How a Small-Town Engineer Turned a College Project into a Multi-Crore Agritech Startup

Sometimes, life throws you into purpose before you even know you're ready for it. That’s exactly what happened to Yogesh Gawande, a small-town boy from near Aurangabad, Maharashtra, who turned a college project into a thriving agritech company — and all of it began with a family crisis.

Back in 2014, Yogesh was just a first-year mechanical engineering student, trying to keep up with lectures and assignments like any other 18-year-old. But everything changed when his elder brother was hospitalized due to pesticide poisoning — something that’s sadly common in farming families.

That incident jolted Yogesh.

Like many Indian households, Yogesh’s family relied on agriculture for their livelihood. And seeing his brother suffer made him question: Can’t there be a safer way for farmers to spray pesticides?

His father’s words stayed with him:
“You’re studying engineering. Can’t you do something for farmers like us?”

That was the turning point.

From Classroom Theories to Ground Realities

While his classmates focused on textbooks, Yogesh began tinkering with ideas. During lectures on internal combustion engines, he and a few close friends flipped the concept on its head — literally. They reversed the engine mechanism and created a basic, wheel-based pesticide sprayer.

They weren’t thinking of business, branding, or valuations back then. Just about solving a real problem.

They called their group NIYO - “NI” for Nikhil, one of his teammates, and “YO” for Yogesh. It was less about creating a brand, and more about friendship and shared goals.

They didn’t wait for final-year projects or approval from professors. Instead, they took their prototype directly to the fields, demonstrated it to farmers, and listened to their feedback. That real-world validation was far more rewarding than any classroom grade.

Taking the Leap and a Big Risk

When college ended, Yogesh stood at a fork in the road. On one side was the security of a well-paying job. On the other, a high-risk, no-guarantees dream of turning his sprayer into a real product.

Thankfully, he didn’t have to walk that road alone.

He found mentorship through Bharatiya Yuva Shakti Trust (BYST), which introduced him to Mr. Milind Kank, an industrialist who saw potential in Yogesh’s work. So much so, that Mr. Kank made a bold offer - he would pay Yogesh a year’s salary just so he could focus full-time on improving the product.

That one year gave Yogesh the breathing room he needed.

With support from another mentor, Mr. Sunil Raithatha, and a Rs 5.5 lakh loan from Bank of Baroda, the project began to take the shape of a company. The team upgraded the wheel sprayer and eventually developed solar-powered models — reducing physical effort, cutting fuel costs, and, most importantly, making it safer for farmers.

A Moment of Global Recognition

The real game-changer came when Yogesh’s innovation caught the attention of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Through their association with the Indian Agritech Incubation Network (IAIN), Yogesh’s solar sprayers were being used in pilot projects, especially helping women farmers become more independent in the field.

Then came the moment - when Bill Gates himself visited India and tried out the NIYO Solar Sprayer and NIYO Bahubali Sprayer at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) in Delhi.

Yes, the Bill Gates, operating a machine that was born in a small-town college classroom.

Yogesh says that moment gave him and his team a massive confidence boost — and opened doors they hadn’t even knocked on yet.

Impact Beyond Numbers

Today, Niyo FarmTech has sold over 5,000 sprayers, touched the lives of more than 12,000 farmers across 14 Indian states, and created 100+ local jobs. Their annual revenue has crossed Rs 4.3 crore, and yet, Yogesh is quick to admit — it hasn’t been easy.

During the pandemic, when everything came to a standstill, orders dried up. But instead of shutting shop, the team adapted. They began using their sprayers for sanitisation drives in collaboration with municipal corporations, keeping the business alive and employees on payroll.

It was tough, but it worked.

What really helped was their approach: listen first, then build. Yogesh and his team would constantly gather feedback from farmers and improve their designs accordingly. That kind of responsiveness built a strong trust within the farming community.

What’s Next for Niyo FarmTech?

The company is now certified by the Farm Machinery Training & Testing Institute (FMTTI) in Dapoli, which means farmers can get government subsidies — up to 50% — when buying their products. This has made a huge difference in rural adoption.

Yogesh also got the chance to attend a global bootcamp in London, thanks to BYST’s nomination for the Youth Business International (YBI) Award. The experience expanded his global outlook and inspired him to start exploring markets in Africa.

Now, the focus is on scaling across more Indian states, working closely with government bodies, and simplifying access to subsidies for farmers. Yogesh believes that making innovation accessible and affordable is just as important as building it in the first place.

A Message to Young Entrepreneurs

Yogesh often says that India’s agriculture sector is in urgent need of automation, empathy, and youth energy. “If we want to secure our food future, we need more young minds solving real problems — not just building apps or chasing trends,” he says.

And he’s walking the talk.

What began as a deeply personal mission — to make farming safer for his family — has grown into something far bigger. Niyo FarmTech is not just a business. It’s a living example of how grassroots innovation, built with purpose, can transform lives.

Final Thought

Innovation doesn’t always come wrapped in tech jargon or venture capital. Sometimes, it comes in the form of a young boy with a broken heart, a stubborn dream, and a machine built from spare parts, proving that the next big startup might just be sitting in a small-town classroom, waiting to change the world.