Blogs
Scaling Impact: Reflections on 2024 and Plans for 2025
As we close the chapter on 2024, I find myself reflecting on a year of meaningful progress, learnings, and milestones at Social Alpha. In 2024, we set our sights high with ambitious targets for 2026: to build a portfolio of solutions with the potential to avoid over 1.3Gt of CO₂e...
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Promises vs Action: Bridging the Gap in Climate Finance
As COP29 comes to an end, I find myself reflecting on the promises made at the summit, and the realities that lie ahead. While the $300 billion-a-year annual climate finance agreement may appear significant, it is a drop in the ocean compared to the trillions needed to address the issue...
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COP29 Failed. But What is the Good That Can Emerge From It?
The COP29 finance deal, rushed by Azerbaijan’s presidency and the UN Climate Change after two weeks of talks, fell far short of the commitment that vulnerable developing nations need from wealthy, developed ones. India, Nigeria, and others immediately called out how it was pushed through despite their objections. COP29’s failure...
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Point-of-care Screening Solutions: The Future of Cervical Cancer Prevention
Cervical cancer is a leading global public health challenge, being the second most common cancer in India and the fourth most common cancer among women worldwide. Every year, more than 1,00,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer, and around 70,000 women die of cervical cancer in India. The global incidence...
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Reimagining Building Insulation: Samakhya’s Natural Wool-Based Materials
India’s buildings are energy guzzlers, accounting for a whopping 30% of the nation's total energy consumption. That's like powering an entire metropolis just to keep our homes and offices comfortable. With climate change intensifying the heat, the situation is only worsening, especially in densely populated urban areas where the urban...
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The Pre-Compliance Advantage: How Early Testing Helps Hardware Start-ups Succeed
Hailed as engines of economic progress and innovation, start-ups are feted by the government and market leaders alike. However, the path to success for start-ups is often riddled with roadblocks. According to reports, only about 50% of start-ups survive beyond the five-year mark (India has about 27,000 start-ups compared to...
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Notes from Climate Week NYC: Action, Empathy, and Innovation
It is always wonderful to connect and reconnect with individuals and organisations at Climate Week NYC, and this year was no different! It was indeed Inspiring to see so many people working tirelessly to address and innovate for climate, people, and our planet. There was a sense of urgency, and...
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From Lab to Market: The Role of Private Capital in Accelerating Innovations for Society
The government incubates innovation, but we need private investments to accelerate its transition from lab to market and community. If you watched Christopher Nolan's 2023 film Oppenheimer, you would have noticed the role of Matthew Modine, whose speech in defence of Oppenheimer during his security clearance hearing is one of...
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Transforming India’s cooling future: Investing in efficient, low emission innovations
The Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in August 2021 cautioned that the Indian subcontinent could expect increased occurrences of severe and frequent heat waves in the next decade. The G20 Climate Risk Atlas also warned in 2021 that heat waves across India would likely...
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Transforming Maternal and Child Healthcare in India with Doto Health
In India, maternal and child healthcare presents an ongoing challenge, especially in underserved communities. According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), India’s infant mortality rate (IMR) stands at 35 deaths per 1,000 live births and the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) is 97 deaths per 100,000 live births. However, many...
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