Instant microbiological UV water purifier capsule

According to water.org, 15million people in Kenya lack access to safe water. 29% of the 53million live on less than $3.20 per day. 22% of Kenyans have access to piped water of this 45% urban, 14% rural, none of this is purified by UV and water filtration technologies (https://water.org/our-impact/w... ).

According to the findings of WHO and UNICEF, globally, more than 785 million people do not have access to at least basic water services and more than 884 million people do not have safe water to drink (https://www.cdc.gov/healthywat... 

The currently existing solutions are expensive or provide a health challenge (i.e. desalination an chemical treatment) 

Factors contributing to the problem:

• Expenses entailed in boiling
• Contaminants in tap water
• Time wasted to go and fetch water
• Waterborne diseases: typhoid, cholera, Bilharzias, and skin diseases 
• Discomfort of using saline water, salinity in fresh water
• Expensiveness of water filtration technologies
• Some regions lack power

Mtambo™ is an instant microbiological water purifier capsule. It is inspired by its first Pre-production - Compact multi-stage purifier featuring UV and saline filtration. 

Mtambo™ features an Integrated modular system which has uv–carbon –sediment –fluoride -chloride, and saline filtration design; with – GSM management for micropayments to ease the purchase of the unit. Mtambo™ is powered by DC and requires only 12 volts for operation thus adaptable for Solar Electric.

GSM – SIM management for micropayments will ease the purchase of the unit. Mtambo™ will also feature various IOT backed data packages. GPS Module will also be linked with the operational sensors signals for maintenance back up.

Mtambo™ seeks to serve people earning less than $2 a day. The people cannot afford the prices of the existing filtration technologies.  Consequently, they lack access to potable water. 

The bottom of the pyramid will be served by Mtambo. With the integrated GSM –SIM Card feature, the micropayment schedule can be designed to 47ksh per day (Forty Seven Kenya shillings) ($0.47). Consequently making full ownership possible over a 12 Month period (twelve months).

Subsequently, it is a fact that those earning less than $2 a day even having water nearby it is not drinkable due to the challenges we have set out to solve.  

Mtambo team is a hands-on solution that came about from the ground up. We are passionate technologists who are also facing the same challenges of seeking access to clean water. It is through the initiative of finding our own personal solutions that the Mtambo concept has grown into a scalable, accessible and acceptable solution. We are involved directly in the community as members of the community. We are the first users of the product & this is how the concept of scalability came about.  

We normally meet and visit community organization groups in which we engage our target market to listen to the issues they are facing in regards to water. Sometimes, we walk from door-to-door to interact with members of the community in order to understand their needs. We also visit hospitals to research from medical practitioners on the prevalence of water-borne diseases. This gives us a better understanding of how we should re-design the module to better serve the needs of the community.  

As an African start-up, Research & Design of products faces many barriers due to the socio-economic environment and hierarchy of knowledge & networks. To this, the listed barriers play an integrate role in the challenges that any community-based shoe-string startup will face on daily basis. This is why the SOLVE partnership will create a tremendous impact with its institutional capacity and expertise. 

As a transformative innovation, Mtambo Teq is the first water filtration capsule that is powered by micropayment. 

Being the first of its kind, others copy, tweak, or upgrade what we have set as the foundation. This will form a catalytic approach in the creation of a new category in water filtration technologies. 

Mtambo as a disruptive startup is in a position to create broader positive impact by virtue of the simplicity and the accessibility of the technologies it is utilizing to deliver world class drinking water. 

Impact Goals 

1:- To move from Alpha to Beta to Market. This is how we will directly impact and at the same time measure our growth from the start-up to series to investor exit.  

2:- As a forerunner in this space, we will democratize water filtration technology and as other competitors enter the market. Mtambo's removal of the upfront cost will create the win situation of affordable products which will be passed on to those earning less than $2 a day. 

3:- Being a modular design, Mtambo is scalable in all its forms and adaptable, be it the home environment, institution/schools, hospitals or commercial/industrial water distribution. This will create an open accessibility for all tiers of those in need of world class drinking water. 

4:- It may sound, that the reduction of water borne diseases has become a cliché narrative for global problem solvers, but yet Mtambo aims to directly do this and impact the lives of those related to this statement.

1:- In our community, the reduction of water-borne diseases. 

2:- The uptake of the Mtambo unit

3:- Reduction of high interest rates and investments in water filtration utilities

4:- Water use efficiency can be directly monitored by Mtambo thus in the long run reduce water resources wastage.

5:- Improved quality of water and removal of unwanted chemical agents in the drinking water. 

SDG Goal 6: Clean water and sanitation. 

Activities: 

-: To create access to finance and affordability of Mtambo capsule technology  

Input: 

-: Product design and development and manufacture of a modular UV-water filtration capsule

-: Roll-out of the micropayment system

-: Intellectual property, brand patents, human and financial capital

Outputs: 

-: Easing of access towards ownership of the Mtambo unit

-: Increase in the level of awareness of the availability of the Mtambo unit

-: Market, market access, distribution network 

:- Mtambo is a water filtration capsule featuring GSM

-: Micropayment SMS technology to create access to water. 

-: IOT for the collection of data on water usage and the condition of the filters in the system.

:- Clean energy: Mtambo is DC-powered, hence runs on Solar energy 

As a community based social enterprise, Mtambo strives and is learning to be a grassroot driven organization, thus our leadership team, our team goals are becoming more diverse, equitable and inclusive. This is by using our hands on expertise and involving the community to provide feedback on challenges faced, therefore providing a platform for Mtambo as a solution.

By coincidence, our youngest team member is 24 years old and our oldest team member is 54years old. With others in between these age groups, it gives us a broad spectrum of demands and traits that occur in the interrelationship of gender and age. 

Business Design:

Social enterprise

Ideate (Concept):

Mtambo is a water filtration capsule. (GSM/DC/Solar/Micropayment)

Business Prototype:

 Over the last two years, we have moved from ideation to proof of concept to Alpha.

Assess:

 60% of our target has been met because as of now, we are at the pre-seed level anticipating Alpha, Beta, & Series 1.

Hypothesize:

To provide world class drinking water using the micropayment system 

Products: World-class drinking water, Filtering technologies, IOT, Capsule (4-stage filtration unit operated by IOT), Fintech/GSM/Micropayment

Services: Water, capsule, fintech, renewable energy, access to world class drinking water, micropayment system, solar power, training, water provider

Functional need: water

Social need: Access to Mtambo

Emotional need: Happiness from clean drinking water 

How we provide the products or services:

By vending

Revenue Stream 

• The value that our perceived customers are willing to pay for the Mtambo utility is based on: Hire Purchase = Loan Micropayment at 47 ksh per day, thus unit ownership possible in One Year. This is our projected payment schedule.

• The Loan Micropayment Model provides upfront revenue as Product Purchase is Covered via the Financing Institution

• Hire Purchase = Loan Micropayment at 47 ksh per day – thus unit ownership possible in One Year. This is our projected payment schedule.
• The Loan Micropayment Model provides upfront revenue as Product Purchase is Covered via the Financing Institution

TYPES OF REVENUE STREAM:

• The Mtambo Unit as an asset in itself will be sold to generate profit. 
• The fees charged will cover usage and subscription
• Our lending will be third-party via higher purchase through microfinance institutions
• FIXED PRICING: The Mtambo Unit incorporates a Fixed Pricing aspect feature of the following:- List Price, Product feature dependent, Customer segment dependent, and Volume dependent.
• DYNAMIC PRICING: The Mtambo Unit incorporates a Dynamic Pricing aspect feature of Real-time Market.   

Towards prototype development, we were honored to be the recipient of funding by TME Education, Poland as finalists in their annual Changemakers program. 

We are also crowdsourcing and our networks have been able to fundraise $5000 which has been our runway for the past two years.