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Lateral Sparks, the weekly quiz from YourStory, tests your domain knowledge, business acumen, and lateral thinking skills (see the previous edition here). In this 211th edition of the quiz, we present issues tackled by real-life entrepreneurs in their startup journeys. What would you do if you were in their shoes? At the end of the quiz, you will find out what the entrepreneurs and innovators themselves actually did. Would you do things differently? Check out YourStory’s Book Review section as well, with takeaways from over 355 titles on creativity and entrepreneurship, and our weekend PhotoSparks section on creativity in the arts. Q1: Vehicle service workshops Despite being the backbone of India’s vehicle service economy, many small workshops find it difficult to source spare parts, and are slow to adopt technology. Where is the entrepreneurial opportunity here? Q2: Women’s healthcare There are many challenges in the field of maternal health – several issues such as menopause remain misunderstood. Many women face healthcare difficulties in terms of equity, access, and autonomy. How can these challenges be addressed? Q3: Fashion and trends The fashion industry faces challenges in keeping up with the latest trends while also not resorting to over-production. How can technology help here? Q4: Student startups Students have unique insights and experiences into solving specific problems, and have a strong desire to combine innovation with sustainability and inclusion. What are some areas where such entrepreneurial energy can be channeled? Q5: Electric mobility A key challenge for the electric mobility sector lies in commercial fleets, who struggle with the huge upfront cost of EVs and unclear residual values. How can they be provided with better financing solutions? Congratulations on having come this far! But there’s more to come – answers to these five questions (below), as well as links to articles with more details on the entrepreneurs’ solutions. Happy reading, happy learning – and happy creating! A1: Vehicle service workshops Founded by Vishal Dubey, Partnr is digitising India’s unorganised two-wheeler repair ecosystem. It connects over 40,000 mechanics and helps them get access to parts, training, and business tools in one place. Mechanics can order genuine spare parts, and get connected directly with vehicle owners. Read more here about its service reminders and digital bookings, and how it operates in 33 cities with annual revenue run rates of more than Rs 150 crore. A2: Women’s healthcare Founded by Aditi Mittal, Newmi Care focuses on awareness and preventive care for breast cancer. Priyanjali and Shyanjali Datta launched the Aaroogya AI Foundation for healthcare work in local languages and to cater to women with limited literacy. Gayatri Muthukrishnan and Sanjana Rao founded Miyara Health as a platform to address menopause care and healthy ageing. Read more here about other entrepreneurs such as Tamanna Singh, founder of the Menoveda ayurvedic brand that offers menopause supplements. A3: Fashion and trends Founded by Sumit Jasoria, Himanshu Chaudhary, Vinod Naik, and Shivam Tripathi, NEWME is a data-driven fast fashion brand, with a tech-style hybrid approach. It tracks emerging trends in social media and fashion magazines, particularly via the content people engage with. Its 200 employees, spread across Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Guangzhou, work on mood boards to identify styles that can be quickly produced. Read more here about its 13,000 styles priced between Rs 199 and Rs 2,199, sold online and via 14 physical stores across India. A4: Student startups Founded by college students Jithin C Nedumala, Vivek Saldanha, Make a Difference (MAD) has grown into a pan-Indian youth volunteering network with over 3,000 volunteers mentoring more than 3,500 children. Utkarsh Kawatra and other IIT Delhi students launched BloodConnect to organise blood-donation camps, donor-awareness drives, and a volunteer network across 10 cities. No Food Waste, founded by Padmanaban Gopalan, Dinesh Manickam and Sudhakar Mohan, serves 40,000 meals every month, bridging the gap between food waste and food insecurity. Read more here about student initiatives Kartavya (evening classes for slum children) and Project Asbah (affordable clean drinking water through community-run filtration plants). A5: Electric mobility Co-founded by Dev Arora, Alt Mobility tackles the high cost of EV ownership with a leasing and lifecycle management platform. It buys vehicles directly from OEMs and offers them to drivers and operators under all-inclusive contracts. Customers get servicing, insurance, road tax, charging support, and IoT-driven predictive maintenance with only a three-month deposit required. Read more here about its rentals that start with Rs 3,500 for two-wheelers, and how it already manages over 15,000 vehicles with managed assets close to Rs 300 crore. 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).
