Geo Verde has witnessed the poverty in Ghana and they see what people have to drink. This company has the skills that most people in the region don’t have, so the question becomes “How can I not help?”
Name: Geo Verde
Location: Ghana
Website: Under Construction
Product / Service Offering: Geotechnical Engineering/Borehole Drilling
Co-founder Interviewed: Festus Anane
This article is part of our Business Startup Spotlight series featuring entrepreneurs and their companies. We hope that these founders’ interviews will inspire and motivate you as you undertake your own entrepreneurial journey
Tell us a little about yourself with a focus on what motivates you.
I am a professional engineer, well exposed in WASH related projects. I have useful knowledge and skills gained from work experience and formal education in geological engineering/geosciences. I see the poverty and see what people have to drink. I know I have skills that most people don’t and it becomes impossible not to help. There has always been that passion to help solve the problems of the inability of local people to obtain clean water and sanitation continuously. I have a great opportunity to help solve the problem.
When did you establish your company and where did the idea originate?
Geo Verde was established as a registered company and was incorporated in 2008. At the same time we received a certificate of clarification from the Ministry of Water Resources, Works, and Housing. The idea actually originated while working with the research institute on a national service assignment. The idea became clearly defined in 2012 and was born while I was with the CSIR–BRRI Geotechnical Engineering Division.
Our mission is to become the one stop waterworks and earthworks solution company, providing the most efficient and the highest value consulting and support services to the water and sanitation, agricultural, mining, roads, oil/gas and building construction sectors in Ghana and the ECOWAS region. The founder/CEO is a research scientist whose area of research and consultancy are geological systems, groundwater flow modeling and water resources management. He has conducted research into water and related resources, resulting in the generation and provision of scientific information, strategies and services towards the development, utilization and management of the water resources of Ghana for the socio-economic development of the country.
Does your organization have a mission? 5 Questions to ask when writing a mission statement.
What need or needs does your company seek to fill for its customers?
We are an organization that drills water wells in villages lacking access to clean water. Many get water from rivers and become infected by diseases such as Guinea Worm Disease and River Blindness. Thousands die each year from drinking contaminated water from ponds or hand-dug wells.
We actually see the poverty and see what people have to drink. We have the skills that most people do not. The question becomes “How can I not help?” We encounter plenty of social problems when conducting our services in remote places of Ghana/West Africa. One of them is the inability of local people to obtain clean water continuously. We solve the problem by utilizing our expertise in drilling and constructing wells, with financial support from the willing companies or individuals in our social venture platform.
What is the one thing that sets your company apart from its competitors?
Our focus and scope of operation is tailored across all terrains, remote and urban, unlike our competitors.
And also unfortunately, our competitors do not always provide the best solutions for the problems we solve and seek.
What was the biggest challenge you faced while getting your company up and running, and how did you overcome it?
Our biggest challenge has been funding. Request for investment funding from potential partners has not been successful. We are still looking forward to ways to overcome that enable us to rise to our rightful place in doing business. We are still searching and looking for that right partner or partners to come on board.
Want to be receive funding? Learn the 4 Steps in Targeting Venture Capital Investment
What steps have you taken to secure funding for your company and what, if anything, would you do differently if you had to start over?
Many steps have been taken to secure funding such as networking and taking part in the Fledge accelerator program. We have also sent many applications to investor/angel groups for funding, but we have yet to get any positive feedback. We are still sending and applying though, hoping that one day we will meet the right partner/partners willing to invest in what we do for a return on investment.
What challenges, if any, are you grappling with?
How to secure investment funding from investors.
What is the most helpful tip or “hack” you’ve ever learned, stumbled across, or been given?
Never give up!
Is there anything else you would like to share about your company?
Geo Verde works with the Ghana government and districts. It is always a work in progress. We would appreciate any form of funding as an investment in Geo Verde for a return on investment in the shortest possible time.
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Sandra Sloan
Sandra has previous supply chain and business operations experience which she is leveraging as an author with FundingSage focused on spotlighting entrepreneurs and their startup efforts.
