Lateral Sparks, from the weekly quiz your story Tests your domain knowledge, business acumen, and lateral thinking skills (see previous version here). In this 167th edition of the quiz, we present the problems real-life entrepreneurs have solved in their startup journey.
What would you do if you were in their shoes? At the end of the quiz, you’ll find out what entrepreneurs and innovators actually did. Would you do things differently?
Check out YourStory Book review Also section, Creativity and Entrepreneurship, and our weekend with takeaways from over 355 topics PhotoSpark Section on creativity in art.
Q1: Eldercare
The growth of the elderly population is posing challenges to society in terms of senior care, engagement and sense of belonging. Where are the entrepreneurial opportunities here?
Q2: Air cooling
Air conditioners face the challenge of becoming carbon neutral due to high power consumption, carbon emissions and potential HFC leakage. What types of alternative cooling solutions can be used here?
Q3: Education: mindset and skills
Education based solely on classroom-based learning has limitations. How can students’ minds become better problem solvers?
Q4: Cross-platform gaming
Gamers are demanding seamless, device-agnostic experiences. As cross-platform gaming becomes more established, what opportunities open up for startups and large firms?
Q5: Mental health services
In many societies, the costs of mental health care are prohibitively high, putting such valuable interventions out of reach for lower income groups. How can such care be provided affordably while being sustainable?
Answers!
Congratulations on getting this far! But there’s more to come—answers to these five questions (below), plus links to articles with more details on entrepreneurs’ solutions. Happy reading, happy learning – and happy creating!
A1: Eldercare
Many startups are entering the elder care segment—like Primus Reflection, a senior living community with modern amenities and healthcare support. KITES Senior Care offers rehabilitation services, dementia care, and palliative care.
Samarth Care’s app integrates technology with the human touch to bridge the digital divide among the elderly. Read more about the offerings of other startups like Imoha Eldercare (IoT and remote health monitoring) and Khayal (entertainment content, financial services, interactive sessions) here.
A2: Air cooling
Founded by Jeeten Desai, Ambiator claims to offer alternative cooling solutions that use 80% less electricity. Modular, scalable cooling products can be used in residential, commercial, institutional, and industrial settings.
Its proprietary heat exchanger provides air-conditioning-like cooling using 80% less electricity and can run on solar energy. Read here how it has six clients across five states including Mahindra Lifespaces, Selco Foundation, Brigade Group and Mapro.
A3: Education: Mindset and Skills
Meenal Mazumdar, founder of The Innovation Story, believes that experiential learning can teach technical skills as well as change the mindset of students, who see challenges as opportunities to innovate. Hands-on, project-based learning empowers students to trust their problem-solving abilities.
“Whether through hands-on projects, robotics competitions, or collaborative team activities, our programs encourage students to think critically and creatively,” she explains. Read more about the startup’s innovation labs in Mumbai, empowerment of over 10,000 students from municipal schools, and global awards for international travel in Geneva here.
A4: Cross-platform gaming
Pioneers love it Fortnite, Minecraft, and Call of Duty: Warzone According to Jaya Chahar, founder and CEO of Trade Fantasy Games, cross-platform play across consoles, PCs and mobile devices has been championed. “Cross-platform gaming is not just a trend but a reflection of the industry’s commitment to inclusivity, accessibility and innovation,” she explains.
Platforms like NVIDIA GeForce Now, Microsoft’s Xbox Cloud Gaming, and Google Stadia enable gaming on devices with minimal hardware requirements. Read more about using tools like Unreal Engine and Unity as well as services like Epic Games’ account system here.
A5: Mental health services
Paras Sharma and Rashi Vidyasagar founded an alternative narrative with a novel ‘pay-what-you-want’ (PWYW) business model for mental health services. Businessmen said that removing financial barriers will make people less hesitant to take help.
About two-thirds of the sessions are offered under PWYW and one-third at regular fees. Read more about how the platform has already catered to over 15,000 users and around 30 companies and organizations here.
YourStory has also published the pocketbook ‘Proverbs and Quotes for Entrepreneurs: A World of Inspiration for Startups’ as a creative and motivational guide for innovators (downloadable as apps here: apple, Android).