Lateral Sparks, the weekly quiz from YourStory, tests your domain knowledge, business acumen, and lateral thinking skills (see the previous edition here). In this 199th 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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Q1: Agricultural data
Many farmers across the globe lack access to timely, reliable and affordable data that could transform their agricultural decisions. How can technology help here?
Q2: Metal supplies
The metal supply industry in India struggles with inefficiency, including manual processes, opaque pricing, delayed deliveries, and poor traceability. Where is the entrepreneurial opportunity here?
Q3: The life of satellites
There are an estimated 3,000 defunct satellites in space, posing a threat to other active satellites and adding to space junk. What are some solutions to extending their life or retiring them?
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Q4: Clean energy
Many remote areas suffer from a lack of reliable sources of electricity. Solar energy is one option, but it has its limitations. What’s another option here?
Q5: Food waste
India is a major producer of fruits and vegetables, but a significant amount goes to waste due to poor storage, lengthy transport chains, and outdated handling methods. What’s a solution here that can help reduce farmer losses and buyer prices?
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: Agricultural data
Founded by Ankur Omar and his brother Akash, Farmonaut provides a bird’s-eye view of farming via satellite data and AI technologies. Access to remote sensing data and agronomy advisory helps with disease detection, irrigation alerts, and crop stress mapping.
It uses AI for personalised farmer advisory and self-supervised learning for crop classification across geographies. Read more here about how it has 25 active clients across India, Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt, Italy, and the US, such as Godrej Agrovet, Troforte, IFPRI, and Hayleys Agriculture.
A2: Metal supplies
Founded by brothers Dhananjay Goel and Vedant Goel, Enlight Metals is a metal supply aggregator which streamlines the metal procurement process for OEMs and fabricators. It brings together AI-based pricing, demand forecasting models, and a custom ERP-CRM system integrated with logistics and compliance features.
Its structured supply chains and intelligent systems span over 25 partner mills—including JSW, Tata, and regional manufacturers. Read more here about how it serves clients like Pune Metro, Goa airport, Integral Coach Factory, Tata Motors, and Hyundai.
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A3: The life of satellites
Founded by Indian Institute of Science (IISc) alumni Sakthikumar R, Nikhil Balasubramanian, and Mano Balaji K, OrbitAID Aerospace is a spacetech company focused on building fuelling stations. They enhance sustainable operations in outer space and reduce space junk.
It has developed and patented a Standard Interface for Docking and Refueling Port (SIDRP). Read more here about how it plans to launch multiple tanker satellites across multiple orbits, and transport defunct satellites out of active orbits.
A4: Clean energy
Founded by Dungar Singh Sodha, Sunwind Innovative is a cleantech company that designs, manufactures and installs small wind turbines for residential, commercial and agricultural purposes. It sells rooftop turbines with capacities of 75 and 350 units of electricity.
Its on-grid turbine technology has helped many B2C clients bring their electricity bills down to almost zero. Read more here about its impact in remote farms, coastal zones, and hilly regions, and its range of 180 clients across India, the UK, Yemen, Uzbekistan, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi.
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A5: Food waste
Founded by Deepak Rajmohan, GreenPod Labs helps fruits stay fresh for longer via paper-based sachets coated with active ingredients derived from around 15-20 plant compounds. They are based on the crop’s internal biochemical pathways and are placed inside packaging boxes.
They help increase the shelf life of fruits, and digital tools are also used to check pulp percentage, fruit size, and other details. Read more here about its products, such as moisture absorber sheets for bananas, coatings for citrus fruits, and respiration control packaging for mangoes.
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).
