"Hello Tractor" based out of The HIVE 2.0 wins University of Chicago's Social New Venture Challenge competition!

Jehiel Oliver, Founder, Hello Tractor

A  BIG CHAIR SIZED "CONGRATULATIONS" TO MY HIVE 2.0 OFFICE MATE JEHIEL OLIVER OF HELLO TRACTOR! JEHIEL TOOK HOME 1ST PLACE AND $30,000 IN STARTUP CAPITAL! #SOUTHEASTLOVE ALL THE WAY!

Jehiel Oliver (@jehiel) is a member of The HIVE 2.0 in Anacostia and is doing big things with his Hello Tractor (@HelloTractor) project! Jehiel is one of those entrepreneurs and forward thinkers that are making the world a better place one idea at a time. Jehiel works so hard but he always has time to support fellow small business owners. He is such an inspiration! To learn more about Jehiel and Hello Tractor visit 

Go HERE to read the full article in ChicagoInno about Hello Tractor's combating food insecurity by bringing two-wheel tractors to farmers in Africa. It is a great concept! Check it out!

Excerpt:

Every now and then a startup comes along that is such a no-brainer in terms of market need, product effectiveness, and social good that it's surprising no one has thought of it before. 

One such startup is Hello Tractor, a service company that provides two-wheel tractors to small farmers in Nigeria to increase crop yield and combat against income and food insecurity. Hello Tractor's team of University of Chicago Booth School of Business student and marketing director Van Jones, and founder and former Cornell grad student Jehiel Oliver, won first place and $30,000 at last week's UChicago Social New Venture Challenge competition. The company plans to launch a beta program in October, at which point Oliver will move to Nigeria and Jones will transition the U.S. headquarters to Delaware. 

Hello Tractor chose to begin in Nigeria due to the country's high demand for tractors and the sheer number of small farmers who suffer from crippling poverty and poor crop yields. 

"At the beta phase we’re prioritizing land preparation because first of all, it's the first stage of production," Oliver said. "It's also the most labor intensive. It takes about 40 days of manual labor to prepare the land. Our tractors do it in eight hours."

Jehiel Oliver (left) talks with UChicago NVC title sponsor John Edwarson. Pictured to right is Van Jones. (Photo via UChicago)