Small businesses are the backbone of the Indian economy. The 75 million small and medium businesses account for about 35% of employment and 50% of exports, according to Zinnov. They supply crucial products and services to the business, social and government sectors. Small businesses are so interconnected to the rest of the economy, and society… Continue reading Disentangling the Growth of MSMEs
It goes without saying that COVID-19 has shaken up economies across the globe. The Indian handicrafts sector has also been severely hit – livelihoods have been affected, supply chains have been disrupted, and market channels have changed with different customers’ requirements. IIMA Ventures studied crafts-based enterprises in India to map the present and future of… Continue reading From clusters to customers: Startup opportunities in the Indian crafts value chain
Executive Summary This report is part of a study that IIMA Ventures (formerly IIMA-CIIE), and Economic Research Institute of ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) are conducting to open collaboration and peer learning between India and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and to share knowledge and tools relevant to entrepreneurship ecosystems in South and… Continue reading Technology and distribution innovations in healthtech
Why rural transformation? Why must transformation, beyond development, be the goal for the country? Can financial inclusion catalyse rural transformation; to what extent? In this article, we pick up some of these questions. We try to identify the mechanisms underlying rural transformation at the level of household and individual decision-making. We argue that, unlike rural… Continue reading Financial Inclusion Pathways to Rural Transformation
Shiv Agarwal and Ravi Jasani graduated from a national law university in 2018. Roommates and close friends, both young lawyers were not excited by litigation and driven towards corporate law, both sought careers as in-house counsels. Over their course of 5 years, they took courses to prepare better for life as in-house counsels. Upon graduation,… Continue reading Decoding Consumers for LegalTech Startups
Financial Inclusion for Rural Transformation categorically pays attention to the participation of and impact on rural women. The launch workshop, focussing on the theme of ‘Strengthening Women’s Agency to Power Impact’ included technical sessions where the team presented emergent insights about the impact of financial inclusion on rural women and panel discussions to deliberate on… Continue reading Workshop Summary Report: Strengthening Women’s Agency to Power Impact
About Startup Compass The idea of starting a company has never been more popular in India. A new breed of entrepreneurs is rising in the country, inspired by home-grown heroes, driven to pursue extraordinary outcomes and supported by an ecosystem that is willing to back audacious ideas. Startup Compass offers advice on starting… Continue reading Startup Compass
Ankita, 42, is a senior partner at a law firm in a Tier 1 city. The law firm primarily works in the areas of Intellectual Property (IP) Law and Corporate Law – helping corporates and startups build their IP strategy, handling mergers and acquisitions, general advisory, real estate investments and overall litigation. Along with… Continue reading Market Gaps in Legal Tech: From the Desk of a Managing Partner
Abstract: ReMaterials was started in 2012 by Hasit Ganatra, when he realised the potential of an alternate product that could cater to the current needs of people living in slums. Slums are characterised by inadequate facilities, one of which is durable housing. Ganatra observed that metal sheets were the most commonly used roofing material in… Continue reading ReMaterials: Scaling up frugal innovation solutions
Abstract: Amit Kasliwal was a participant of the Post Graduate Program for Executives at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad in 2013 when he came up with an idea of a tea-brewing machine. Kasliwal conducted a survey to understand the tea-brewing machine industry and needs of the market and subsequently started working on prototypes for… Continue reading My T Brewer – Part A: Arriving at a minimum-viable-prototype (MVP) for a tea-brewing machine in India
Abstract: Kasliwal and his team had been working on prototypes for a tea-brewing machine since 2013. After running out of funds, they decide to introduce the latest prototype in the market and test it for user experience. After receiving feedback from customers and observing them interact with the machine, they started designing an improved product.… Continue reading MyT Brewer – Part B: Market testing and growth strategies for a minimum-viable-product (MVP) in India
Binita Hazarika is a 45 year old single unmarried woman who lives in a rural area of Jorhat, Assam, very near to NH 37. She lives in a kaccha house built on a 1.5 bigha land, which she purchased 10 years ago for Rs. 3 lakhs. She lives with her 69 year old mother and… Continue reading Papers Faded, Hope Too: Land Records of Vulnerable Citizens