Prós
What I like most about working at Driptech is the opportunity to learn and the impact that our products have on the lives of farmers. When I came to Driptech, I was already strong in strategy, finance and analysis. At Driptech, I started working on our fundraising with investors and business development. This morphed into institutional sales when I moved to India to start our local office. Then I took on product management and marketing, before my current role as COO (where I've learned a lot about HR and corporate accounting). It's a creative open environment where I can try new things, and make a difference. Few products or programs available for the poor have as big an impact as our drip irrigation systems. Doubling a farmer's income in a year and providing full payback in 6 months is a really incredible value proposition. And though I don't have as much field time as I used to, I love to travel, and it's fun to sell a tangible product that involves being outside in nature.
Contras
The challenges I have faced are similar to many start-ups. My vision for the company doesn't always match everyone else's, and compromise is required. But I can always express my viewpoint. In the past, we have not had sufficient focus, executional speed, or delegation. There's been a lot of work, long hours, and sacrifice of personal relationships. At times working late at night, I would have liked to have seen my fellow managers shouldering more of the work along with me. A lot has changed at Driptech over the past year as we've transitioned from a US engineering core to an Indian sales & marketing core. I look forward to seeing what Driptech can accomplish next with renewed focus.
