In this episode of Disruption/Interruption, host KJ sits down with Suvankar Mishra and Stefan Jacob, co-founders of FLO FUND, a fintech platform on a mission to close the $170 billion financing gap facing smallholder farmers in the Global South. The conversation unpacks why traditional banks have failed these farmers, how value chain financing is changing the game, and why the food on your table in Europe or North America is directly tied to whether a farmer in Kenya or India can access a simple loan. With deep field experience across Asia, Africa, and India, Suvankar and Stefan explain how FLO FUND uses real-time agricultural data and digital infrastructure to provide crop-linked, insured lending and why this is not a charity case, but a sound investment in the global food system.

Four Key Takeaways:

The Financing Gap Is Massive, and Personal (3:40) There are over 500 million smallholder farmers feeding one-third to one-half of the world's population, yet they can't access basic credit. FLO FUND is targeting a $170 billion annual financing shortfall that banks won't touch.
Value Chain Financing Is the Real Solution (18:27) Increasingly, farmers aren't getting loans from banks — they're getting them from processors, co-ops, and agribusiness actors in their own value chains. FLO FUND plugs into these existing relationships to inject liquidity at multiple points in the chain, not just at the farm gate.
Technology Has Evolved Enough to Make This Work (30:12) Earlier fintech attempts in this space failed because they used alternative data (like mobile recharge behavior) to justify predatory interest rates. FLO FUND leverages mature digital agricultural infrastructure — soil sensors, real-time crop data, and established digital ecosystems — to structure fair, insured, asset-backed lending.
Your Food Security Depends on These Farmers (35:31) 90% of macadamia nuts consumed in Europe come from Kenya. 60–70% of global cocoa comes from West Africa. Climate change is accelerating risk in these supply chains. If the Global North doesn't invest in smallholder farmer access to finance, it will pay the price in food scarcity, rising prices, and healthcare costs.

Quote of the Show (47:59):
"We're not here to provide financing on the basis of default behavior. We're here to provide financing based on integrity."— Suvankar Mishra, co-founder of FLO FUND

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Ways to connect with Suvankar Mishra and Stefan Jacob:

Suvankar’s LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/suvankarmishra
Stefan’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stefanjacob/
Company Website: https://www.theflo.uk/

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