From Kenyan farms to Wisconsin fields: NextYield explores U.S. expansion

Long before they became technology entrepreneurs, Brian Bosire and Dickson Ayuka were high school classmates growing up in farming families in western Kenya.

Both pursued engineering degrees at universities in Nairobi, but their agricultural roots eventually brought them back to the land. When they encountered challenges farming themselves, they used their engineering skills to develop technology to address problems familiar to generations of farmers in their community.

The solution grew into UjuziKilimo, a technology company utilizing AI to help farmers analyze soil and plan crops in an effort to help farmers achieve maximum yields from their land.

The co-founders brought their agricultural technology to Milwaukee under the name NextYield as part of the fall 2026 Accelerate Wisconsin gBETA program.

The seven-week accelerator, operated by gener8tor in partnership with the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC), connects international startups with potential customers, investors and business partners while encouraging them to consider establishing U.S. operations in Wisconsin.

For NextYield, Wisconsin’s agricultural industry makes the state a potential entry point into the American market.

Technology rooted in agriculture

Founded in 2015 and headquartered in Nairobi, Ujuzi Kilimo was established by Bosire, Ayuka and a third co-founder, Evans Wadongo.

The team launched SoilPal, a tool that combines a portable soil analysis device with software that uses artificial intelligence, satellite information and GPS data to provide farmers with recommendations tailored to their crops and geographic locations.

According to Bosire, the company holds hardware patents in three African countries and has patent applications pending in the United States and Europe.

Ayuka explained that the device can operate for one to two weeks on a single charge. It can also store information locally when internet service is unavailable and automatically upload the data when connectivity is restored.

The founders have continued refining both the technology and their business model through accelerator programs and support from organizations including the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship and Village Capital.

From Kenya to Wisconsin

In 2025, Ujuzi Kilimo introduced a new version of SoilPal designed to deliver soil analysis and recommendations across different geographic regions. The company subsequently received international inquiries about the technology and began evaluating opportunities in Europe and the United States.

“The biggest motivation is really the fact that Wisconsin is a heavy agriculture state,” Bosire said, explaining the company’s decision to participate in the Milwaukee accelerator.

Bosire said the company is particularly interested in regions producing high-value specialty crops, as well as opportunities involving regenerative agriculture, organic farming and urban agriculture.

Wisconsin’s agricultural economy offers a potential market for the technology and an opportunity to establish relationships with growers and agricultural organizations. During their time in Milwaukee, the founders are seeking connections with farmers, grower cooperatives and agronomy departments to better understand the regional market and explore opportunities to test their technology.

After a decade of developing agricultural technology in Kenya, NextYield is exploring opportunities to bring its technology to new markets. In a state with 58,000 farms supporting an industry that employs 9.5% of the state, Wisconsin offers an opportunity to explore whether technology developed to address challenges on Kenyan farms can also meet the needs of American growers.