Lateral Sparks, the weekly quiz from YourStory, assessments your area information, enterprise acumen, and lateral considering abilities (see the earlier version right here). On this 220th version of the quiz, we current points tackled by real-life entrepreneurs of their startup journeys.
What would you do in the event you have been of their sneakers? On the finish of the quiz, you will see that out what the entrepreneurs and innovators themselves really did. Would you do issues otherwise?
Take a look at YourStory’s Ebook Assessment part as effectively, with takeaways from over 355 titles on creativity and entrepreneurship, and our weekend PhotoSparks part on creativity within the arts.
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Q1: Renewable power
Local weather change is forcing many countries to have a look at adopting photo voltaic power options. However the price of the panels is just one a part of the reply – what else must fall in place for a photo voltaic power ecosystem?
Q2: Mutual funds
There are millions of mutual fund distributors (MFDs) who present residents recommendation to take a position their cash. However most function with outdated and largely handbook workflows, and may’t compete with banks. The place is the entrepreneurial alternative right here?
Q3: Justice system
India’s justice system is underneath heavy pressure, with over 40 million circumstances pending in numerous decrease courts. The nation has solely round 21 judges per million individuals, resulting in lengthy delays. How can know-how assist right here?
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Yr in assessment: startups that raised large from VCs in 2025
This autumn: Seaweed
Seaweed is thought to be wealthy in vitamins, however abilities in figuring out places for seaweed cultivation are nonetheless nascent in lots of areas. How can know-how and efficient enterprise fashions assist right here?
Q5: The interview course of
Many industries wrestle with interviewing workers at scale, at a time when talent necessities are quickly altering. The place is the entrepreneurial alternative and affect right here, past price and velocity?
Solutions!
Congratulations on having come this far! However there’s extra to return – solutions to those 5 questions (beneath), in addition to hyperlinks to articles with extra particulars on the entrepreneurs’ options. Completely satisfied studying, completely satisfied studying – and completely satisfied creating!
A1: Renewable power
Based by Anand Jain and Vikesh Agrawal, Aerem Options is a full-stack distributed photo voltaic platform. It streamlines photo voltaic financing, system design, tools procurement, and asset monitoring for MSMEs, installers and lending companions.
This helps take away the ‘belief deficit’ that has traditionally fragmented the market. Learn extra right here about how the corporate has facilitated 1,200 MW of photo voltaic capability, financed greater than 2,000 initiatives, and constructed a community of over 3,200 set up companions throughout 150 cities.
A2: Mutual funds
Based by Prashant Gupta and Aditya Agarwal, the startup Rich empowers impartial advisors with an AI-powered platform to run their companies effectively. It brings collectively consumer onboarding, product analysis, transaction execution, and portfolio monitoring in a single system.
It makes use of AI to cut back complexity and standardise person expertise, and helps over 5,000 distributors throughout greater than 1,000 cities. Learn extra right here about how Rich now facilitates investments throughout mutual funds, inventory broking, and insurance coverage, and manages property value Rs 5,000 crore.
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How IIT Madras Incubation Cell is powering India’s next-gen deeptech startups
A3: Seaweed
Based by Devleena Bhattacharjee, Susanta Kundu and Rahul Mehta, deeptech startup ClimaCrew helps ramp up cultivation of seaweed. Its AI-driven marine know-how platform analyses satellite tv for pc information to determine appropriate spots for seaweed cultivation.
It engages with marine biologists, coastal communities and end-user industries to finalise spots for seaweed cultivation and manufacturing. Learn extra right here about its CDMO (contract improvement and manufacturing organisation) mannequin which has been deployed in Gujarat and Maharashtra.
A4: Justice system
Based by Utkarsh Saxena and Arghya Bhattacharya, Adalat AI provides an end-to-end justice stack to remove delays, streamline workflows, and guarantee well timed justice. AI instruments like speech-to-text methods assist perceive Indian languages and accents, and provide real-time translation.
Additionally they conduct digital workshops, in-person coaching periods with small teams of judges, and partnerships with state judicial academies. Learn extra right here about how judges throughout 9 states are utilizing AI instruments for summarisation, grammar correction, and higher drafting.
A5: The interview course of
Based by Mohit Jain, FloCareer focuses on structured interviewing, calibrated evaluators, and assistive AI to allow hiring choices at scale. It has over 600 company purchasers, and its choices contact practically 20% of India’s IT workforce.
“Interviewing wants construction, governance, and accountability, identical to another essential enterprise operate,” Jain explains. Learn extra right here about how its AI-assisted interview platform helps carry construction, consistency, and perception into interviews, together with human inputs.
YourStory has additionally revealed the pocketbook ‘Proverbs and Quotes for Entrepreneurs: A World of Inspiration for Startups’ as a artistic and motivational information for innovators (downloadable as apps right here: Apple, Android).
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