Drop of Hope
Magis
Concept Explanation
Drop of Hope is a structure that captures water fromthe humid air commonly found in deserts. In theseareas, rainfall is infrequent, causing the soil and land
to become prone to desertification. Additionally,other sources of water used for vegetation such as
groundwater are lacking. Hence,
we turn to one constant source ofwater in these desert areas: theair. Constructed using steel
scaffolding and a special mesh,
the structure can be easily
assembled and disassembled.
More
importantly,
it caneffectively collect about 63.4 gallons of water per
day even without power.

What is the technology behind this?
The technology behind the mesh takes inspirationfrom the Stenocara beetle1 that is native to deserts insouthern Africa. Through its hydrophilic bumps, thebeetle can gather water droplets from the air and fog
in the desert. Researchers from the University ofSydney have developed a microstructured polymer
surface2 that adopts the pattern of the surface
structure present in the Stenocara beetle. Similar
technologies have also been developed byresearchers at the Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology (MIT), who created a mesh panel3 thatattracts droplets of water. This mesh will be attachedto the scaffolding towers to provide a steady sourceof water to these dry areas. Hence, the structure will
be able to support vegetation yet prevent further
desertification of the surrounding areas.
Aluminum scaffolding will be used to create thestructure where the mesh filter will be attached.
Since steel scaffolding is widely produced, there will
be a regular supply of this material at lower prices
relative to others. Aluminum scaffolding also allows
the structure to be mobile, easily assembled, anddisassembled, providing added convenience andflexibility in using the product. Most importantly,aluminum scaffolding is durable which allows thestructure to be stable and resistant to fire.

Mission and Goals
Drop of Hope aims to provide a sustainable andenvironmentally-conscious method of sourcing
water. With the product, our main goals are:
1. To prevent land degradation in dry and arid
areas by collecting water from sources otherthan groundwater.
2. To promote land development by preventing
desertification in these areas.
3. To provide an efficient and cheap method ofwater collection compared to the water cycle.
4. To provide an accessible and eco-friendly
method of water collection as compared toelectric alternatives.
Competitive Advantages
Leading systems in creating water from the air suchas Akvo Water System’s AWG4, Rainmaker’s
Air-to-Water product line5, and Watergen’s GENius6
technology all rely on electricity to operate.
However, the use of electricity may restrict thesetechnologies to more developed areas despite thesesystems being able to produce proportionally morewater. In rural areas where these lands prone todesertification are present, access to electricity still isa pressing issue. Around 17% of the world’s
population has no access to electricity, and about
80% of these are based in rural areas7. Drop of
Hope’s water collection structure mitigates theseissues and provides an efficient and accessible
method of capturing water from the atmosphere.
Marketing Strategy
Drop of Hope, a sustainable and eco-conscious
method of capturing water from the atmosphere, isprimarily catered to three groups: land developers,
farmers, and governments. As this product is nottargeted towards the general public, it is essential togain substantial media coverage to get the attentionof government agencies, land developers, andnon-profit organizations that may assist farmers. To
reach these demographics, we plan to undertake aplanned marketing strategy. First, we will establish afollowing on several social media platforms such as
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. Through thesesites, we aim to raise awareness about our productand its benefits to these rural areas. Second, we willapproach media networks by reaching out to global
media companies and local newspapers. By doing so,
we will be able to gain the necessary exposure bothglobally and locally. As such, we will be able toapproach governments more easily due to ourestablished credibility and be able to open up talks
pertaining to a government contract. Consequently,
our credibility will allow us to approach several local
land developers and the leadership groups of farmer

Drop of Hope
Magis
collectives in different localities such as the Asian
Farmers’ Association for Sustainable Rural
Development in the Philippines, Bharatiya Kisan
Union in India, Japan Agricultural Cooperatives, andthe Lebanon Farmers’ Union.
Financial Plan
Our revenue will primarily come from the selling ofthe structure per unit. The price breakdown of one
structure is seen in Figure 1. From the cost price of$802.00, we will be retailing the product at$1,000.00 (≈ 25% markup) to ensure that we will beable to cover the overhead costs in all scenarios. It is
unlikely that the selling price will negatively affectthe demand of the product as its price is drasticallyless relative to commercial air-to-water devices. (Seefigure 2)
We plan to collect data in terms of the effectivenessof the mesh technology, as well as weather andclimate data in different categories such astemperatures, precipitation rate, humidity, and thelike. These can be sold to private firms to aid in theirresearch and development. The benefits of this are
two-pronged. First, we are able to gain an additionalsource of revenue that will aid in the production anddistribution of our products. Second, we are able toprovide researchers with data that may, in turn,improve the technology behind our product. In thelong run, this may consequently enhance theefficiency of the water collection system.
We estimate that there will be 20 installations in thefirst year. Due to the nature of the data marketplace,
it is unclear how much revenue will be generated
from data sales. Hence, we have given a conservative
estimate of 1 subscriber per unit location. We haveestablished a price point of $10/year due to thenewness of the data source. We expect the sales toincrease twofold in the next two years. However,maintenance costs increase as well due to theadditional units installed. Marketing costs remain
pegged at $730 to reach an estimated328,000-950,000 users each year, as per Facebook
estimates8. We envision sales to grow exponentiallypast year three, as the product gains greater coverageand traction in public awareness.

Figure 1: Budget Plan

Figure 2: Competition Comparison

Figure 3: Financial PlanFunding
To obtain maximum funding for Drop of Hope, wewill undertake multiple fundraising campaigns
together with our marketing strategies. First, after
raising awareness about our product and mission onsocial media platforms, we will obtain donations
from the public through crowdfunding websites likeGoFundMe and Kickstarter. Second, after gaining
enough traction, we will reach out to various global
non-government organizations advocating to combat
desertification, such as the United Nations
Convention to Combat Desertification, theDevelopment Bank of Southern Africa under the
Global Environment Facility, Permanent InterstateCommittee for drought control in the Sahel, Sahara
and Sahel Observatory, and similar organizations indifferent countries.
References
1. https://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/27/scienc
e/27find.html?_r=1
2. https://www.sydney.edu.au/nano/our-researc
h/grand-challenges/advanced-capture-of-wat
er-atmosphere.html
3. https://news.mit.edu/2011/fog-harvesting-04
21
4. https://akvosphere.com/akvo-atmospheric-w
ater-generators/
5. https://rainmakerww.com/technology-air-towater/
6. https://www.watergen.com/commercial/genm/
7. https://pubdocs.worldbank.org/en/741541534
212629046/EBA15-Electrifying-rural-areas.
pdf
8. https://www.facebook.com/business/ads/pricing