Michael Bay, Madison Bonthron, Abhinav …...Michael Bay, Madison Bonthron, Abhinav Brahmamdam, Hemalatha Kamaraj, Nandita Venkatesan May 2016 This case is based on a comprehensive

SUBSISTENCE MARKETPLACES INITIATIVE | ENTERPRISE PLANS 2016


Waterfish, Inc. Business Plan

Michael Bay, Madison Bonthron, Abhinav Brahmamdam, Hemalatha Kamaraj, Nandita Venkatesan

May 2016

This case is based on a comprehensive business plan developed by a student group in the course entitled

Sustainable Product and Market Development for Subsistence Marketplaces under the supervision of the

instructor, Madhu Viswanathan. The case was prepared by Madhu Viswanathan and Srinivas Venugopal

and copyedited by Anne McKinney. We gratefully acknowledge the organizational sponsor of the project

and the students who contributed to it.



Contents I. Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................ 4

II. Situation Analysis .................................................................................................................................. 4

A. Internal Strengths and Weaknesses ................................................................................................. 5

B. External Opportunities and Threats.................................................................................................. 6

III. Mission ................................................................................................................................................. 9

IV. Field Research and Product Development ........................................................................................ 10

A. Discussion of learning from virtual immersion and emersion ........................................................ 10

B. Description of idea generation and screening ................................................................................ 11

C. Market Research ............................................................................................................................. 16

D. Learning and Reflection from Field Research ................................................................................. 19

E. Articulating Needs ........................................................................................................................... 20

F. Concept generation and evaluation ................................................................................................ 22

G. Technical specifications and Detailed Drawings............................................................................. 27

H. Storyboard ...................................................................................................................................... 30

I. Prototype ......................................................................................................................................... 31

J. Concept Testing ............................................................................................................................... 33

V. Marketing Strategy ............................................................................................................................. 33

A. Target Market Selection ................................................................................................................. 34

B. Targeting and Positioning Statement ............................................................................................. 35

C. Sustainable Market Mix .................................................................................................................. 36

VI. Action Plans ....................................................................................................................................... 37

A. Sustainable Product Design ............................................................................................................ 37

B. Sustainable Value Chain .................................................................................................................. 37

C. Design of the Value Proposition ..................................................................................................... 38

D. Communication of the Value Proposition ...................................................................................... 38

E. Exchange Model .............................................................................................................................. 39

G. Manufacturing Plan ........................................................................................................................ 42

H. Implementation Schedule .............................................................................................................. 44

I. Financial Forecast ............................................................................................................................. 44

J. Ecological (Planet) Impact Forecast ................................................................................................. 47

K. Societal (People) Impact Forecast ................................................................................................... 48

VII. Implementation, Controls and Evaluation ........................................................................................ 48



A. Measures of Performance .............................................................................................................. 48

B. Monitoring and Evaluating Performance on Multiple Dimensions ................................................ 49

Appendix: Field trip interview notes ....................................................................................................... 50



I. Executive Summary

Waterfish, Inc. is focused on providing solutions that will educate individuals about the consequences of

using unclean water and will illustrate various products that can solve the problem. The market in India,

specifically rural, low-income communities provide a good basis to address the issue. There is a lack of

awareness, poor education, sub-par infrastructure and an overall lack of responsibility when dealing

with unclean water. Our research indicates that subsistence homeowners, water tank operators and

village leaders are not primarily focused nor do they have the solutions in place to provide clean water

to thousands of individuals.

From virtual immersion and emersion, the team gathered that transportation, storage, awareness and

filtration were the main problems surrounding unclean water. Through different concept evaluations

and selection, the decision to address the awareness and filtration aspect of the problem was made. In

partnership with the Safe Global Water Institute, Waterfish, Inc. presented Neermeen Sensor Systems.

The sensor systems will be placed in water tanks across these communities and will have a notification

system that will let all the stakeholders involved know if the water is not safe to use. The product is

designed to gradually fix the clean versus clear problem as well as educate individuals about the need to

use clean water that has been tested.

Neermeen Sensor Systems addresses the triple bottom line well by creating a sustainable product that is

long-lasting and builds value-creating partnerships across the world.

II. Situation Analysis

Waterfish, Inc. provides a range of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in regards to

sustainability and subsistence. These various characteristics of the Waterfish, Inc. are significant

advantages of utilizing its products in low-income communities in India. The environment is comprised

of consumers who are in need of high-quality water as well as a convenient mechanism to know if the

water is clean. The users are highly skilled in using water effectively however, these individuals are

affected negatively by low literacy which leads to a lack of awareness of the consequences of using

unclean water on a person’s health.

Alongside these strengths and weaknesses, there is a range of threats that can affect the effectiveness

of the Waterfish, Inc. such as buy-in from the necessary stakeholders in the process as well as buy-in

from the consumer themselves. In addition, there are noteworthy opportunities that are present that

will enhance the sustainability of the product as well as its relevance to the market. The SWOT analysis

below identifies these measures of the organization and its ability to succeed in low-income

communities in India:



A. Internal Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths

1. Diverse Background: Waterfish, Inc. is comprised of a very diverse team, with backgrounds in

industrial design, computer science, engineering and business. Members of the team have worked on

various projects revolving around sustainability in South America, Europe, North America and Asia. The

ability to come together with unique perspectives and backgrounds creates a marketable strength to

potential business partners as well as it deepens the understanding by the team of the problem and

solution at hand.

2. Available Resources: Since the team is a University sponsored organization, there is much support

and availability of resources from the University of Illinois system. The faculty, professors and fellow

students are comprised of a highly talented pool of individuals to rely on. Moreover, the direct

partnership with the Safe Global Water Institute will provide a large benefit and access to data across

the world as well as in-person resources on the ground in developing nations.

3. Knowledge: Through field immersion and emersion, the team acquired a wealth of knowledge of past

and current water systems across rural communities in India. This allows the group to weigh various

failures and successes of projects and create a lasting product that can benefit numerous individuals.

Furthermore, the organization’s sole focus in the end consumer and this customer-centric approach is

successful and sustainable moving forward. This allows the team to think outside the box by creating a

sustainable approach to the water quality problem in an efficient, effective and affordable way.

4. Size: The benefits of being a small organization are immeasurable. There is more control of the

organization’s goals moving forward as well as direct input in the production and distribution of the

company’s products. Additionally, the size of the team directly correlates to the passion of each of the

stakeholders involved with the group. By having a passionate management team that believes in the

group’s mission and values, the end goal of creating a large scale impact to end consumers will be

achieved.

Weaknesses



1. Limited Reach: Waterfish, Inc. is located in Champaign, IL, which is far from developing countries,

most specifically India. Although the team currently is far from the market, one member of the team has

lived in that region before, which provides the group first-hand experience on marketing and advertising

in that region. The entire team has a strong understanding of the consumers and their behaviors

however, the group does not have the same benefits of an organization headquartered in rural India.

2. Lack of Name Recognition: Another point of concern is the lack of brand awareness and reach

through the organization itself. The team has been recently formed and is new to the target market,

where reliability and trust speak volumes more than money. Waterfish, Inc. has begun to create

meaningful relationships with the individuals that are a part of the target communities.

3. Dependency on External Groups: A major weakness of an organization that is still in the startup

status is the lack of capital. There will be a reliance on external donors and investors to provide capital

to achieve some of the initial goals in the implementation process for the organization. Additionally,

since the group is not that prevalent in the target market, there is also a dependency on non-

governmental organizations and self-help groups to help create that reliable, trustworthy awareness of

Waterfish, Inc.

B. External Opportunities and Threats

Opportunities

1. Large Target Market: From the analysis from the group’s interactions with various individuals in the

market, there is a large, untapped opportunity to provide solutions for clean water. There is a potential

to impact large communities across various villages and states and not only provide a technological need

but also work with different local stakeholders and entrepreneurs. The hope is to tap into this large

potential to create solutions that will build awareness on water quality while also slowly help solve the

problem in a sustainable manner.

2. Potential Expansion into Other Markets: The skills and knowledge from the team of Waterfish, Inc.

can be transferred to other communities across India and potentially, the rest of the developing world.

These skills can also be transferred to the various stakeholders in the communities the team operates in

like the village leadership and the individuals in each household

3. Partnerships: There is a significant potential to have strong partnerships with self-help groups and

non-governmental organizations that have an existing presence in the region. The mutually beneficial

partnership will revolve around providing insights and data from Waterfish’s products in return for

administrative support and help with increasing brand presence in the target market.

4. Newer Technologies: The potential to have a product that provide better understanding and

awareness of clean water by using newer technologies is beneficial to all parties involved. There is an

increased amount of functionality underwater is a possibility as well as using long-lasting materials that

can last up to 25 years such as rechargeable batteries and recyclable materials instead of plastic. This

ensures the cost to be low for each community with a long-term sustainable solution to the water

problem.



Threats

1. Change Management: The largest threat to the organization is the buy-in from the different

stakeholders involved in each community. The issue revolves around the fact that the consumers need

to understand the benefits of utilizing various products from Waterfish, Inc. Without the buy-in from

various stakeholders in the community such as the village heads, water tank operators and women in

households, there is then a major threat to the sustainability of the organization moving forward.

2. Competitors: There can be numerous competitors that are larger and have more capital that are

targeting the same markets which could prove dangerous to Waterfish, Inc. Additionally, larger

organizations that already have a large presence on the ground could increase the risk associated in

entering these various markets.

3. Inadequate Knowledge: There is an evident lack of education and awareness amongst the individuals

in these communities of the need for clean water. There is also a lack of motivation to change their ways

due to not understanding the direct linkage of unclean water with illnesses and long-term health effects.

Macro Environment

According to the Swiss Re Foundation, approximately 780 million people in the world lack access to any

improved water source with 2.5 billion people lacking proper sanitation. In India, the figures are similar

with 97 million people not having access to safe water and 800 million not benefiting from hygienic

sanitation. In addition, the World Bank estimates that 21% of communicable diseases in India are

related to unsafe water in the country. These water sources are contaminated with various chemicals

and pathogens from sewage, agricultural runoff and other sources.

The country has been improving, in terms of clean water, over the years however, it is evident there are

vast differences across the country. The largest disparities are seen between urban centers and rural,

low-income communities. In these areas, as well as certain semi-urban places, the individuals use pumps

to get water and have to rely on the government to properly maintain and repair the water tanks,

pumps and other tools used by these villages. Furthermore, there is not a level of proper education

about clean water and the impact it has on one’s health. The conditions are improving with external

programs from non-governmental organizations and some government intervention, but the need for

more change and accountability is evident.

Market

The need for clean water and the importance of having access to clean water is a major issue across the

world. As previously mentioned, the environment in India provides a significant challenge to combat this

problem. The need is across all income segments. Most middle-income and high-income segments can

achieve clean water and safe access to clean water. They can pay for this type of benefits through

various outlets such as importation, better water purification systems and more labor capabilities

through hiring individuals. Some middle-income segments can do this as well however, there is a larger

risk associated with it due to lower incomes across the segment.

On the other hand, the low-income segment does not have these capital resources nor the capabilities

to ensure that they are using clean water or if they are having safe access to clean water. Specifically,



the semi-urban and rural communities do not have the infrastructure that is in place like other areas and

income segments to have access to clean water for all individuals. This is an available market because of

its growth potential as well as the sheer number of individuals that are affected by this problem. The

growth potential in the market covers not only the communities in Southern India but it also covers the

entire country as 68% of the entire population lives in rural areas. The semi-urban and rural

communities in India is a viable market for our product due to the individuals that are present in the

market.

The 97 million people in India who currently do not have safe water cannot immediately start having

clean water however, having an organization like Waterfish, Inc. in place in these rural communities can

help bring that number down due to the team’s knowledge, passion and effectives is spreading

awareness and increasing access to clean water through sustainable solutions.

Competition

In regards to competition, there many products that are designed primarily for the consumer at the

point-of-use level not the source-of-use level like the water sensors. These sensors are in the filtration

space through purification methods. One of the most popular of the existing filtration systems is the

reverse osmosis (RO) filter that is used in many households in the semi-urban and rural market.

Additionally, there are carbon and UV purifiers and filters that relies on gravity and ultraviolet light.

These systems are not the most reliable or sustainable due to the need for constant battery

replacements and complications in its process. Other competition can be evident from the basic

strainer, which does not clean the water, or boiling the water, which is time consuming and not

efficient. Lastly, current government inspection is a hurdle any company will face especially Waterfish,

Inc. as it develops solutions that will involve chemical testing of various contaminants in water.

Customer Information

The market for the product are the individuals that live in semi-urban and rural communities in India.

The direct market would be men, women and children in these areas, some who are employed and

some who are not. The individuals are low-income consumers whose incomes ranges from as high as

2,500 rupees per month to as low as $100 rupees per month. The women either are housewives or work

in small business or have their own entrepreneurial ventures. Most children attend school daily and

then do some work as well. The men, similar to women, could be in the fields working or have their own

businesses. Additionally, Waterfish, Inc. is targeting towards village heads and water tank operators

since they would decide whether to purchase the products offered and then be the accountable

figureheads to maintain and repair the products consistently.

There are various needs served and benefits provided to these groups of people because of the

organization. All of the consumers will benefit from clean water due largely to an increased amount of

awareness and education of the notion of clean versus clear water. Additionally, there are different

stakeholders that Waterfish, Inc. plans to work with such as self-help groups, village leadership, water

tank operators, the government and non-governmental organizations that the individual homeowners

can rely on for accurate, timely information on the cleanliness of the water.



III. Mission

Waterfish, Inc., in partnership with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s Safe Global Water

Institute (SGWI) aims to be a leader in providing sustainable solutions for clean water in marketplaces

across the world, specifically in India. The group understands the need for clean water while also

knowing that it is a basic human right to have a viable solution for all individuals in the world. The

mission is to provide communities and individuals with a means of monitoring and maintaining the

cleanliness of water through water quality censoring and raising educational awareness about social and

health consequences of unclean water.

Waterfish, Inc. is invested in developing educational tools and systems to increase educational

awareness of the effects of unclean water as well as provide various methods to utilize water more

effectively and efficiently. The goal is to create a product that is culturally relevant, affordable, effective

and innovative that will tend to the qualities of low-income communities.

Objectives: People, Profit, Planet

Waterfish, Inc. emphasizes the triple bottom line through its intellectual abilities, knowledge on the end

consumers and continued dedication to create sustainable products that will positively impact the

planet. The impact that is seen by the organization on people, profits and planet is immeasurable and

will continue to provide this advantage in increasing the water quality across marketplaces in developing

countries.

People

Every aspect of this organization deals with people. The key stakeholders involved are the water tank

operators, village heads, homeowners as well as various external organizations, such as self-help groups

and non-governmental organizations, which are the trusted source behind the sensor. The goal is to

help improve the daily lives of homeowners, specifically women and children, whom have the most

exposure to unclean and unsafe water. Waterfish, Inc. additionally allows the group to educate various

women, school teachers, water tank operators and village leaders about the importance of safe, clean

water as well as the science behind different chemicals in the water which could lead to illness.

Profits

Although the primary goal of Waterfish, Inc. is to provide sustainable solutions for clean water, the

organization has found different mechanisms to achieve high profits in a sustainable manner. The group

is able to make money through villages paying a one-time fee for educational products as well as actual

products that fix the problem. In addition, individual consumers can provide revenue through small

recurring fees for various data points on water quality and other educational resources as well.

Additionally, the utilization of these mechanisms in communities will create jobs for individuals thus

ensuring the profits are going back to the community in some way.

Planet

There is an immense amount of value offered from Waterfish, Inc. to the planet through its sustainable,

durable and multi-functional operations. The material costs of products are cheap and it is not very

labor intensive which creates an efficient system that is very environmentally friendly. The purpose of

products in itself is to create something that is beneficial to the planet and the community and



Waterfish, Inc. achieves that through a plethora of initiatives that will be widely accepted and beneficial

across the world.

IV. Field Research and Product Development

A. Discussion of learning from virtual immersion and emersion

The team spent a total of 20 weeks in virtual immersion and emersion to understand the macro and

micro environments, consumer information, competition and the overall market for the Indian

subsistence marketplace. Waterfish, Inc. partook in various simulations, case studies, readings, activities

and discussions that revolved around understanding the daily needs of the low-income, low-literate

individual in these communities.

There were numerous takeaways and key insights the team derived from these interviews and activities.

The largest insight is that uncertainty is prevalent, even if a family thrives in normal circumstances and is

doing well, unexpected expenses can occur and throw a wrench in the family’s plans. This could be a

wide variety like the field boss refusing to pay the individual or their child is sick which delays the

business sales and makes the rest of the family sick. Alongside uncertainty, it was evident that

abstractions are not very clear. There is not a clear sense of right and wrong or good and bad, it goes

back to doing what is necessary to survive and how to mitigate expenses. There is a strong dependence

on trust and respect for members of the community as each transaction is based on trust between the

buyer and seller. In many occurrences, there is a credit system between the two parties that is solely

built on trust and a seller may opt not to raise prices even though the input costs are higher due to the

risk of losing out on one person’s trust and business. In conjunction with trust, there is a strong sense of

community that we ascertained, mostly through day-in-the-life videos and interviews with a heavy

reliance on one’s friends and neighbors as well as extended family. This sense of community correlates

into trust and believing in each other however, it could have negative consequences if they all believe

that if using unclean water is fine and everyone is healthy then the entire group will use unclean water.

The most important insight that was gained was that each family was focused on making life better for

their children and ensuring their kids are educated properly. Most of the adults have limited literacy and

can’t necessarily read or write so they rely on different methods to communicate such as patterns and

they only buy from the same, trusted stores. The gap in knowledge is what causes some of these

consumers to not fully understand the negative impact of using unclean water and the health

consequences that could occur. Any product suggestions need to be able to mitigate this lack of

knowledge and still be as effective.

Through the various activities of virtual immersion and emersion in understanding the context of

poverty in the subsistence marketplace of India and specifically, the rural communities in the nation, the

team has identified various needs, drivers and context that addresses the significant problem of having

access to clean water. The goal of the product is to find an efficient, effective and sustainable way to

provide clean water as well as address the specific consumer needs that are present such as educational

awareness and community building.



B. Description of idea generation and screening

With the plethora of insights, we gained from the immersion and emersion activities, the team spent

numerous weeks understanding the specific needs of the consumers and worked with members of the

Safe Global Water Institute to create a product that was sustainable and effective from a technical,

economic and social level. The knowledge from the previous weeks and conversations directly impacted

the generation of various ideas and each idea’s pros and cons. The team also analyzed potential needs

of sanitation as well to observe any products that could provide any synergies. Below is an outline of the

various need that could come out for both water and sanitation.

After concluding that the clean water problem is the focus of the group, there was a second

brainstorming session revolving around water needs and specific aspects of the problem. Below is an

outline of the second brainstorm solely based on water.



The beginning of idea generation started out with unconstrained ideation with activities in and out of

class that was meant to have all ideas on the table no matter how feasible. The teams started with

getting more survey data to better understand where to begin the idea process. These data points

revolved around source of water, size of family, education, activities water is needed for, water at

different locations, etc. The first step was to bucket the ideas into different categories such as, water

collection, storage, transportation, filtration and education. The reasoning behind these broad

categories was to direct the efforts to different levels of the ecosystem. Some ideas were more

community based, some were household bases and some were just targeted towards a single individual,

say a water tank operator or a mother who uses water to cook.

The following are the top five concepts that the team began to discuss. Below are the sketches with

descriptions:





The next step in our idea generation was to evaluate each of the ideas based on selected criteria that

the team viewed as essential from our takeaways from the earlier immersion and emersion activities.

The first criteria point was maintenance and how often, if needed, the product required maintenance in

order to be as effective as it should be. Another evaluation category was ergonomics. One of the large

insights was literacy so the product should be easy to use and understand for the target demographic,

whether it was children, women, or village heads. Durability and safety were two other points of



emphasis due to the need to have a lasting product so the benefits can be evident as well as beneficial in

terms of physical safety and health. Lastly, as with many products in this market, there is a prevalent

need to have a product that is affordable or easily subsided. The table below describes each idea in our

evaluation matrix:

The following is the evaluation matrix for the initial concepts listed above.



C. Market Research

The demand for water is rising considerably. Current trends suggest that, by 2025, a third of the

population will have no access to clean drinking water. Goldman Sachs predicts developing markets

(China and India) to rise by 10% annually through the creation of new water and waste water

infrastructure.

During the field trip in India through rural and urban low-income environments in January 2016, we

analyzed the water situation and perception in subsistence marketplaces.

In the low-income communities we interviewed, the water is sometimes boiled and only rarely filtered.

Further, the low sanitary conditions provide a high risk of water contamination.



Water is stored with access to air let biological contaminates infect the water easily.

According to the information shared in interviews, there are illnesses among the population in low-

water quality environments. Children and adults have diarrhea and fever and are unable to go to school

or consistently assume a job.



However, the majority of the population is averse to relating these illnesses to low water quality.

Illnesses are called a "cold" and are reasoned with "climate changes". As a result, there is little

motivation to engage in water hygiene and improved purification.

There are seasonal changes which impact the water quality and which cause a set of these illnesses.

Current ways of water quality inspection include visual reviewing of the water, assessing transparent

water as "clean" and non-transparent water as "dirty". Biological and chemical contaminants can in

many cases not be detected through such visual reviews. Sensory systems allow the detection of

biological contamination at 99.9% success-rate and a large part of chemical contamination.

The proposed sensory system seeks provide evidence to the population of low water quality and provide

early warnings for water quality changes due to temporal seasonal changes. Through advance data

recording, the water maintenance executed through the water tank operator shall be facilitated.

As a result, not only shall the quality of water be improved in low-income but also the awareness about

water cleanliness shall be increased motivating families and individuals to implement improved

purification methods as well as cleaner water storage and piping facilities.



D. Learning and Reflection from Field Research

The physical immersion gave the team the best insight into understanding the water needs of our

consumers as well as the overall scope of the marketplaces in India. The team was initially interested in

transportation and storage of the water for homeowners with products mostly targeted towards the

homeowners themselves however, the vision of the product that was eventually chosen shifted towards

at the source and for the entire community with an educational piece.

The team conducted over 50 interviews in the state of Tamil Nadu in southern India and the state of

Haryana in northern India. There were various geographic differences between the two regions. In the

south, there were more centralized water storage tanks for the communities with a strong belief in

boiling water to rid it of the chemicals and contaminants. In Haryana, it was the exact opposite with

individualized water storage and collection and a strong belief in the reverse osmosis filters in

households. Both regions relied on state inspectors for inspections however, Tamil Nadu inspectors

could do chemical inspections whereas in Haryana, they were only visual inspections. The clear versus

clean argument was evident during the conversations and interviews with the individuals in these

communities. Many people believe if the water is clear it is clean and can be of use. This ties back into

the lack of educational knowledge about the chemicals and bacteria that could be present in the water.

There was also a difference in urban versus rural areas with urban communities utilizing RO filtration

measures and the rural areas with many open drains and exposure to water wastage and seepage.

Other than the actual process of getting water and cleaning water, another key insight was the lack of

awareness of using unclean water. Many individuals did not associate water with health. For example,

one interviewee’s husband suffered from kidney stones however, the wife did not associate that health

problem with using unclean water for many years. Additionally, there was an evident resistance to

change from some of the older homeowners and individuals in the communities because their thinking

is that the status quo is fine even though it is a struggle, but there is no need to change their ways.



Through the field research and conversations that took place in India, the team modified the initial plans

and product ideas the group generated earlier. The field observations revealed that access,

transportation and storage to water in itself is not the biggest problem but access to clean water and

having clean water is more important. The following weeks of concept generation and evaluation

fulfilled the team’s new needs, drivers and contexts that was ascertained from the trip to India.

E. Articulating Needs

To be able to provide the very best product to the end consumer, it is necessary to understand the

needs, drivers and context of the problem. Analyzing this pivotal piece of information in the idea

generation process helped the team tailor each concept to what these needs were. Additionally, it was

beneficial to examine the specific needs from a bottom-up approach as well as from a top-down

perspective to better understand the consumer’s problems and interactions with unclean water. Below

is a table outlining the key needs, drivers and context for unclean water problem seen in low-income

subsistence markets in India.

The needs can be broken down into specific actions that individuals need for different daily activities.

The below image of the bottom-up needs analysis depicts this point.



The last piece in understanding the needs is a top down need deconstruction, which is outlined in the

image below:

Once the needs were established, the next step in the thought process was to group all of the needs and

associated product that can fulfill that need.



F. Concept generation and evaluation

Throughout the process, there were many concepts that were discussed. The idea generation process

resulted in 15 concepts. Below are sketches of the top three concepts that were not selected as the final

concept.



The first image is the flash boiler concept. This would be for individual household use and be on the roof

of the house and would boil the water before it would enter the house to ensure the contaminants are

rid of. The positive aspects of the flash boiler are that it is easy to use and accessible however, it adds an

energy expensive to the consumer as well does not guarantee 100% clean water.



The next concept that was heavily looked at was the sensor dye product. This product would be put in

the water that the homeowner uses and it would give an immediate indicator if the quality is poor. The

negative with this idea is that people might not want to put a chemical in their water and if the water is

not clean, then there is not a follow-through action for the customers.

The last of the concepts detailed is the bio sand filter. This is cheap and easy to use at different locations

however, there is a very slow filter rate and requires regular maintenance.

Based off these three concepts and analyzing the other ideas as well, the team looked at how each

concept fit with the evaluation criteria as outlined before. The team met with Professor Jeremy Guest,

Assistant Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering as well as Thrust Leader for the Safe Global

Water Institute at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, to select the final concept. Below are

images of how each concept performed under the evaluation criteria.





After diligent research and evaluation, the team alongside Professor Guest chose sensor systems as the

final product. The sensor systems provide visual recognition as a clear indicator when the water is

unclean as well as a text message as another way to communicate not to use the water. Additionally,

this concept is a community-wide product by having the sensors in the water tanks and it would

increase community trust for all of the stakeholders involved.



G. Technical specifications and Detailed Drawings

The Neermeen Sensor is equipped with high-technology sensors and delivers data through a Wi-Fi

hotspot into the cloud. It is compatible into any modern software architecture.

The water tank is equipped with a set of sensors to measure various parameters, such as

fluoride/chloride ion concentrations and bacteria such as giardia, coliform, and norovirus. This data is

recorded by a Raspberry Pi which, through a Wi-Fi dongle and an internet hotspot, delivers the data to

the IBM Bluemix Cloud. The data is analyzed in real-time for exceeding a particular threshold. In the

event of low water quality, text messages are sent to various cellphones of the corresponding village

head, water tank operator and unofficial village leaders, as well as the monitoring NGO. Villagers can

also sign up for regular weekly text messages informing them about the state of their water. The NGO is

provided with sophisticated data analysis output on a Node.js interface to make judgment about the

severity of the situation and the required steps to reestablish the old quality of water in the affected

village water tank.

The Neermeen sensor will detect three different bacterial strains: giardia, norovirus, and coliform.

Giardia is found in water that has interacted with fecal matter or waste. Often times in monsoon season

there are massive floods resulting in contaminated water. Norovirus is a highly contagious virus that can

be spread even if it lives on a surface and is not in contact with water. Many villagers boil the water

from the tank to drink and cook, but don’t boil it before washing their dishes. As a result, they could

catch the viruses from their dishes and silverware. Coliform isn’t dangerous in and of itself, but its

presence indicates an environment suitable for other pathogen growth. This will allow us to account for

pathogens we don’t already account for. In addition, we will be detecting for fluorine, since fluorine can

negatively affect bone development in children.

The Raspberry PI and sensor package is charged through a Lithium Ion battery and a solar panel. The

recorded data is analyzed in real-time for exceeding a particular threshold. Through sophisticated

Machine Learning patterns, early-warning patterns in the water data are extracted. In the event of low

water quality, text messages are sent to various cellphones of the corresponding village head, water

tank operator and unofficial village leaders, as well as the monitoring NGO. Villagers can also sign up for

regular weekly text messages informing them about the state of their water. The NGO is provided with

sophisticated data analysis output on a Node.js interface to make judgment about the severity of the

situation and the required steps to reestablish the old quality of water in the affected village water tank.

The following images of the renders of the product showcase the quality of Neermeen Sensor Systems.

The first image is the sensor itself and the labeling of the logo on it. The blue sensors will turn red if the

quality goes under the regulated level. The second image is a detailed look, in render format, of the

components of the product.



Another beneficial aspect to look into for this product is to take a detailed look at the strengths and

weaknesses of the Neermeen Sensor.

Strengths

1. Visual Recognition: The design of the sensor makes it uniquely visible to community members as well as the water tank operator. It allows individuals to have a constant assurance that the water is being tended to and if a problem arises, numerous individuals will be aware of it. This is in place to serve the different needs of the consumers who might be more visual or audial rather than relying on a test messaging service.

2. Clear indicators of cleanliness: The product will be easily able to indicate whether the water is dirty or clean and what type of chemicals and pathogens are present in the liquid. This allows



the water tank operator to quickly identify and address the problem. Additionally, it provides a level of accountability of the operator because the individuals in the community as well as the village chief will be able to know when the water is not clean so it forces the operator to quickly solve the issue.

3. Direct Alerts: The add-on messaging service with the sensor provides direct alerts and notifications to community members about the conditions of the water. Furthermore, this service will deliver updates to the consumers as the water becomes fixed by the necessary people.

4. Regularly Inspected: The system has been designed so that in order for it to properly function, it needs to be regularly inspected or else the water supply to be cut off to the consumers due to a risk of unclean water. Additionally, the product is designed to be compatible with existing water tanks so there is no implementation hurdle once these sensors are put in place.

5. Trusted Source: The sensory system will be monitored from an external organization that is trusted across the community as well as village leaders. This group will be able to place a level of accountability across each level of stakeholders. This entity will be able to partner with local suppliers and entrepreneurs in order to make the product and system more trustworthy for the community.

6. Affordable Price: The product that will be in place has an affordable initial cost with some price flexibility in the future. This allows Neermeen Sensor Systems to target a wide-range of communities and customers. The messaging service will also be provided at a low cost so they individuals pay minimal fees, such as 1 rupee per day, for the functionality, convenience and benefits of the system.

Weaknesses

1. Necessary Network Access: One of the most essential aspects of this system is to simultaneously run reports of the pathogens in the water in order to provide a beneficial future value to clean the water. This version of the model would be dependent on certain network access, Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, to send these data points to an external group to analyze and supplement a report back to the water tank operator to better assist in the future for that specific water tank.

2. Technologically Sophisticated: An important element in this system is that there needs to be an educated water tank operator and other members of the community who are technologically savvy to fully understand the product. Since there are various technical attributes to the product that analyze the cleanliness of the water as well as the contents of the water, an individual with this background or an individual with the capabilities to learn this on the job would be needed.

3. Potential Maintenance & Repairs: There is a possible outlook in the future that requires the product to be regularly maintained and an obvious potential of repairs that might need to be completed. This will increase the cost of using the product from the community which might trickle down into higher fees and/or taxes as well as higher subscription prices for the individual homeowners.

4. False Alarms: With a product that has many moving parts internally to detect uncleanliness of the water, there is a risk of false alarms. This could occur if something triggers the alarms or it is tampered with. A consequence of this could be a lack of trust in the alarm itself if this is a continuous occurrence because then it devalues the product when the actual alarm goes off.

5. Follow-through by Stakeholders: A weakness of the system design is that it does not guarantee follow-through from the different stakeholders. The water tank operator might ignore the alarm as well as the village chief which could impact the consumer’s opinion on the severity of the



situation. However, there are various steps put in place to ensure accountability and action when the sensor indicates the water is not clean.

H. Storyboard

The process of the sensor creates a unique ecosystem for the individual household as well as the village

leadership and water tank operator. The below image is a sketch of the storyboard of when the sensor

goes off and a text message is sent.

The sensor goes off indicating there is a contaminant in the water which causes a text message to be

sent to the water tank operator, village leadership and the individual homeowner. There is also a visible

light on the sensor that indicates the water in unclean and villagers can easily identify the light so they

are aware not to use the water. In the meantime, the water tank operator will examine the problem by

climbing into the water tank and resolve the issue as soon as possible. The external non-governmental

organization will receive the data from the sensor and analyze it in order to avoid similar problems in

the future. The diagram below depicts the entire ecosystem of Neermeen Sensor Systems from a macro

level.



I. Prototype

Our overall product accomplishes four goals: conducts regular bacterial testing of the water, prevents

non potable water from being consumed, sends cell-phone alerts about the sensor results, and uploads

the results to a cloud database. In our prototype, we wish to focus on sending text alerts and uploading

data to a cloud server using the Raspberry Pi. For simplicity’s sake, we will be using a basic water

temperature sensor as a substitute for our bacterial sensors.

Below are some pictures of our final prototype:



These are the individual components labeled of the entire product. The image below is the product at

work, tested out using a small cup of water.

We were able to accomplish this task by using Textbelt to send texts. We will have to work with a local

mobile company for on-site implementation. In addition we created a SQL database and recorded the

temperature from the temperature sensor through WiFi. In the next round of the prototype, we would

try to create a sensor to detect fluorine content and coliform and test the sensor in India to record data.



J. Concept Testing

We began creating our prototype by consider the main aspects of our product: sensing bacteria in the

water, uploading that data to a database, sending text alerts, shutting off the water source, and running

for two weeks on battery and solar power. Based off of our time constraints, we decided to focus on

uploading the data to a database and sending text alerts.

Instead of a bacterial pathogen sensor, we used a simple DS18B20 water temperature sensor. The water

temperature sensor connects to three pins on the Raspberry Pi (3V, GND, GPIO for DATA) with a pull up

resistor between DATA and 3V. We created a SQL database and uploaded temperature values from the

sensor once every minute.

In addition, we created a script in Python to send a text containing the temperature value to all of our

phones (to mirror sending texts to a village). We were able to accomplish this by using Textbelt, which is

a free service in the US and Canada. We would have to work with a local mobile provider in India.

Additionally, we set a Cron job to turn on and turn off the sensor. This allows us to time when the sensor

takes its measurements and sends data which further allows us to conserve energy.

V. Marketing Strategy

The marketing strategy for Neermeen Sensor Systems is to focus on the core components – product,

price, place and promotion. It is the firm’s goal to impart impoverished communities about water quality

awareness and education to help users accomplish a piece of mind as well as ownership of their water.

Designed to work with the existing technology as well as the assurance of notifications if the water

quality is poor, the product is easily adaptable and convenient for both the end user and the water tank

operator. The marketing mix is comprised of reasonable pricing through various types of promotion,

most notably, word-of-mouth promotion. The targeted customers will be impoverished communities,

specifically the village chiefs in order for the community to purchase the sensor as well as the local

household owner in order to agree to the subscription package for the notifications and the educational

component.

Clean water and access to clean water is a global problem across many segments. The most beneficial

segment from an income level is the low-income segment, more specifically the rural and semi-urban

segment. This distinct target selection has certain community apprehensions as well as limited

capabilities to overcome to afford solutions that can solve this problem. The marketing strategy is solely

focused on this group through different market research done during the field immersion stage as well

as understanding the consumer behavior, especially dealing with water issue, through the field emersion

and interviews in India. Although many groups could be the target segment, this groups receives the

most benefit from Waterfish, Inc. and specifically, Neermeen Sensor Systems. This is because of the

ability to increase education and awareness, evoke more trust and reliability within the village and

improving community camaraderie through the various stakeholders involved in the process. Another

reason for choosing rural and semi-urban areas in Southern India is that Waterfish, Inc. believes it has an

advantage in marketing Neermeen to the end consumer because of the team’s diversified knowledge of

the region, the fact two members of the group lived in the area and the ability to create mutually

beneficial partnerships with existing external organizations on the ground.



Below is the positioning map for Neermeen Sensor Systems. It is evident that the product offers

numerous benefits compared to competitors.

The key to a successful marketing strategy for Neermeen Sensor Systems and any other product is

branding. After analyzing the product’s branding capabilities, the benefits were placed in six different

categories that all led to the overarching brand. The categories are physique, relationship, reflection,

personality, culture and self-image. The marketable benefits from these categories revolve around being

recognizable, helpful, informative, influential, responsible, and proactive. Below is a detailed outline of

each of the categories and which trait falls under which one:

A. Target Market Selection

The proposed product is for rural Indian communities, where villagers receive their water supply from

local water takes that are operated by various individuals and the local village leadership. Waterfish, Inc.

will have multiple partners in order to reach the largest number of communities possible with plans to

move from southern India to northern India in a few years.

Through consumer behavior research during the field trip to India as well as various case studies, the

group has identified key target markets within the rural Indian community space.

Village Leadership

The research reveals that most communities are led by a village chief or some sort of village leadership

board. These individuals would have the power to bring in Neermeen Sensor Systems to the community



to place in the water tanks across the villages. Additionally, there is a level of respect and honor

associated with a village chief therefore, they would be the first population to target to buy the product.

Interviewees with village chiefs from India stated they would be willing to implement the sensor systems

in their communities. The most compelling piece of marketing towards village leadership is that their

initiatives will influence the decisions of the end user, the households. This will prove beneficial when

trying to raise awareness and educate individuals about the consequences of unclean water.

Water Tank Operators

The water tank operators in each village or community would be the second relevant target market due

to their exposure to water tanks on a daily basis. Furthermore, these individuals would be the most

qualified to deal with unclean water and how to fix the issue. This makes the most business sense

because not only is the water tank operator responsible in informing the consumers about the quality of

the water but Neermeen Sensor Systems provides the person another entity to double check their work.

Another reason why water tank operators should be targeted because they will be the ones that will

benefit the most from the educational component of Neermeen Sensor Systems. The operators will

value any additional piece that will help them improve their roles in the community and to gain a

reputation amongst its residents.

Homeowners

The third target group is the homeowner themselves, whom are the end user in the supply chain. This

group is the most essential in the process from a buy-in perspective. The homeowners need to believe in

the product as well as the importance of changing some of their habits when dealing with unclean

water. The homeowners will be pivotal in the educational and awareness portion of the product

because addressing some of the context issues surrounding unclean water will ensure a greater

appreciation for Neermeen Sensor Systems. In addition, through the product, the households will have a

larger amount of trust placed in the hands of the water tank operators and the village leadership.

B. Targeting and Positioning Statement

Waterfish, Inc., through Neermeen Sensor Systems, is targeting small, rural communities in India that

lack the proper infrastructure to regulate the quality of the water as well inform the residents about the

consequences of poor water quality on health and daily life. There is a lack of education and awareness

about water and Waterfish, Inc. will try to improve this by offering various educational tools directed

towards women in household because they use water the most. Additionally, there is a communication

gap between the water tank operators and the village residents so the sensor notification system will

bridge this gap alongside ensuring the quality of the water is above standards. Based off the reasons

provided, Waterfish, Inc. is able to deliver a solution that is financially sustainable as well as

environmentally sustainable to rural communities in India in dealing with water quality issues.



C. Sustainable Market Mix

Product

Neermeen sensor systems is a multi-faceted product with a physical and electronic nature to it. It

utilizes information technology to send out notifications via text message to inform relevant and

important stakeholders when there is unclean water. Additionally, the sensor itself is physical in nature

that is placed within the water tank and measures the quality of water as well as if it contains certain

pathogens or contaminants. During the field research and virtual interviews, it was evident there was a

lack of assurance and communication between the homeowners and the water tank operators and

Neermeen Sensor Systems bridge those two gaps together. The end goal of providing clean water to

subsistence marketplaces will be achieved through this product in addition to educating the users about

unclean water. The product can be used for multiple years as the life span is not immediate. The raw

materials used in manufacturing the product itself come from an ecological friendly background and are

sustainable thus, ensuring the product will be sustainable yet effective in the years to come.

Price

To completely reap the benefits of Neermeen Sensor Systems, the price of the product needs to be

affordable for all consumers and communities. The plan is to have Waterfish, Inc. pair with an external

organization, specifically a non-governmental organization (NGO) to alleviate some of the initial costs of

the product launch. This would ensure that the cost of the product to the consumers would be low. The

relationship would be symbiotic as the NGO provides security, safety. The ideal platform would be to sell

the sensor systems to the village leadership whom then could implement them in his or her community.

Place

Since the market is large for communities who are exposed to unclean water, Waterfish, Inc. will begin

to implement Neermeen Sensor Systems on a small scale level in rural communities in Tamil Nadu. The

group will work with the NGO to establish connections at the different local villages to better market the

product. The distribution channels will be run by the NGO, which have better experience in those same



regions. By pairing with an NGO that is already established in a community, Waterfish, Inc. can benefit

from the trust in the community as well as the individual person who needs water.

Promotion

The largest difficulty in this product is increase the awareness about the product to anyone who is age

21. The first way to mitigate that is word-to-mouth communication from house to house. The

consumers trust one another and base their actions of the community whom they have known 10.

Another mechanism is to partner with an NGO from here that would be create a definitive ravage.

Traditional media can also be beneficial in reaching different target markets, such as posters, banners,

postcards, etc.

VI. Action Plans

A. Sustainable Product Design

From the intensive research, interviews and fieldwork, Waterfish, Inc. is focused on providing a

sustainable product design for all stakeholder. The product meets customer needs through a sustainable

life cycle that utilize raw materials that entail economic, environmental and social benefits. The sensor

itself has multiple uses for all end users. Village leadership and water tank operators use the sensor

systems to gauge whether the water quality is good for use by the residents and they are well prepared

to fix the problem once they receive a notification that there are contaminants in the water. The

educational component is useful for all community members, including the water tank operator,

because the awareness of water quality issues like fluoride, pathogens, handling, treatment procedures

and health problems are limited.

Ideally, the materials would be locally sourced with the help of an external organization, such as an

NGO, which would support the community by providing jobs as well as save transportation and

manufacturing costs. The sensor itself is made out of materials that are long lasting and can be easily

maintained. This increases the effectiveness and efficiency of the product as well as saving the

maintenance and replacement fee for the villages and water tank operators. The notification service will

be run using a data-hosting service that is run on renewable sources of energy. This will be beneficial to

the long-term usage of the data collected from these water tanks, which over time will improve the

overall conditions of each community.

B. Sustainable Value Chain

The value chain of Waterfish, Inc. in its production of Neermeen Sensor System plans to be very

sustainable due to sourcing products, which are close to the end users. To facilitate the process in order

to maintain its sustainability, the company will seek partnerships with the existing infrastructure in these

rural communities. By utilizing various NGO’s and self-help groups, Waterfish, Inc. will be even more

effective since these groups already have the experience in dealing with different water systems and

different individuals. Throughout the production, distribution and maintenance of the product, the

company will utilize recyclable materials and efficient systems to ensure there is no waste of resources.



C. Design of the Value Proposition

The product is designed for the subsistence marketplace of rural communities in India. The product

provides a safe, reliable and trustworthy way to analyze and monitor the quality of the water for all

consumers. There are various components to the design of the value proposition that can be used to

evaluate the product. The end consumer will be giving away cost through its subscription cost to receive

notifications when the water quality is low. Those individuals will also sacrifice the risk associated with

the just using the water at any given time. However, in return, the end consumer will be receiving

education and awareness about the various contaminants in water and the long-term health side-effects

of using unclean water. They will also increase their reliability and trust of the village leadership, water

tank operators, government personnel, external organizations that do work in their community and

lastly, each other because the goal is to have the entire village believe in the benefits of the product.

Lastly, the end consumers will receive a sense of ownership in the product and a piece-of-mind that

their health is of the utmost concern of the village and that steps are being taken in place to ensure

everyone is healthy. This value proposition to the subsistence user is beneficial and it is important to

communicate this in an effective way to ensure Neermeen Sensor Systems achieves the goal of

Waterfish, Inc. in providing a sustainable solution to the access to clean water problem in India.

D. Communication of the Value Proposition

Communication of the value proposition for Neermeen Sensor Systems is pivotal to the success of the

product. Whether the product gets implemented across different communities depends on how well

customers understand the systems and its tangible benefits. The proposed communication strategy

addresses each of the pivotal aspects to the sensor systems. Additionally, the communication of the

value proposition will be different to each of the different customers. For village leadership, it is

important to communicate through a channel that has respect and credibility. It might be beneficial to

go through NGO’s and self-help groups and create a word-of-mouth campaign as well as a community

events to increase awareness of the projects. The community events will also be used to communicate

directly with the residents of the villages. This will enhance the understanding of the residents as well as

influence the buy-in potential from them. In this phase, utilizing videos will be beneficial to educate and

communicate the benefits of the sensor systems as well as showcase how to use the product to the best

way possible. This step would be to train each of the stakeholders involved on different types of

educational resources that are available and to educate on the different types of pathogens and

contaminants that can be found in the water.

An example of a possible visual mural that will be placed at different community sites. The language will

be in Tamil or the local language of the region so that the message is understood and well-received.



A visual representation will create a lasting image in the community members’ minds that will affect

their behaviors and understand how beneficial Neermeen Sensor Systems will be. Furthermore, word-

of-mouth advertising will be important to establish trust with the company and the community. This will

be used to create a sustainable and effective business model that revolves around timeliness and

reliability from village leadership to the water tank operators all the way down to the residents. In these

tight-knit communities, the success of the products really depends on how well the households adjust to

the product and word-of-mouth will eventually grow this success by appealing to all members of the

community. In addition, social media is used throughout the process of the product and it will be used to

communicate the importance of Neermeen Sensor Systems through different outlets. This can be

helpful with the younger residents because they are more likely to change their behaviors.

E. Exchange Model

The exchange model of Neermeen Sensor Systems illustrates numerous value propositions to all

stakeholders involved. The model showcases that the business model of Waterfish, Inc. is sustainable in

the future. The two main entities for the group are the non-governmental organization, the village and

its respectful stakeholders and the entity itself, Waterfish, Inc.

The main exchange occurs between the enterprise and the village, specifically broken down into the

village leadership, water tank operators and households. For the village as a whole, Waterfish, Inc. is



providing Neermeen Sensor Systems, the physical product that will make them efficient and effective in

detecting water quality. It is also assisting the village with administrative, maintenance and

implementation support throughout the entire process of having the sensor. The village leadership and

the water tank operators involves receive a feeling of empowerment because they are the ones who

lead the charge with the sensor and are responsible with utilizing the product to the best of its

capabilities. This exchange is outlined in the diagram below:

For the individual households, Waterfish, Inc. is providing education and awareness of the side effects of

being exposed and/or drinking unclean water. Additionally, the homeowners receive a feeling of

ownership and peace of mind that the water they will be using will be clean and will not provide any

health problems. This sense of ownership for these individuals is significant because they are the ones

using the water the most and can pressure the government, village leadership and the water tank

operator to make changes if they see fit. This is possible due to the individual homeowners being

involved in the process by receiving text message notifications when the water is unclean to use and

how long it will take before it becomes clean again. This empowerment and ability of control of their

own lives pressures the village leadership to be effective and efficient so that they can increase their

own image of reliability and trust with the village residents. Waterfish, as an entity, receives revenue

from both the village as a whole when they buy the sensor itself and the village residents when they sign

up to the recurring subscription text messaging service.

Moving onto the relationship of Waterfish, Inc. and the partnered NGO, the NGO will provide significant

infrastructure and analytical support to begin the process of implementing the Neermeen Sensor

Systems across India. NGO’s have an already established trust and security associated with the residents

so it will be beneficial to utilize them to establish personal connections with various villages to ease the



expansion of the project. The NGO, in turn, will receive data and feedback from both Waterfish, Inc. as

well as the village so that it can benefit the organization as it looks into different types of initiatives it

wants to pursue in the area.

From analyzing the exchange model and the entities involved, it is evident that Neermeen Sensor

Systems has a business plan that is sustainable moving forward. It already is a secure product and

company due to consumer buy-in as well as village buy-in through the text messaging service and the

sensor itself. The product, backed by Waterfish, Inc. and its diverse team, benefits all stakeholders

across the model and will be a viable player in the future. The entire exchange model is depicted in the

following image.



G. Manufacturing Plan

Partnerships:

The goal of Waterfish, Inc. with the Neermeen Sensor Systems product launch is to bring awareness

about clean water to low-income, low-literate populations using functional and educational solutions.

Though the founding team has expertise in various fields, Waterfish must actively seek strategic

partners who have the resources to get this done efficiently in the Indian context.

Programming Control Board:

The Raspberry Pi Program Control Board is at the heart of the Neermeen Water Sensor System.

Initially, the Raspberry Pi boards can be purchased at a rate of $31 per piece. In the first year, since our

focus is only in two villages that have three water tanks each, we will purchase the RP boards at regular

cost. Raspberry Pi is actively involved in computer awareness education in low income, low literate

contexts. In subsequent years, when expansions are planned it is possible that we can build a

relationship with the Raspberry Pi Foundation to bring awareness across the country and acquire these

boards at a subsidized price.

The Neermeen Water Sensor system will test the water for unsafe levels of four different elements:

1. Chlorine and fluorine ion levels 2. Giardia bacteria



3. Coliform bacteria 4. Norovirus

The total cost of sensors for one device in the prototyping phase will be $120. The cost will continue to

be the same in year two of implementation. When we progress to year 3, where we expand to villages

across the country, it is possible to bring down the cost to $80 through bulk purchase discounts from

suppliers of these sensors.

The entire sensor system is encased in a plastic case sealed with rubber making it waterproof. We plan

to use Milacron India for manufacturing these cases in bulk in year 3 through injection molding

techniques. We estimate the cost of developing initial injection molds to be between $950 and $1000.

The marginal costs of manufacturing each unit is $0.50. Rubber sealing the case using die-cutting

methods to make it water proof will cost approximately $0.25 per unit. The sensor system also includes

an emergency shutoff mechanism that will be made with durable recycled polypropylene plastic that

will be manufactured by Milacron India.

LED:

Bajaj Electricals is the leading manufacturer of LED lighting solutions in the Indian sub-continent. The

enterprise also contains an elaborate understanding of the Indian customer base gleaned since its

establishment in 1938. An LED bulb retails at $7 per unit today and with a collaboration for years 3 and

4, we expect to bring down this cost to $5 or $6 per unit. This is a great branding opportunity for Bajaj

Group of Companies.

Solar power source:

Tata Power Solar Systems is the leading manufacturer of solar solutions and has been in operation since

1989. Tata is another power house of brands within India and has a great connection with people in not

just economically forward sections but also the subsistence context. Working with a partner such as Tata

Power or similar will help Waterfish, Inc. get customer buy-in more easily, as we can piggyback on their

customer relationships. Tata Power now offers solar photo voltaic cells of various wattages and each of

these units cost from $0.50 to $1. Further analysis needs to be done to decide which solar solution

would best suit our purposes in terms of size and power generation for our needs.

Text Messaging Service:

Text messaging services are an integral part of our solution. During the pilot phase, we will test with

both voice SMS and text SMS services. TextMagic and IndiaSMS are major providers of SMS services for

businesses in India. Texts are inexpensive and cost roughly 20 paise per text ($0.003 per text) through

these vendors. In the long term, when the network is adequately large for our services i.e. in years 3 and

4, we can negotiate better prices as we work with citizens below the poverty line and corporate social

responsibility is mandated by the Indian government for large business enterprises in India.

Battery Source:

We want to be able to power our device so that it only needs to be recharged when the tank is cleaned

(usually once in 15 days). Most water tank operators run the tank twice a day; water is supplied in the

morning and sometimes at night as well. We want our sensor to run for 1 hour each time the tank is



filled so that it can run all the tests and send the results, effectively 2 hours a day. Thus our sensor has to

have a battery life of around 28~30 hours.

The Raspberry Pi requires 5V to run (this is our largest voltage draw). We expect the Pi, the sensors, and

the locking mechanism to have an average draw of 450mAh. Thus, we will use a 5V LiPo battery with a

capacity of 12800mAh which will cost approximately $2-10 based on the size of our order. By year 3, we

can reduce the cost of our battery to $2 per unit.

H. Implementation Schedule

We are in the initial phases of prototype development with the Neermeen Sensor System. At this point,

we have been successful in reading temperature and storing it in our databases. Further testing and

implementation needs to be done for our bacterial, viral and ionic sensors. Following this, robustness of

our text messaging services must also be investigated and improved. Finally, we will develop a data

analytics module that will analyze the information over a course of months and predict patterns virus,

bacteria or unhealthy ions in water content. With the $400,000 that we expect to receive from

investors, the above will be executed in a span of six months by the team. In parallel, we will set up

partnerships with local NGOs in the villages where the technology will be piloted. A team at the site of

implementation will test user acceptance of text/voice SMS services with our target segment. Below is a

diagram outlining our expansion plan for years 1-5:

Neermeen Sensor Systems is a product that does not need to be slowly geographically scaled yet rather

is able to be scaled nationally in only two years due to its ease of use, adaptability and compatibility with

existing systems. The goal is to do field testing and product validation in 10 villages by year 3. Once it is

known that the product is successful and users have an enjoyable experience with it, there will be full

expansion in year 3 and 4 across Southern and Northern India. With the success of the expansion,

Waterfish, Inc. is able to scale even more and look at global initiatives in different low-income

subsistence markets.

I. Financial Forecast

The financial forecast follows the five-year expansion plan and the company is profitable in year 3 when

the break-even profit occurs. In order to have an exhaustive and complete financial breakdown, there

needed to be some assumptions made revolving around cost and revenue. The overall assumption for

the villagers was that 25% of the total number of households would subscribe to the text messaging

service. Additionally, the assumption was that there would be 1000 households per village on average.

The breakdown of the subscribed households assumption is outlined below in the following table:



Projected

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5

# of Villages Served

2 10 300 1000 5000

# of Sensors Total

6 30 900 3000 15000

# of Households per 1 Village

1000 1000 1000 1000 1000

# of Total Households

2000 10000 300000 1000000 5000000

# of Subscribed Households

500 2500 75000 250000 1250000

The next aspect of the financial forecast is the revenue and cost of the sensor itself. The cost of all of the

inputs brought the total cost of the sensor $165. However, as the company expands the numbers of

villages according to the expansion plan, the cost of the sensor decreases due to mass production. For

the revenue portion, this value was determined from field interviews and virtual interviews with village

chiefs and other leaders to understand how much they would pay for the product. This was also an

average and the revenue would be roughly $91 per one sensor, paid by the village. Below is a detailed

projection of the cost and revenue figures for the sensor portion of the company. The values are in both

Indian Rupees and United States Dollars.

Projected


Cost per Sensor ($USD)

$165.00 $165.00 $117.00 $117.00 $117.00

Cost per Sensor (INR)

$ 10,890.00 $ 10,890.00 $ 7,722.00 $ 7,722.00 $ 7,722.00

Overall Cost for all sensors

$ 990.00 $ 4,950.00 $ 105,300.00 $ 351,000.00 $ 1,755,000.00

Revenue per sensor (INR)

$6,000.00 $6,000.00 $ 6,000.00 $ 6,000.00 $ 6,000.00

Revenue per sensor ($USD)

$90.91 $90.91 $90.91 $90.91 $90.91

Overall Revenue Per sensor

$545.45 $ 2,727.27 $ 81,818.18 $ 272,727.27 $ 1,363,636.36

The final portion of the overall financial projection is the revenue and cost figures for the text messaging

subscription service. These figures were gathered from field interviews with homeowners in both North

and South India. The cost portions were gathered from research on similar subscription services

throughout the world. The revenue for the company would be 2 rupees or 3 cents per text. This would

be what the villagers would pay Waterfish, Inc. The cost to produce and send the cost is 1 cent. The

assumption in the financial model is that households would receive one text per week so 52 throughout

the year. The projection of revenue and texts is outlined in the below table. The number of texts and the

revenue and cost associated with it is tied to the number of subscribed households, which was outlined

earlier.



Projected


Texts per year

52 52 52 52 52

Revenue per text (INR)

$2.00 $2.00 $2.00 $2.00 $2.00

Cost per text produced (INR)

$0.50 $0.50 $0.50 $0.50 $0.50

Revenue USD

$0.03 $0.03 $0.03 $0.03 $0.03

Cost USD

$0.01 $0.01 $0.01 $0.01 $0.01

Overall Revenue for all texts per year

$787.88 $3,939.39 $118,181.82 $393,939.39 $1,969,696.97

Overall Cost for all texts per year

$196.97 $984.85 $29,545.45 $98,484.85 $492,424.24

Combining the earlier figures, Neermeen Sensor Systems by Waterfish, Inc. is a profitable enterprise.

The overall projection for the first five years is outlined in the below chart. The final assumption made is

Sales, General and Administrative (SG&A) Cost which involved overhead, administrative costs and

salaries of the employees.

Waterfish, Inc. Financial Projections - Neermeen Sensors

Financial Projections (values in USD)

Projected


# of Villages Served

2 10 300 1000 5000

# of Sensors Total

6 30 900 3000 15000

# of Total Households

2000 10000 300000 1000000 5000000

# of Subscribed Households

500 2500 75000 250000 1250000

Sensor Revenue

545.45 2,727.27 81,818.18 272,727.27 1,363,636.36

Subscription Revenue

787.88 3,939.39 118,181.82 393,939.39 1,969,696.97

Total Revenue

$1,333.33 $6,666.67 $200,000.00 $666,666.67 $3,333,333.33

Sensor Costs

990.0 4,950.0 105,300.0 351,000.0 1,755,000.0

Text Messaging Costs

197.0 984.8 29,545.5 98,484.8 492,424.2

Total COGS

1,187.0 5,934.8 134,845.5 449,484.8 2,247,424.2

Gross Profit

$146.36 $731.82 $65,154.55 $217,181.82 $1,085,909.09

SG&A

20,000.0 20,000.0 50,000.0 75,000.0 150,000.0

EBIT (operating income)

-$19,853.64 -$19,268.18 $15,154.55 $142,181.82 $935,909.09



Lastly, the team performed an Internal Rate of Return analysis to showcase the benefits of investing in

the company. An initial investment of $400,000 produces and IRR of 21.37%.

Projected


Initial Investment

Revenues

-$400,000 -$19,854 -$19,268 $15,155 $142,182 $935,909

Discount Rate

10%

IRR 21.37%

A detailed analysis of the financial forecast for Neermeen Sensor Systems showcases the profitability of

the company as well as the future potential to increase revenues as the product is introduced in various

low-income markets across the world. The image below places this financial forecast with the previous

explained implementation plan. The blue circles represent the total revenue and the orange circles

indicate the total costs for each year.

J. Ecological (Planet) Impact Forecast

One of the main objectives of Waterfish, Inc. is to improve the awareness and education of the necessity

of having clean water through information flow and data analysis. Through Neermeen Sensor Systems,

these goals will be achieved because information will be more transparent between water tank

operators and the households. Additionally, external groups like non-governmental organizations will be

able to utilize the data gathered from the sensors and be able to predict future problems dealing with

quality of water. This would decrease the risk of water having contaminants in multiple regions and it



will not only impact the individual but also the surrounding environment, such as crop growing, food

and vegetable gardening as well as the cleanliness of the area around each community.

The specific metrics that can be used to measure Neermeen’s ecological impact is seen through the

utilization of the product by various groups around the world. If the product is successful in the first

couple of years in India, then it is easy to replicate the process and mass produce it so that all areas of

the world suffering from similar problems can reap the benefits. Additionally, if global leaders as well as

community leaders require villagers to be educated about clean water and the negative health side-

effects of using unclean water, then there is a large ecological impact through the product because it is

forcing people across the world to take action.

K. Societal (People) Impact Forecast

Neermeen Sensor Systems will greatly improve the daily lives of different stakeholders throughout

various communities at a low financial and behavioral cost to them. The sensor device will increase

functionality, reliability and quality of all individuals involved in the process. The large positive impact

the product has on these individuals can be broken down by each stakeholder.

For village leadership and the water tank operators, it will increase their job functionality because an

external device is making it easier for them to understand when the quality of the water is bad.

Furthermore, it will provide an educational resource to them to ascertain why different contaminants

can cause different outcomes in water. This will lead to an increased reliance on water tank operators

across the region thereby improving their functionality and employability. Village leadership is benefited

from this device because it increases the amount of trust and reliability the individual homeowners see

in the leaders.

Households will be able to receive text messages notifying them of the quality of the water and when it

is not able to be used. This will reduce the amount of time spent on gathering water and also improve

their knowledge on water.

Lastly, because of the newer technologies used and the exporting of the data gathered to external

organizations, this will allow for a better utilization of the resources moving forward to solve the water

problem in India and across the world.

The sensor systems will create a marketplace that every stakeholder is benefited and every stakeholder

has access to the sensor so they understand themselves that the water is not clean.

VII. Implementation, Controls and Evaluation

A. Measures of Performance

Neermeen Sensor Systems provides a unique opportunity to bridge people, planet and profit by creating

a sustainable product that impacts the lives of Indian residents in low-income communities across the

country. The triple bottom line is achieved because of the various aspects of the enterprise that is

targeted toward each piece of the triple bottom line. By creating a sustainable product that will impact



lives for years to come, Waterfish, Inc. is able to transform lives of individuals in subsistence

marketplaces across the globe.

The product significantly improves the lives of all of the people and stakeholders involved in the process.

Waterfish, Inc. is providing value-creating partnerships across communities by empowering the village

leadership and water tank operators to address a significant problem in the village. Neermeen Sensor

Systems creates a sense of ownership and security with the villagers as they are more aware of the

consequences of unclean water and care more to fix the issue through the subscription service.

Furthermore, there is an overall enhancement of community trust and reliability as living standards are

being improved due to many different stakeholders being involved. To measure the success of meeting

the people portion is seen with the increase in trust and responsibility across communities. Unclean

water is a significant problem that can lead to major health issues and if the majority of villages are

seeing progress through the sensor systems then the value-creating partnerships are beneficial and the

people aspect of the triple bottom line is met.

Planet is impacted positively because water is a planetary need for all individuals, plants and beings on

this earth. There are resources being saved by using newer technologies that are cheap to produce and

buy. Additionally, the planet is made stronger because there is a level of community involvement when

using this product. Neermeen Sensor Systems are built in a way to last for many years and do not need

much maintenance so there is a benefit for utilizing it while benefiting the planet as a whole. A measure

of performance for how the sensor systems impact planet in the triple bottom line can be ascertained

with how adaptable the product is to different communities across the world and if the problem of

unclean water can be fixed.

Lastly, profits are an important aspect of any company and that is the case with Waterfish, Inc. as well.

There is a 21.37% IRR, as mentioned earlier, within 5 years of investing due to a large customer demand

in a large market. The ability to reach millions of people directly correlate into profits because each

homeowner will subscribe to the text messaging service as well as pressure village leadership to

purchase the sensor. The implementation and expansion plan depicts how untapped the market is

which will increase profits but still provide a sustainable product. A measure of how well the company

will do in terms of profits can be seen with how many villages purchase the sensor once mass expansion

occurs as well as how many households within those villages subscribe to the text messaging service.

B. Monitoring and Evaluating Performance on Multiple Dimensions

Performance is one of the most important aspects of any enterprise however, it is even more important

for social enterprises because the product is impacting some aspect of an individual's life that is a need.

In this case, Neermeen Sensor Systems is attempting to fix the unclean water problem is low-income

communities through sensors in water tanks and a text messaging subscription service to increase

awareness and serve as a call to action. Monitoring this performance of the product is essential in

observing if the social venture is a success. In addition, utilizing feedback and implementing numerous

points of feedback will improve the product as well as the performance.

Monitoring the performance of the product will be done in different ways that touch on all aspects of

the Neermeen Sensor Systems ecosystems. There will be a constant monitoring of the data from the

sensor on the water quality of each water tank by the non-governmental organization. This will ensure



that the data is being analyzed properly by experts and can also provide as a way to mitigate some

future problems that might be occurring in villages. There will also be monitoring of the water tank

operator and village leadership's opinion of the sensor by Waterfish, Inc. This can help with improving

the quality and mechanisms of the product as it continues to expand into different parts of the world.

Lastly, there will be monitoring of the text messaging service by both Waterfish, Inc. and the village

leadership because all parties will receive the text so then it will be confirmed that village residents are

receiving the test too. All of these monitoring points will help increase performance and evaluate the

effectiveness of Neermeen Sensor Systems.

Feedback is another major aspect that will improve the mission of Waterfish, Inc. and the benefits of

using Neermeen Sensor Systems. This will be done through direct feedback from the village leadership,

water tank operators and village residents to the NGO as well as Waterfish, Inc. through anonymous

surveys as well as monthly community forums where any individual can voice their opinion. This will

ensure that the community is involved throughout the process as well as give the company the ability to

change the product based off different reactions in different villages of the individuals who interact with

the product on a daily basis. The NGO as well will give feedback on the quality of the water and if it has

recommendations for better utilizations of the sensor systems or the language in the text messages that

are being sent out.

Neermeen Sensor Systems by Waterfish, Inc. will fix the problem of unclean water in rural communities

across India as well as increase the awareness of the consequences of unclean water. The 21st century

problem of clean versus clear water seen in low-income communities can be alleviated through such a

product that bridges the triple bottom line of people, planet and profit together while at the same time

providing a large benefit to a large community.

Appendix: Field trip interview notes

Interview 1 – January 3, 2016:

Husband: 35 years old

Daughter: 4 years old

Tap water. Bore water from tank. No filtration. No boiling. No illnesses. What does the water look like?

Sweet water. Transparent. Water is clean.

Government employees check the water is clean. Put water bottle on the shelf.

12 hours to change the filter.

RO just for drinking water. For consumption purpose only.

How only does she have the RO filter? 3 years. Sometimes because of leakage of pipes.

3000 – 3500 Rupees

No maintenance



Preventing from diseases.

Store the water? Rooftop with plastic. Clean it every month. Drain the tank. Surf detergent. 500 liters.

Ungary worker

30 – 35 kids. 5-6 years.

No boiling.

Sweet and white.

No illnesses. Eye-checker, fever checker. Private hospital. Water supplier checks the quality of the water.

If the water changes the color, they purify it.


Process Installation Submersible:

1. Boring

2. PVC pipes

3. Motor

4. Lowering. Use the drivers to drill a hole.

a. If the water level is deep: Use submersible

b. Otherwise: use

· What is the life time of a submersible?

o Maintenance if the motor has been damaged?

o 5-6 years

o Tea strainer-like filter used

o 5-10 minutes is yellow

· Depends on the season: 150 in the summer within 3months. Don’t

· 1.500 lakh

· 20,000 labor,

· 70,000 for pipe,

· Cost of motor depends on HV, power supply.

· Regular power cuts? – Controller near the motor voltage.

· Motor damages: Problem related 1-2 times.

· Lifetime: 10 years

· Solar-powered motors not



· Solar-powered motors operating costs higher.

· Canals don’t use bore wells because water level is high. Where water level


Age: 27

Plumber for 5years

4’o clock in the morning wake up

Pray to god daily

5am: The owner of the farm goes to Yoga classes. Government school.

Teaching Yoga in government school at 5 ‘o clock.

Work at Panipat city. Motorbike 45min.

3 years ago.

Works with 10 other plumbers. Work in company. Private company. Supervising 10 plumbers a day. Civil

plumbing. Constructing houses. Cleaning

Water proving.

Seepage solution.

Repairs main water tank? No, basically focused on constructing houses.

Brand of the filter. Pre

Chilis

Is there anything about the filters, he does not like. My filter is just a filter.

Problems: Kidney stones. Stomach problems. Headache.

How many people? In family, 3 out of 8 people. He, his wife. Asmoses water. Purified water.

2-3 filters. Bathing

How much water loss is happening when a tank is leaking water?

There is no loss of water. How many times is there a lot of leakage?

After 4-5 times, leakage problem. If it is not properly. If there are 100 houses, how many face a

leakage problem? 70 out of 100 are facing leakage problem. Make solutions first, then make

construction. 1980 – 1990s. What did they change to repair the leakage?




40 years old.

4 people

Husband 50

Daughter

Son

Husband: MPhil and MCom

Wife: M.ed MPhil

Lecturers in school.

Underground water from taps. From the tank. Bore well. Electric.

Very rare power cuts.

No time when they did not get water.

Taste does not affect them.

Cooking water. Aquagar. Every 2 months for maintenance.

No illnesses.

10,000 – 15,000 Rupees.

After 2 years: 3,000 – 4,000 Rupees/year

Purifier is not potable

10 – 15 Liters storage.

5am – 9am fresh water. 12pm – 1pm.

Black plastic. 15 years lifetime the tank.

Would pay 50 Rupees for the stripe

No interest in filter idea.

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