Lateral Sparks, the weekly quiz from YourStory, tests your domain knowledge, business acumen, and lateral thinking skills (see the previous edition here). In this 205th 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.
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Q:1 Earth observation
Many satellites for Earth observation use single sensors such as hyperspectral cameras, radars, or infrared systems. However, each has some of its limitations during conditions such as cloudy or nighttime skies. What’s a way to tackle these limitations?
Q2: Application development
In the enterprise world, there is a wide gap between consulting advice and actual implementation. Traditional coding can be slow, expensive, and fragmented. What’s a better approach here?
Q3: AI and inclusion
Many emerging economies have vast social and digital divides. How can AI be democratised so that it is more accessible, affordable and relevant for all?
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Q4: Air pollution
Bulky purifiers cannot be carried by people wherever they go, and masks are not powerful enough to tackle all forms of pollution. What’s an effective solution here in the air purifier space?
Q5: Better translation
AI-powered translations are becoming better by the day, but often lack the broader cultural context that is essential for better comprehension. How can this problem be addressed?
Answers!
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: Earth observation
Founded by Suyash Singh, Denil Chawda, Kishan Thakkar, Pranit Mehta, and Rakshit Bhatt, deeptech startup GalaxEye is building a multi-sensor satellite that fuses optical cameras with radar capabilities. This allows for reliable imagery to be obtained and can be infused with AI for better interpretation.
ISRO and IN-SPACe have offered GalaxEye the chance to test critical payload components in orbit. Read more here about GalaxEye’s first full satellite, Mission Drishti, and the startup’s plans of scaling up to a constellation of 8–10 satellites.
A2: Application development
Co-founded by Muzammil Patel, Acies aims to make consulting work by moving beyond advice to actual implementation. It leverages no-code technology to make enterprise digitisation faster and more cost-effective.
Its offerings include the GenAI-powered Revolutio no-code platform, TechWorks for compliance, and Streamline for ERP bridge. Read more here about how it has 75 clients, including LIC, ICICI Bank, and HDFC Bank.
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A3: AI and inclusion
KissanAI has developed a voice-first AI assistant that delivers farm advice in local languages, allowing farmers to make queries in their language rather than rely on English-based apps. Qure.ai uses deep learning to interpret X-rays and CT scans for TB, lung cancer, and stroke.
Karya employs rural Indians to create and annotate multilingual data, including audio clips and text translations, across India’s diverse languages. Read more here about other such startups, and check out YourStory’s TechSparks 2025 conference, whose theme is ‘India 2030: Powered by AI’.
A4: Air pollution
Founded by Anmay Shahlot, Siddharth Goel, and Aditi Agrawal, the startup Atovio has developed a range of affordable and wearable air purifiers. For example, Atovio Pebble is lightweight and portable and can be hung around the neck, filtering pollutants such as PM2.5 and PM10.
Products are sold through its own website and major ecommerce platforms, including Amazon, Flipkart, Blinkit, and JioMart. Read more here about its upcoming new devices: the sleek Atovio Pop and Atovio Nino, designed for children.
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A5: Better translation
Founded by Anand Shiralkar, Rian is a multilingual technology solutions company focused on document translations in over 50 languages, ranging from Tamil to German. It has a hybrid approach involving artificial intelligence and human expertise.
Over 1,200 freelance linguists work on various projects to ensure that the cultural context has been captured in the machine translation. Read more here about how it has already clocked annual revenue of Rs 5 crore last fiscal year, and its upcoming DNPL (Dub Now, Pay Later) model for YouTube.
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).
