TL;DR Kiribati is a nation of about 136,000 people living on low coral atolls across a huge stretch of ocean. The home market is small, so the ideas that hold up here deal with water, fishing and power on the atolls, or sell to the government and donors who fund that work.

The market in numbers

• Population: about 136,000 in 2025^[1].
• GDP per capita: about US$2,560 in 2025^[2].
• Internet use: about 89% of people, as reported for 2024^[3].
• Mobile phones: about 54 subscriptions per 100 people in 2024^[4].
• Farming and fishing: agriculture, forestry and fishing were about 23% of GDP in 2024^[5].
• Remittances: personal remittances received were about 6.5% of GDP in 2025^[6].
• Currency: Kiribati uses the Australian dollar (AUD).

What founders here actually have to work with

I'll be straight - with around 136,000 people^[1], a consumer startup that only sells at home will hit its ceiling fast. The buyers who can sign bigger cheques are ministries, aid programmes and the fishing sector, so build with them in mind.

The ocean is the asset. Fishing and the land together are close to a quarter of GDP^[5], and the sea area around the islands is enormous compared with the land. Anything that helps watch, harvest or protect that water has a reason to exist.

The atolls are also low and short of fresh water, which makes drinking water a daily concern rather than a project for later. Getting goods out to the outer islands is slow and costly, so every piece of kit should be small, sturdy and easy to fix. The internet figure looks high^[3], but check coverage on the island you're targeting before you build anything that needs a signal.

Ideas that fit Kiribati

These ideas were researched for India. The rupee costs and Indian licences don't apply here, so read each page as an outline to rebuild.

Fishing and the ocean

• Wakeline: Satellite checks that flag vessels with their trackers off suit a country with this much sea to watch. The customer is a government or regional fisheries body, and they buy slowly.
• Lostline: Abandoned nets damage the reefs that feed atoll families. Look for conservation grants to fund it.
• Aquabed: Growing greens from fish-tank water could add fresh vegetables where soil is thin. Try one community tank before you scale.

Water and food on the atolls

• Saltfree: Solar units that turn brackish groundwater into drinking water address a problem every atoll lives with. It has to be fixable without flying in a technician.
• Pulpstrip: Paper water tests read by a phone help households and health workers check wells. Agree with health officials what happens after a bad reading [Requires validation].
• Frondline: Coconut palms are central to atoll life and climbing them is risky. Check that the machine handles local palms and can be repaired on site.

Power and the people who use it

• Wavejetty: Wave and solar power mounted on breakwaters fits island jetties that run on diesel. It's an engineering-heavy idea, so think of it as a donor-funded pilot first.
• Lathelamp: Solar machines rented by use let small trades work without buying equipment. Pick one machine that people already need.
• Anchorwatt: Solar at phone towers with spare power sold to the village nearby suits outer islands. You need the telco on board as the first customer.

Schools and savings

• Levelsort: Quick reading and maths checks that group children by level work anywhere teachers are stretched. Rewrite the tests for local languages and the national curriculum [Requires validation].
• Coopstarter: Helping new cooperatives and credit unions make their first loans fits a place with few bank branches. The commerce ministry registers cooperatives, so start there^[7].

Rules to check before you start

Company registration, business names and the registration of foreign investment sit with the Ministry of Tourism, Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives, through its Business and Companies Regulatory Division^[7]. Tax is handled through the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, which lists taxation among its services^[8]. Kiribati doesn't run its own currency, so check banking and payment rules with your bank before money moves across borders [Requires validation]. Fishing, health and power projects each have their own approvals [Requires validation].

This is a starting list, not legal advice. Check with a local lawyer or the agency itself.

Questions founders ask

Talk to Yash

On an atoll the hard part is finding someone who can pay, and that usually means government, donors or fishing. I'm happy to help you work out which. If you need a hand, you know where to find me.

Talk to Yash →

Sources

1. World Bank, "Population, total: Kiribati", 2025. https://api.worldbank.org/v2/country/KIR/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL?format=json&mrv=1
2. World Bank, "GDP per capita (current US$): Kiribati", 2025. https://api.worldbank.org/v2/country/KIR/indicator/NY.GDP.PCAP.CD?format=json&mrv=1
3. World Bank (ITU data), "Individuals using the Internet (% of population): Kiribati", 2024. https://api.worldbank.org/v2/country/KIR/indicator/IT.NET.USER.ZS?format=json&mrv=1
4. World Bank (ITU data), "Mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people): Kiribati", 2024. https://api.worldbank.org/v2/country/KIR/indicator/IT.CEL.SETS.P2?format=json&mrv=1
5. World Bank, "Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (% of GDP): Kiribati", 2024. https://api.worldbank.org/v2/country/KIR/indicator/NV.AGR.TOTL.ZS?format=json&mrv=1
6. World Bank, "Personal remittances, received (% of GDP): Kiribati", 2025. https://api.worldbank.org/v2/country/KIR/indicator/BX.TRF.PWKR.DT.GD.ZS?format=json&mrv=1
7. Ministry of Tourism, Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives, Kiribati, home page, 2026. https://www.mtcic.gov.ki/
8. Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, Kiribati, home page, 2026. https://www.mfed.gov.ki/

For illustration only. Names are fictional and ideas hypothetical; sourced facts are real but may be out of date. Nothing here is legal, financial or professional advice, and Yash Khatri is not personally liable for any use of it. Read the full disclaimer.