This blog highlights the journey of Xtracap, a fintech start-up that provides extended credit to low- and middle-income merchants in India towards their daily working capital needs through its flagship technology platform — Bridge2Capital. Yash is a readymade women’s wear shop owner at Krishna Market, Chandigarh, clocking daily sales ranging from INR 10,000… Continue reading Bridge2Capital: Instant supplier credit in three clicks
This blog highlights the journey of Kaarva, a fintech start-up that provides salaried people from the low-and middle-income segments with early access to a portion of their earned salaries for the month without charging any fees. Ram drives an Ola cab from 8am to 8pm across Bengaluru and makes about INR 50,000 each… Continue reading Kaarva: A micro salary advance for a micro expense
Navana is a fintech start-up that develops innovative design solutions that help illiterate and semi-literate people to use modern digital mobile services intuitively. Bhavesh, 42, works at a kirana (grocery) store in Ahmedabad. Having dropped out of school in 5th grade, he struggles with using a mobile phone. So, on his smartphone he… Continue reading Navana Tech: Mobile tech for low-literates
How do technologies such as machine learning and natural language processing transform our shopping experiences at the local grocery store? Read this fascinating blog about munshiG, a fintech start-up, to know more. Sanjay owns a kirana (grocery) store in the busy streets of Khar, Mumbai. With over 70 customers visiting his store daily,… Continue reading munshiG: Digital assistant for grocery stores
Sureclaim came into being to bridge the persistent gaps between the insurance premiums that insurance firms collect and the claims they reimburse. The company works to ensure that customers from the low- and middle-income segments are able to get the maximum out of their insurance policies. There is a huge gap between the… Continue reading SureClaim: Assurance of insurance claims
Gramcover, a digital insurance platform, works to provide affordable insurance solutions to the low- and middle-income segments in India. Their technology-led distribution and servicing model reduces the inefficiencies and transaction costs involved in purchasing insurance policies. To meet their basic needs, 70% of the agricultural households in India spend more than what they earn.… Continue reading GramCover: Accessible & affordable insurance
Finlok is a financial platform that helps people save money and avail hassle-free credit through a group savings-based financial model. This blog explores how the platform will help the low- and middle-income segments gain greater control over their finances. Rohan, 21, works as a sales staff at a mall in Pune and makes… Continue reading Finlok: Save together digitally
This blog examines EasyPlan, a new-age digital savings app that allows low- and middle-income segments to overcome their chronic state of under-saving. Read on to see how EasyPlan makes use of various behavioral nudges (including gamification) to make customers save more and better. Rajat is a young millennial. His weekends are spent… Continue reading EasyPlan: Simple and digital savings for LMIs
‘Kya kaam hai Ji? Bolo!’(What do you want?) I see a man walking restlessly towards me. He wants to know why am I standing so close to the compound gate. He is Samil Pasha, the care-taker of a poultry farm. When he ascertains I am no trespasser, he invites me in. And suddenly we… Continue reading People of Bharat: Samil Pasha, Hyderabad
Healthcare is the most imperative need for any household. The expenses and time spent on it can sometimes be staggering. Especially for the hapless gig economy worker whose needs have been relatively ignored. Healthcare expenses usually involve direct and indirect costs. And these indirect costs can be staggering, especially for an ordinary individual… Continue reading Healthcare access for Gig economy workers
Ben Horowitz, in his book ‘Hard Things about Hard Things,’ sums up the importance of building a healthy company culture – “A healthy company culture encourages people to share bad news. A company that discusses its problems freely and openly can quickly solve them.” A startup, at its core, is a problem… Continue reading How important are ‘People’ to a startup, especially while scaling up?
I walk down a narrow dirt road, lined with trees on both sides. The road bends towards the left and I find her — a middle-aged woman; hose in hand, watering a small grove of betel nut trees. I notice pepper vines are clinging to each betel tree; and pineapple plants border the boundary… Continue reading People of Bharat: Selly Maushi, Udupi