Innovation Fund Winner
Testing the potential of virtual reality for training tractor owners to grow their businesses through the Hello Tractor app
The digital transformation of small businesses is widely accepted as a driver of improved performance and an avenue to scale. However, there remains a continued need for advice and guidance from reliable sources to support this digital transition and exploit the potential of new digital tools. Without proper onboarding and upskilling, digital tool adoption is not always effective. Group instructor-led training can work, but trainees typically forget the majority of information within a week, according to the Forgetting Curve. Experiential learning, such as that enabled by VR, is a more effective approach.
As part of our Strive Community Innovation Fund, we’re working with XRGlobal (XRG) to test the potential of VR for upskilling tractor owners operating on the Hello Tractor app to reach more customers and grow their businesses. Hello Tractor is an agricultural technology company that has built the largest farming equipment marketplace in Africa. Dubbed the “Uber for the farm” by Forbes, Hello Tractor supports tractor owners to lease their tractors to smallholder farmers. Through the app, they are able to manage bookings as well as access PAYGO financing to grow their business. XRG will test the impact of their offline VR training on tractor owners in Kenya, and compare it to the company’s traditional classroom approach. Test out the Hello Tractor VR training here.
By creating a unique learning experience, a VR headset allows the trainee to step away from their day-to-day surroundings and into an exciting and private space. This increases enthusiasm and engagement, but also helps trainees focus their attention on the content. VR encourages active participation, resulting in better replication of real-life scenarios.
About XRGlobal
XRGlobal (XRG) is a first-to-market online, offline virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) learning and development platform built for emerging market youth, workforce and small businesses. More than 90,000 people have been trained using their extended reality experiential platform across Africa. Rollout in Asia is scheduled for the end of 2023 through partnerships with the Asia Development Bank and one of Philippine’s largest rural banks. Overall, trainees have had more than a 4x increase in knowledge retention versus classroom learning while spending an average of 60% less time training (enabling more time for the trainee to focus on their family and business and less spend at scale by the clients). XRG allows organizations to enable effective, consistent learning at scale.
“XRGlobal is ecstatic to be part of the Strive Community to test upskilling and onboarding of small businesses and to showcase the power of VR for learning and development in emerging markets.”
Natalie Miller
Co-Founder, XRGlobal
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VR has the potential to offer an immersive, interactive, and effective way to train entrepreneurs and small businesses on both operational and soft skills that can lead to greater knowledge retention and engagement.
Since its founding three years ago, XRGlobal has been helping microentrepreneurs become more financially literate, smallholder farmers increase the value of their crops and young people learn motorcycle maintenance to find jobs or open their own repair shops.
XRGlobal is testing the potential of VR for upskilling micro- and small businesses through an immersive learning environment.
