Blog – Page 2 – Innovation Alchemy

The Beauty of Inclusion, How Access to Finance is Changing the Landscape for Low-Income Entrepreneurs in India

Withdraw cash from an ATM, buy a bus ticket online, make a loan repayment at the bank. These are the seemingly mundane faces of financial inclusion, yet 2.5 billion people globally don’t even have a safe place to save money. Three quarters of the world’s poor don’t have a bank account, have no credit history, and aren’t eligible for any type of loan or financial assistance. In India alone 41% of the population is unbanked according to the Reserve Bank of India; in rural areas

Innovating Around the Nutrition Challenge Is Not Just About Food

India is a world leader on many fronts; unfortunately malnutrition is one. “Home to one-third of the world’s undernourished children,” India has some of the highest global incidences of stunting, wasting, and underweight children. Though the country has made great strides towards improving nutrition through innovations in micro-nutrient fortification and food processing to combat hidden hunger, nutrition is a socioeconomically complex issue requiring an equally well designed solution. Research suggests that the “first 1,000 days following conception” are the most critical developmental phase, and “poor maternal

Food for Thought: How ‘Nutrition’ Gets the Indian Innovator’s Attention

Every child fortunate enough to grow up in financial comfort has been scolded, “There are poor and starving children in the streets, now finish your dinner!” In this narrative, poverty and hunger go hand in hand, which explains the significant money spent globally on food aid. In 2012 alone, the U.S spent $1.45 billion on food aid in the developing world; a large part of which was delivered as food on the ground to developing countries. This type of food aid is based on what

Targeting the ‘Information Inefficiency’ in Rural Healthcare Delivery

Close your eyes and imagine your last hospital visit. If your medical experiences have been anything like mine, your doctor’s office is equipped with instruments, tools, and a computer. Your medical file is stored in a digital database for easy retrieval and review, allowing your doctor to provide continuous and consistent care. Sadly though, this is far from the reality in thousands of India’s “digitally dark” villages, even despite the availability of technology. India’s IT revolution is only reaching some and this poses a significant challenge for

Boats, Buses & Technology: The Many Routes of Innovative Healthcare Delivery

For innovators, India’s massive population is the strongest motivation to keep innovating. However, success doesn’t come without challenges as “India lives in its villages.” More than 70% of India’s population is scattered across 6 lakh villages nestled among the mountains, forests, and river beds that shape the surface of the world’s 7th largest country, a 3,287,240 sq. km subcontinent. With a potential market of 1.2 billion people, social entrepreneurs can bank on volume to turn profit without sacrificing affordability, but they must first find a way

Frugal Innovation Enhancing Healthcare Access in India

As an exponentially growing population with an increasing life expectancy strains the medical care system worldwide, healthcare emerges as a major area of innovation. This is most prominent in emerging markets like India, were the cost of healthcare is as important a factor as the quality of the product or service being provided. As a result, India has become a hub for frugal healthcare innovation, demonstrating what is possible in a resource strapped environment struggling with the natural constraints of development. The healthcare system in India