SOCIAL ENTRPRENEUR SPECIAL ................Young leaders: Meet young social entrepreneurs with mission

Young leaders: Meet young social entrepreneurs with mission

These entrepreneurs are grappling with challenges in areas as diverse as education, healthcare, energy, drinking water and sanitation.

India's entrepreneurial sector is abuzz with a number of young leaders who want to proactively contribute to the well-being of society without waiting for the establishment to solve problems. These entrepreneurs are grappling with challenges in areas as diverse as education, healthcare, energy, drinking water and sanitation. They are making use of their knowledge and resources to come up with innovative solutions. According to venture capitalists, social entrepreneurship is the need of the hour as it's about solving problems at a scale that has a meaningful impact and creates shareholder value as well, reports VARUNI KHOSLA. 

"Entrepreneurs are recognising that it is possible to build sustainable businesses targeting the bottom of the pyramid and investors are willing to back them in their efforts," said Sandeep Singhal, managing director of Mumbai-based Nexus Venture Partners, a $600-million early-stage venture fund which is partnering exceptional entrepreneurs. "Philanthropy is shifting to measuring impact and social enterprises provide the best vehicle for such capital to achieve their goals." Here are a few such entrepreneurs:

EFFICIENT ENERGY
ARJUN P GUPTA, Age: 30
VENTURE NAME: Smart Joules Pvt Ltd

VENTURE DESCRIPTION: 

In 2013, when he came back to India, Arjun P Gupta, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology and UC Berkeley graduate started to work with the Jaypee Group, where he got on-ground experience in viable models in energy effi ciency. He went on to become an ET Young Leader 2014 representing the Jaypee Group. Today, Smart Joules invests in building energy effi ciency retrofi ts, manages the show including operator training and takes a cut from what is saved compared to actual historic bills.

FUNDING AND BUSINESS MODEL: 

Smart Joules invests in existing building structures in terms of both hardware and software to reduce electricity consumption 15-20%, but in some cases the fi gure can even go up to 35%. The company generates more than 15% savings by optimising central air-conditioning plants as per changing outdoor weather and indoor occupancy patterns while maintaining desired comfort levels.

"It is not possible to keep the buildings dynamically optimised with manual operations and that's where we come in," said Gupta.

Even the best managed buildings can reduce their consumption 15-20%, said Gupta. A single building wastes so much energy in a year that it could power 400 houses, but India doesn't have the expertise or fi nancial resources to build and operate highly energy effi cient buildings, he said.

WHAT NEXT: 

Gupta plans to scale up the model in the future from the current hospital, hotel and commercial projects he has handled so far.

MAN ON MOVE
ISHU BANSAL, Age: 26
VENTURE NAME: TruckSuvidha

VENTURE DESCRIPTION: 

Co-founded with entrepreneur Amit Punaini, this Yamunanagar-based company connects over 24,000 truckers for an on-demand truck service. TruckSuvidha, Bansal said, was created with the single objective of utilising the available resources and providing existing players in the logistics industry an opportunity to boost business.

FUNDING AND BUSINESS MODEL: 

The company is currently bootstrapped. It works on a subscription model where a customer who has cargo to send can post the listing on the app or website. A transporter who has bought a subscription package from the website can view the details. The idea is to reduce the losses for the truck drivers and to empower them.

WHAT NEXT:

The company plans to expand across India into the packing and moving space as well. It currently largely caters to the northern parts of the country and plans to start operations in the rest of the regions as well.

FUNDS FROM TRASH
MATHEW JOSE, Age: 28
VENTURE NAME: Paperman

VENTURE DESCRIPTION:

Paperman is in the waste management sector which works with nearly 300 kabariwallahs or scrap dealers in Chennai. It is trying to create a decentralised approach towards waste management powered by kabariwallahs to convert them into entrepreneurs. Paperman provides the smartphone savvy, with technology support to buy from customers and to sell to industries. Jose said they are entrepreneurs in their own right and the company helps with the transition from a kabariwallah to a waste entrepreneur with the help of technology to both take orders and then sell the waste.

FUNDING AND BUSINESS MODEL:

Paperman is currently bootstrapped as Jose is an Ashoka fellow, a platform that supports innovators for public. The company takes a commission from the kabariwallahs when they have to sell the waste to larger organisations. Currently the company is taking 50-60 orders a day, with a spike to about 100 orders at weekends.

WHAT NEXT:

There are nearly 5,000 kabariwallahs in Chennai and over 15 lakh across the country. Paperman is looking to get talent to scale up the project including operations and marketing to turn it into a national project in both urban and rural areas in the next fi ve years.

INFORMATION IS KING
ANIKET DEOGAR Age: 26
VENTURE NAME: Haqdarshak

VENTURE DESCRIPTION:

is a mobile-based platform for collecting information of citizens and identifying the schemes they are eligible for. It helps citizens, especially those at the bottom of the pyramid, get the benefi t of government programmes and schemes they are entitled to. It also educates panchayats and other local governments about programmes that they can use to serve their communities.

FUNDING AND BUSINESS MODEL:

Haqdarshak aims to have a sustainable revenue stream through a small service fee charged per citizen per scheme and document screening and application. A network of Haqdarshaks will be employed on a revenue sharing model for a geographical target. Scheme benefi ts and documentation are handled for benefi ciaries through the app, with varied pricing for screening, fi lling forms, documents and complete end-to-end solutions in obtaining scheme benefits.

The rates are fixed mutually by Haqdarshak and the implementing organisation, and 75% of the fee is given to the Haqdarshak directly or via the local organisation supporting and tracking them. The remaining 25% is kept by the company to sustain operations.

WHAT NEXT:

The company is currently working on refi ning the research for Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan. Its fi rst version will be ready for deployment this month and it has already signed up with a trust, a state govt and two foundations across the three states for large-scale deployment.

Varuni Khosla  |  ET Bureau  |  04 March 2016

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