Artha Venture Challenge

NextDrop tackles the problem of water scarcity by tracking water supply for utilities. Due to water shortages and an ageing pipe network, urban domestic consumers are not getting enough clean water to meet their daily needs. Water frequently is available at sporadic times of the day, making reliable access difficult, in low quantities well below safety standards. The company informs consumers when to expect water supply if there is a delay and most importantly if there are cancellations, thereby supporting them with planning.

Arogya Finance makes quality healthcare more accessible by lending to those who are unable to pay for their healthcare expenses. To enable maximum impact, Arogya Finance has developed a proprietary approach which allows it to evaluate the credit worthiness of and lend to individuals and families who are outside the formal system, particularly those who lack things like formal salary slips, collateral, and credit histories.

Sevamob delivers primary healthcare through mobile clinics to low-income communities for an affordable annual subscription. Mobile clinics are supplied with software, operable offline and from remote locations, to track and manage patient medical records. Sevamob also launched India’s first telehealth marketplace where patients are able to receive video consultations, second opinions, and in-clinic appointments from participating health providers.

Aakar is a hybrid social enterprise that enables women to produce and distribute affordable, high-quality, fully compostable sanitary napkins within their communities while simultaneously raising awareness and sensitization of menstrual hygiene management. Their business model is also comprised of a B2B component based on sales of production equipment.

SURE is a last mile rural distribution company which supports women entrepreneurs with an enabling eco-system for access to technology, and financing for high impact products and markets. The business specializes in reaching out high impact solutions to those at the bottom of the pyramid, through a last mile distribution network of women entrepreneurs called “Sakhis”.

Jack on the block is a new age facility services company providing a wider range of facility services to apartment complexes and other business establishments. By employing and providing training to people in tier 2 or tier 3 cities, the company has deeply impacted the lives of these technicians by offering them a reliable and regular source of income and a respectable position in the society.

Tamul Plates produces and markets biodegradable disposable dinnerware, including plates of various shapes and sizes as well as cutlery, through community-owned micro-enterprises spread across north-east India. The tableware provides quality, entirely sustainable green alternatives to urban and global customers and generates sustainable livelihoods amongst rural women and youth.

MicroGraam is a peer-to-peer lending platform that empowers rural entrepreneurs with access to loans from socially minded lenders. As an intermediary, their aim is to facilitate affordable, small loans to rural Indians who would not otherwise have access to financial services. Access to low-cost credit is the first step toward ending systemic financial exclusion and improving the lives of millions of people.

Avani Bio Energy develops sustainable business by generating electricity and cooking charcoal for rural needs from pine needles. The company employs communities in remote villages in the Central Himalayan region to collect fallen pine needles and convert them to clean and affordable energy for rural needs, thereby reducing carbon emissions, regenerating biodiversity and creating jobs in villages. Electricity is generated through gasification of pine needles and residual charcoal is briquetted, such that a reliable source of electricity is available to an entrepreneurial ecosystem in rural areas.

EduBridge’s aim is to close the gap that exists between the youth in semi-urban and rural areas and the skill requirements of corporates. Through its training methodology, ability to provide high quality training at the doorstep of the youth and through various partnerships with corporates, institutions and government bodies, EduBridge is able to build the bridge that helps unemployed youth cross over to employment in the corporate world.

VIM’s aim while it was in business was to make Indian agriculture profitable by giving rural folks access to sustainable, superior and safe products for agriculture, dairy, water & energy by making solutions accessible to underserved villages and supporting them with farm advisory. VIM’s unique product scouting process, entitled “User Centred Innovation Development”, ensured actual users were involved in the selection of best suited products. Village Level Entrepreneurs made products accessible inside villages and on the basis of an on-demand advisory system helping farmer to use these inputs in the right way.

Banka BioLoo is engaged in promoting and developing innovative environmentally friendly products and services for Human Waste Management Systems with a focus on dealing with the problem of open defecation. The use of their technology helps degrade Human waste in the most effective manner. This sanitation system is to be installed in places where conventional toilets facility cannot be made available.

Boond is a private limited company focused on promoting alternative energy in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi NCR and other Northern states of India and now expanding its base in Eastern and North Eastern states on India. They have an expertise in providing customized solar solutions across the spectrum of Solar Energy Solutions.

Knids Green provides an integrated value chain for equitable and holistic development of small, marginal and landless growers and roadside vegetable vendors. Giving them access to a collection centre for the vegetables, located at the village level, provides these producers with direct market access along with an advanced procurement price mechanism.