The working plan
The plan, including the parts that could be wrong
This is the founder blueprint for Ifenri, version 3.0. It is published because a plan you cannot inspect is not a plan. Everything marked confirm is an open question, not a settled fact — regulations, prices and market conditions change.
- Version
- 3.0
- Dated
- 11 Oct 2026
- Status
- Working plan
- Decision gates
- 8
Read this before you rely on anything on this page
Regulations, prices and market facts change. Items marked confirm must be verified against primary sources before money is committed. This page is a list of questions to ask regulators, lawyers and suppliers — it is not legal, financial or engineering advice.
The scoreboard
Two columns, and neither is traded for the other
Every product must pass a dual test: does it increase food availability or cut loss, and does it earn its target margin? If it fails either, it is redesigned.
Food security
- Yield per hectare on served farms
- Post-harvest loss, before and after Ifenri
- Quality and safety of food produced and processed
- Smallholders reached through cooperatives
- Supply reliability for buyers
Profit
- Gross margin per hectare
- Revenue per hectare and per customer
- Margin on post-harvest and processing services
- Payback period on machines and robots
- Repeat rate and customer lifetime value
Decision gates
What would make us stop
Eight gates. Each one has a pass condition and a stated response to failure. A plan that says in advance what would make it stop is more credible than one that does not.
| Gate | When | Pass condition | If you fail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gate 0 — Demand | Week 2 | 10 organizations willing to pay for a pilot | Change the cluster, the crop, or the customer |
| Gate 1 — Unit economics | Month 3 | 5+ paying farms, 50%+ reorder intent, positive margin per hectare | Raise price, improve farm density, or change segment |
| Gate R1 — First robot | Month 12 | Robot delivers a paid task and the customer wants more | Narrow the task, fix reliability, test more |
| Gate 2 — Repeatability | Month 9–12 | 30+ farms, 60%+ repeat, 80%+ uptime, no preventable incidents | Fix operations before opening a second cluster |
| Gate 3 — Platform | Month 18–24 | Core runs on 2+ machines; recurring revenue; operators joining | Stay in services; do not add marketplace features |
| Gate 4 — Manufacturing | Year 2–3 | Documented failures; 5+ rugged units in service; supplier base | Keep modifying and assembling in small batches |
| Gate 5 — New chain stage | Year 2 onward | Platform fit, anchor partner, food-safety clarity, team, capital, dual test | Wait; revisit next quarter |
| Gate 6 — Data products | Year 3 onward | Consent framework, named partner, written purpose, data security | Do not launch the data product |
KPIs
The numbers we will be judged on
Six, twelve and twenty-four months. Published in advance so that hitting them is a fact rather than a claim.
| Metric | 6 months | 12 months | 24 months |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paying farms or cooperatives | 10 pilots | 30–50 | 80+ |
| Hectares served | 500–2,000 | 2,000–5,000 | 10,000+ |
| Repeat booking rate | 50%+ | 60%+ | 70%+ |
| Gross margin on core services | 35%+ | 35%+ | 40%+ |
| Drone uptime | 80%+ | 80%+ | 85%+ |
| Preventable safety incidents | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Robot milestone | R1 prototype in a test plot | R1 delivering a paid task | 5–20 rugged units in service |
| Platform reuse | Core library started | Core runs on 2 machines | Core runs on 3+ products |
| Post-harvest loss on served farms | Baseline measured | Measured reduction vs baseline | Documented reduction; storage pilot results |
| Smallholders reached via cooperatives | Pilot list | Count tracked | Growing share of customers |
| Yield and farmer income | Baseline measured | Measured uplift per hectare | Documented uplift across clusters |
| Team | Pilot, agronomist, technician, liaison | + robotics engineer | + ops lead, mechanical engineer |
Marked “confirm”
What we do not yet know
These are the open questions that could change the plan. Each one is a task to verify against a primary source, and none of them should be treated as settled.
Drone approvals
Reports from May 2026 describe drone operators needing an End-User Certificate from ONSA before approaching the NCAA for a permit, followed by registration, a commercial operator certificate and pilot licensing under Nig.CARs Part 21. The correct current sequence, documents and fees must be confirmed directly with both bodies.
Agricultural spraying
Agrochemical handling, storage, disposal and applicator training requirements — plus any state-level rules — must be confirmed with the agriculture regulators and an agronomist before the first spray job is quoted.
Autonomous ground machines
The rules for operating autonomous ground machines in fields, and on or across roads, are not yet confirmed. This must be checked with the relevant authorities and a Nigerian lawyer before field deployment.
Food processing (Stage 3)
Registration of processed foods, applicable standards, hygiene controls and an HACCP-style system need confirming with NAFDAC, SON and a food-safety advisor before any processing partnership is signed.
Prices and costs
Every budget range in the plan comes from earlier research notes and is not a quotation. At least three current quotes are required for every line before money is committed.
Import, customs and IP
Duties, permits and clearance for components, and the trademark and design registration path for Ifenri, must be confirmed with a customs agent and an IP lawyer.
Risk register
What could go wrong, and the response
Sixteen risks carried openly. A risk without a named response is just a worry, so each row states what we would actually do.
| Risk | Impact | Response |
|---|---|---|
| Farmers will not pay | High | Sell savings and loss prevention; start with commercial farms and cooperatives; charge from pilot one |
| Drone downtime | High | Spares, trained technicians, maintenance logs |
| Regulatory delay or change | High | Start ONSA and NCAA processes early; begin with mapping; track rule changes |
| Insecurity | High | Clusters, early warnings, local partnerships, remote monitoring, abort criteria |
| Robot fails in field conditions | High | Testing ladder, ruggedization, simple designs, local repairability |
| Hardware cash burn | High | Service revenue first, small batches, leasing, stage-gated spend |
| Supply chain and currency | High | Dual suppliers, local sourcing where possible, spare stock, cost-tracking prices |
| Spreading across too many chain stages | High | Gates, quarterly review, no new stage before Gate 5 |
| Food safety failure or recall | High | Food-safety system, hygienic facility, traceability, insurance, partner first |
| Data misuse or loss of farmer trust | High | Consent, data charter, security, benefit-sharing, never sell personal data |
| Strong competitors | Medium | Avoid head-to-head; partner or serve gaps; build local service moat |
| Talent shortage | Medium | University partnerships, apprenticeships, mentors, remote experts |
| Theft of equipment | Medium | Secure storage, tracking, insurance, trusted staff |
| Government dependence | Medium | Commercial demand first |
| Over-reliance on AI | Medium | Humans approve safety-critical actions; field validation |
| Founder burnout and overload | High | Hire early, protect weekly rhythm, delegate field ops |
Start the conversation
Make food secure and farming profitable — at the same time
Tell us your crop, your hectares and where you lose money today. We will tell you honestly whether Ifenri can improve that hectare yet — and if we cannot, we will say so.
Farmers & cooperatives
Book mapping, scouting or machinery for your cluster. Pilots are paid and measured from the first hectare.
Book a field serviceBuyers & processors
Talk to us about reliable, traceable supply and where the loss actually happens in your crop.
Discuss supplyFunders & partners
Read the working plan, the gates, and the unit economics before you commit a naira.
Investor brief