EasyGov, a cloud-based self-service startup for availing Government welfare schemes has won the first ever venture pitch competition organized by software think tank iSpirit, for app developers leveraging the 'India Stack' API.
Infosys Chairman Nandan Nilekani-backed 'IndiaStack' is the largest application programming interface (API) in the world supported by an open API policy by the Government of India.
“IndiaStack was being used mainly for Fintech. It, however, has vaster potential. It needs to be extended to education, health care and skill development amongst others. The #BuildOnIndiaStack contest was organized to embark upon this journey and interact with entrepreneurs who serve the un-served and underserved,” said former Unique ID Authority of India Chairman Nandan Nilekani, who is now returning to the company co-founded by him – Infosys at an event in Bangalore.
The winning startups will get a mentorship session with former Nilekani and a combined cash prize of Rs 8 lakh along with mentoring and pitching support.
New Delhi-based startup EasyGov beat more than 180 other entries that saw 12 companies being shortlisted for the finale.
Firms such as Omdiyar Network and Unitus Impact Fund also supported #BuildOnIndiaStack initiative.
EasyGov, which has helped over 13,000 beneficiaries apply and receive benefits from over 10,000 government schemes till now, got additional funding of Rs 3 lakh just for topping the venture pitch competition.
“There is about 45 percent gap between implementation and disbursal of govt-backed welfare schemes. The Aadhaar stack can completely eliminate the delivery requirement for these schemes,” Amit Shukla, founder of EasyGov said.
How Aadhaar will transform India in the future
Shukla, who has advised the government of Japan and the Middle East among others for a decade in matters of last-mile delivery challenges, says he sat on the idea for long.
“This wouldn’t have been possible without the IndiaStack. There is an ecosystem with other apps in the social service sector, which makes things easier,” Shukla said.
He now wants to release a white label version of the mobile-based platform that will allow government agencies and authorities to go paperless using EasyGov as an IT service.
Currently, EasyGov works on an online-offline model. A beneficiary can apply for a scheme online for a fee on the platform, which is then sent offline to the concerned authority for approval.
“When we started, we had submitted over 200,000 scholarship applications for students in a remote village in UP. For a month we didn’t get any response. We had to write to the CM and after one more month the applications started moving,” Shukla says.
He also understood that without government’s partnership the model will fall flat. Shukla is now looking at partnering with government agencies and authorities to streamline the process of policy update, application process, and approval.
EasyGov leverages other India Stack applications such as eSign, Unified Payments Interface, Digi Locker, Bharat Interface for Money, the Goods and Services Tax Network and eKYC to smoothen the process of disbursing welfare schemes for the government.
According to the organisers, the part of the objective to organise the first venture pitch competition under India Stack is to identify gaps and providing strategic business needs.
Here are 11 other early-stage startups that were shortlisted in the final contest:
Krishiyog
Sector - Agriculture
Krishiyog is a technology platform that provides farmers and farmer groups a transparent channel for accessing end-to- end services such as low-cost credit, quality inputs, customized extension services and market linkages. The startup is working on an agri-preneur model to provide services to all of 9 crore small farmers irrespective of their access to a smartphone.
Inkredo
Sector - Fintech - MSME Flow lending
Inkredo helps digital payment businesses in low-income geographies get access to formal loans directly via mobile in India. Inkredo uses a mobile-based approach to extend short-term working capital loans to small stores to finance their inventory purchase through their partner distributors.
Haqdarshak
Sector - Citizen Governance
Haqdarshak is a mobile and web technology platform with the aim of delivery government and private schemes and services to eligible citizens. The schemes are digitized and delivered in rural and urban low-income areas through a network of local community entrepreneurs. The model is self-sustainable.
FarmSurge
Sector - Agriculture
It is an on-demand digital platform that allows farmers to find, connect, share, buy and sell all farm needs. Farmsurge aims to create a direct link between farmers and agribusinesses, agro input providers, farm output buyers, warehousing, logistics, food processing or retail. Using Farmsurge, farmers can directly interact with scientists.
Journee
Sector - Fintech - payments
Journee empowers transit authorities to ensure a smart commuting experience to its commuters with increased operational efficiency and reduction in hidden revenue loss. We accomplish this through an automated cloud-based fare collection system based on UPI with AI and backed with real-time transit data.
Megdap
Sector - Translation and Localization
Megdap offers a technology platform for AI-based language processing, digitization and analysis. The platform supports translation in all major Indian languages and uses a learning model for optimized data recovery and proprietary pre-, and post- processing tools to achieve high levels of extraction accuracy.
Gradufund
Sector - Education Loans
The startup makes higher studies affordable by offering financial aid to students, working with educational institutions and lenders, lowering lenders' turnaround time and cost of acquisition by four times for students' cohort, while expanding their customer base.
Kyepot
Sector - Fintech, Chit Funds
Rotating savings groups (ROSCA), also known as chit funds in India, are an indigenous financial tool for savings and borrowings. This startup enables ROSCA with technology allowing moving informal savings into a formal banking system.
CancerRegis
Sector - Health
This startup proposes to build a mobile-first accessible, open source, 'National Cancer Registry' around 'India Stack', to make nationwide 'Cancer Registry' digital, paperless, and efficient. The proposed system will ensure almost complete coverage accurately and securely, in real-time.
Plasticsforchange
Sector - Waste management
Plastics for Change has adopted strategies from fair trade agriculture and applied them to the informal recycling economy in developing countries. The platform provides urban waste pickers with access to fair market prices. The startup works with brands to immediately improve the social and environmental impact of their products while increasing the value of their goods.
FreeSave
Sector - Fintech-lottery
The startup offers a digital-first, safe investment instrument that encourages people to save money while playing a lottery.
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