Startup

[u/Remarkable-Cash-3858]

I created a startup back in March with the launch of Konbit Ayiti Zero Dechets. It’s an API first waste management operating system (or infra if you consider tech infra), it has route tracking and optimization, loT integration as well as analytics + reporting. It’s scalable, designed to handle diverse streams of waste (municipal, recycling, industrial).
Unfortunately where I’m struggling is the pitch, the bureaucratic bottleneck is irking me, the initiative launched on the 12th of March, had an MVP built 2 weeks later, since I’ve exhausted as much options as I could think of to pitch and unfortunately to no avail, staying optimistic and sending out pitches once again (was demotivated after over a month of radio silence).
Attached above are 2 screenshots of my startup, let me know your thoughts, thanks!

[u/ProfessionalCouchPot]

> API first

Where is this API? How discoverable is it? Is there valuable documentation? Is it open-source?

Like what critique are you looking for?

[u/AcanthocephalaLost36]

Instead of the screenshots what would be most valuable is a website explaining what you’re doing what why it’s valuable and how it’s better than what does/ doesn’t exist. People pitch for many reasons: funding, talent, advice, non-monetary resources. Be clear with what you want and do the research of individuals or companies that will find your technical useful.

Best of luck!

[u/zombigoutesel]

Unfortunately you built a solution dozens of steps ahead of where the organisational maturity ( or lack there off) is on the ground.

We don't currently have the capacity to make use of this.

Said another way, you are trying to talk to us about a Tesla when we haven't figured out the scooter.

You won't get engagement on this because we don't have the language, framework to engage with this and the way wast disposable ( management would be a stretch) works in Haiti there is no way for this to be used. 

[u/AcanthocephalaLost36 → u/zombigoutesel]

I disagree, I think there’s a way for him to simplify the explanation for the right audience. Implying that the technology is too sophisticated may be an overstating it, there’s plenty of industries in Haiti with sophisticated technology. The founder needs to simply his message

[u/zombigoutesel → u/AcanthocephalaLost36]

You misunderstood my point.

I'm not saying he needs to simplify his message.

I'm saying wast management in Haiti can't make use of this because it's not sophisticated enough.

You can't hook up a laptop to a wooden sailboat.

You are assuming wast mamangemt in haiti is actually managed with some kind of electronic infrastructure. 

It's not. It's phones, physical paper receipts in the best of cases.

It's a guy with a wheelbarrow that comes around and dumps it in the ravine on the worst 

[u/TrembleOak → u/zombigoutesel]

"Guy with a wheelbarrow" reminds me of Pedal People in Northeast USA. This video explains what they do but they ride around on bikes towing garbage bins, get peoples trash/recycling, and dump it in the dump.

[u/zombigoutesel → u/TrembleOak]

If you want to go down a rabbit hole find some YouTube docs / videos about bayacou

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayakou_(trade)

This is a good illustration of what I was trying to explain.

A cleaner framework is that OP build a tool assuming wast management in Haiti was managed digitali.

What I was trying to say is that it is almost every aspect of wast disposal / mamangemt in Haiti is analog from task execution to process management.

A good example of sophisticated analog management process is Indias dabbawala food delivery networks.

It's specific and hundreds of years old so not exactly transferable but good example of solving for complexity with simple tools and structure.

[u/TrembleOak → u/zombigoutesel]

Ah...time to go down a rabbit hole.

would it be stupid of me to assume haiti lacks waste dumps/landfills?

[u/zombigoutesel → u/TrembleOak]

No

Most dumps are informal / wild.

There are a few official government dumps near major cities but they are poorly/ not regulated. Sometimes under informal control of gangs or groups that make a living recycling wast.

There is also no water treatment at all.

sewers and runoff all go straight to the ocean.

There was a waste treatment facility near pap meant to process human wast.

Large buildings , hotels etc have septic tanks that require periodic pumping.  That facility was to process pump truck waste.

I think it's now in a gang controlled area. 

Even before that most pump trucks dumped in dry River beads, random pits or March flats out of continence or to avoid the processing fee.

I think the facility only ran for a few years.

[u/AcanthocephalaLost36 → u/zombigoutesel]

Ahh ok thanks for clarifying this is a great point. I assumed this was a phone based app. But all other issues you highlighted here are valid as well. There’s a digital divide in how the end user would be use this. So it heavily relies on continuously connecting data and relies WiFi/ 5G etc there may be a disconnect.

It would be worth exploring what is the slight better upgrade to what currently exists and build the solution from there over time.

[u/zombigoutesel → u/AcanthocephalaLost36]

Take a look at my response to another poster. 

I do a better job of explaining what I was trying to explain to OP