www.tryhitch.com

Power in community…

FIRST PLACE WINNER:PCH HARDWARE HACKATHON

KITCHENER-WATERLOO JUNE 2015

By: Uche Onuora Steve Veerman

Using the National E-Agriculture Web Portal (NEAWP)

to revolutionize Agriculture in Nigeria

via:

NEAWPwww.eagriculture.gov.ng

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OUR PURPOSE

WHY? CONNECTING THE UN/UNDERSERVED TO SUSTAINABLE BROADBAND

Solving access to capacity & information  Delivering Broadband to “the many who need the most”

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OUR FOCUS

WHAT? NATIONAL E-AGRICULTURE WEB PORTAL

Enabling educational content access for farmers/extension agents to improve techniques & productivity in Nigeria Requires broadband to deliver video content to transcend literacy barriers; NOW NOT LATER Farmers/extension agents are in un/underserved areas without sustainable broadband

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FACTORS OF ADOPTION

Availability: Get Functional, Relevant, Engaging, Empowering Content Affordability: % of Average Monthly IncomeChoice shouldn’t be: broadband vs. school (or health or food) Accessibility: Local Interface: Responsive to digital & conventional literacy

Broadband user adoption check-list

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DECISION TREE

Availability

Coverage?

Affordability

Inexpensive?

YES

YES

YES

| NO

| NO

| NO

Success

Accessibility

Intuitive?

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HITCH Access Model

● Peer-to-Peer connections limits/removes ISP dependency

● Storage (for content caching & sharing); solar/battery power (for grid or off-grid operation); & processing (to build open platform)

● Ability to operate in isolation (content server)

● 70% of users (launch market) expressed ISP dissatisfaction

● Broadband is significantly price elasticwww.tryhitch.com

SOLUTION

Current Internet Access Model

HITCH Access Model

SOLVING THE LAST MILE

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Solar & Battery-powered Smart WiFi Routers

Communal accessing, caching, and sharing NEAWP educational videos & other Internet content

Power in community, one mesh at a time…

OUR GOAL

Farmers & Support Workers

NEAWP Content

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OUR SOLUTION I

Unconventional Approach:• Direct peer-to-peer (mesh) community-owned network infrastructure

• Many, small, portable smart routers; instead of few, large, fixed towers

Why?Flexible: Can add or reposition routers dynamically to expand networkRedundant: Distributed content removes single point of

failure, reduces latencyInexpensive: Off-the-shelf consumer hardware, cheaper than

enterprise solutions

Availability

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OUR SOLUTION II

Optimizing last-mileReplacing ONE-TO-ONE user/ISP relationship with MANY-TO-

ONE; so tens, hundreds, or possibly thousands of users “share” one backhaul connection

Connection cost split “many” ways instead of 1 waySmart algorithms manage predictive content caching

beyond last-mile, at user premises

Focus on community inter-connectionEven without backhaul, users get content, services, &

applications via local cloud

Affordability

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OUR SOLUTION III

ISPs need to do more than just deliver a pipe

Post-connection connectionCan the user navigate content, services, & apps despite

literacy barriers?

We mix text with icons and incorporate rich images, video, & audio, at negligible costs

Focus on mobile deliveryEmphasize intuitive interface of local content with User

Interface-driven extensions for local languages & dialects

Accessibility

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DESIGN INPUTS

TECHNOLOGY  Living iterative R&D: Decade-long R&D pathway in the field, school, & lab EDUCATION  Learning from experts: Understanding root causes – rigorous primary and secondary research DESIGN  Listening to users: Embracing solution co-creation – market validation via user-centric design

Over 30 stakeholders & 100+ end-users interviewed

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VALUE PROPOSITION

HITCH smart routers automatically interconnect

Form Local Cloud [Community Broadband “Data Mesh”] Platform 

CAPEX & OPEX savings earned from smart broadband connectivity for: 

CachingSharingDelivering

 Video-driven Functional, Relevant, Engaging, Empowering Content

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HITCH Access Model

● Peer-to-Peer connections limits/removes ISP dependency

● Storage (for content caching & sharing); solar/battery power (for grid or off-grid operation); & processing (to build open platform)

● Ability to operate in isolation (content server)

● 70% of users (launch market) expressed ISP dissatisfaction

● Broadband is significantly price elasticwww.tryhitch.com

SOLUTION

MESH NETWORK TOPOGRAPHY I

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T-Junction Mesh (assuming 1 SIM-connected router per 5 routers)

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HITCH Access Model

● Peer-to-Peer connections limits/removes ISP dependency

● Storage (for content caching & sharing); solar/battery power (for grid or off-grid operation); & processing (to build open platform)

● Ability to operate in isolation (content server)

● 70% of users (launch market) expressed ISP dissatisfaction

● Broadband is significantly price elasticwww.tryhitch.com

SOLUTION

MESH NETWORK TOPOGRAPHY II

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C-Crescent Mesh (assuming 1 SIM-connected router per 5 routers)

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HITCH Access Model

● Peer-to-Peer connections limits/removes ISP dependency

● Storage (for content caching & sharing); solar/battery power (for grid or off-grid operation); & processing (to build open platform)

● Ability to operate in isolation (content server)

● 70% of users (launch market) expressed ISP dissatisfaction

● Broadband is significantly price elasticwww.tryhitch.com

SOLUTION

MESH NETWORK TOPOGRAPHY III

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L-Junction Mesh (assuming 1 SIM-connected router per 5 routers)

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HITCH Access Model

● Peer-to-Peer connections limits/removes ISP dependency

● Storage (for content caching & sharing); solar/battery power (for grid or off-grid operation); & processing (to build open platform)

● Ability to operate in isolation (content server)

● 70% of users (launch market) expressed ISP dissatisfaction

● Broadband is significantly price elasticwww.tryhitch.com

SOLUTION

MESH NETWORK TOPOGRAPHY IV

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Linear Mesh (assuming 1 SIM-connected router per 5 routers)

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HITCH Access Model

● Peer-to-Peer connections limits/removes ISP dependency

● Storage (for content caching & sharing); solar/battery power (for grid or off-grid operation); & processing (to build open platform)

● Ability to operate in isolation (content server)

● 70% of users (launch market) expressed ISP dissatisfaction

● Broadband is significantly price elasticwww.tryhitch.com

SOLUTION

MESH NETWORK TOPOGRAPHY V

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4-Way Mesh (assuming 1 SIM-connected router per 5 routers)

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BEYOND COST SAVINGS

Service Levels & User Experience Cost of data is not only benefit HITCH uses Data Mesh for redundancy & latency Smart user-driven predictive algorithms for content caching decisions Places cache beyond last-mile, closest to users Improves service levels & user experience; especially for video content

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OUR TRACTION SO FAR

Proposed pilot starting First Quarter of 2017, using HITCH routers to anchor E-Agriculture platform

Pilot will deliver video-driven E-Agriculture content to at least 1,000 Nigerian farmers, extension agents, etc.

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THE TEAM

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TechnologyExperienced Software Engineer & University of Waterloo, Canada MBET 2016

OperationsCompetent

entrepreneur + executive management

professional & University of Liverpool,

UK MBA 2012

BusinessDevelopmentSerial ICT4D entrepreneur & University of Waterloo, Canada MBET 2016

Content Management

Experienced Multimedia

Professional + Web/Social Media

Designer & Morgan State University, USA

Industrial Engineer

Steve Veerman Uche Onuora

Fanen Ikya Claude Jeremiah

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CONCLUSION

● Proposed sustainable solution to last-mile broadband in general

● Research suggested pivot to un/underserved areas in emerging markets; with Agriculture focus

● R&D facilities in Conrad Centre for Business, Entrepreneurship, & Technology at University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

● Finalizing MVP with test deployment; market launch by Q1 2017

Contact: Uche OnuoraPhone: +1-226-751-5015Email: uonuora@flexfinity.com

Please See HITCH Overview Video at: https://youtu.be/SvApTyPiLRk

@HITCHStream | https://www.facebook.com/HITCHStream/

Canada: Accelerator Centre – Suite 13295 Hagey Boulevard, Waterloo, ON N2L6R5

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