. We have been investing about 35 % into marketing, and we’re investing 20-30 % into salaries to keep operations going also. The other 30-35 % [is] committed to product development, therefore continuously improving our system’s hardware and software program we’re.

How has the worldwide pandemic impacted your projects?

Alejandro: It offers been interesting because farmers want into more automated technology. We’ve been getting more fascination with our technology. However, there’s this other side still, where farmers are considering reducing production costs furthermore, and they have already been a bit more wary of their investments. But I really believe in the long-term. Fascination with automation from the aquaculture industry shall grow.

Another big modification that happened because the pandemic is normally that international and nationwide conferences, events, and forums can’t be kept in-person. The aquaculture market is transforming, in the sense they virtually are producing connections. Therefore for a startup like us, that is good because, before, we’d to invest in happen to be head to conferences. Now, we are able to attend them online minus the right period and cost to getting there.

Why did you choose to start your personal social enterprise versus likely to work for an organization?

Alejandro: Since I was a youngster, I wanted to possess my very own business always. When I began university, I lost an eye on that fantasy. I started employed in the automotive sector as an excellent engineer. During that function, I wasn’t pleased, and I wanted to truly have a bigger effect on what I had been doing. I decided to visit pursuing this imagine having my very own business back. And that brought me to visit an innovation middle in Mexico here, where I fulfilled my co-founders. Most of us had this good plan of creating a thing that could influence people’s lives inside our communities.

What is the greatest little bit of advice you acquired about starting your public enterprise?

Alejandro: Like first-time entrepreneurs, we’ve been benefiting from great advice. One little bit of tips that transformed our mindset was round the notion of a “unicorn” startup (like Facebook) where you possess one huge opportunity that goes to the moon. The truth is, most businesses don’t get one large chance, but instead, each day and keep getting results they work hard. And a build up of great results shall take one to where you intend to go. You should know that persistent, small initiatives shall change lives in the future, and that mentality provides kept us on the right track.

Do any advice will be experienced by you for following year’s applicants?

Alejandro: Applying as first-time business owners helped people understand where we’re heading, how we’re carrying it out, and what we’re able to better do. It is a huge step to notice your plans on paper and think, “how do i improve that?” If it’s made by one to the finals and obtain exposure, that may help you as well. Not to mention, if you are among the winners, that experience is motivating then. I motivate everyone who’s considering deciding on apply and benefit from this process.

What job can you be doing in the event that you didn’t do that?

Alejandro: We think I’d be attempting to solve another concern in aquaculture or even the agriculture business. My passion is focusing on a startup, and I’d be trying to create a significant impact.

What can be your favorite book and just why?

Alejandro: My favorite reserve is The 7 Habits of IMPRESSIVE Individuals, by Stephen Covey. That guide has impacted me probably the most because I could observe how I possibly could apply these concepts to my life. I recommend it a whole lot to everyone i understand. It is believed by me can transform the paradigms that people have, and utilizing the book’s principles might help us improve our very own life.

What can be your favorite activity if you are not working?

Alejandro: Reading can be an activity that I love a lot. I am hanging out with my girlfriend furthermore. Right now, we need to stay home through the pandemic. It really is great to end up being with her to be home alone instead, so I enjoy hanging out with her really.

Keep tuned in for more articles inside our blog series, featuring interviews with every Cisco Global Issue Solver Problem 2020 winning team!

The post Meet Preemar: A Third Runner-Up of the Cisco Global Problem Solver Challenge 2020 appeared very first on Cisco Blogs.