Case Studies

Problem

Dairy farmers in Gujarat were exploited by middlemen who controlled pricing and market access, leaving producers with little bargaining power and unstable incomes.

Intervention

Farmers formed a cooperative with a three-tier structure (village societies, district unions, state federation), kept ownership with producers and returned 80% of revenue to farmers, backed by professional governance.

Problem

Preventable blindness was widespread among the poor, but eye surgery was unaffordable. Hospitals relied on charity and could not scale.

Intervention

Built a cross-subsidy model where one paying patient funds two free patients, combined with high-volume standardised surgery, in-house lens manufacturing and efficient clinical teams.

Problem

Around 44% of India lacked mains electricity. Solar systems existed but were too expensive for low-income households, and no financing was available.

Intervention

Tailored solar systems to each customer, partnered with local banks and microfinance institutions to offer affordable loans, and built local service centres for installation and after-sales support.

Problem

Rural artisans were disconnected from urban markets. Middlemen captured most of the value, supply was fragmented and quality was inconsistent.

Intervention

Built direct sourcing from craft-based micro-enterprises, then created Supplier Regional Companies (SRCs) where artisans became equity stakeholders, while standardising quality without erasing craft identity.

Problem

Cardiac surgery was priced out of reach for most Indians. Hospitals served only the affluent, and costs were structurally high.

Intervention

Designed a high-volume, low-cost model: standardised surgical protocols, bulk purchasing, economies of scale and a three-tier pricing system where higher-paying patients cross-subsidise the rest.

Problem

Four sanitation workers wanted to move from manual work to mechanised services, but could not afford the equipment individually and had no access to finance.

Intervention

Formed a group enterprise, secured a bank loan plus capital subsidy under the Swachhta Udyami Yojana, bought a mini jetting machine, and secured a long-term hiring contract from the municipal corporation.

Problem

Customers were publicly criticising the quality of its pizzas. The brand could either defend itself or take the criticism seriously — and risk its reputation if it got the response wrong.

Intervention

Listened to the feedback, acknowledged the criticism publicly and reworked recipes and quality standards — turning a complaint cycle into a structured product- improvement loop rather than a defensive marketing exercise.

Problem

Before 2016, mobile data in India was expensive relative to incomes. Most users stayed on voice-only plans, and digital adoption was slowed by the cost of getting online.

Intervention

Entered with free introductory voice and data, then kept data pricing dramatically lower than incumbents — forcing the whole market to reprice and pulling hundreds of millions of users online for the first time.