The new age of activism: Harnessing entrepreneurship to address India’s toughest problems


There is widespread recognition that Entrepreneurship is a powerful driver for economic growth, employment, and mass prosperity. Entrepreneurs can transform us into a country of job creators instead of job seekers.

Our start-up ecosystem includes over 800 incubators, 1000+ institutional investors, and angel groups. The Government of India has set up ‘Startup India’ as a flagship initiative to build a strong and inclusive ecosystem for innovation and entrepreneurship. 30+ states already have start-up promotion policies. Entrepreneurialism is becoming an essential element of India’s identity and self-image.

However, our progress on poverty elimination, climate change and universal healthcare requires more action. Some of the most difficult and complex problems continue challenging us in areas like agricultural productivity, climate resilience, air, water, soil pollution, built environment, energy access, malnutrition and affordable healthcare. These are tough problems and require multiple stakeholders across academia, government, NGOs and the private sector to collaborate and deploy resources effectively and efficiently to address market failure.  This also requires sustained R&D focusing on people and the planet and transitioning science and technology innovations from the lab to the market.  

At Social Alpha, we are optimistic about solving these challenges, thanks to a new and quiet revolution already taking shape across the country. We are witnessing the emergence of a new generation of deep-tech entrepreneurs who have the courage to challenge market failure by venturing into some of the most difficult socio-economic and environmental areas.

This small but critical minority of bold thinkers with audacious goals, extraordinary resilience, and flawless execution can solve some of the most critical problems in a sustainable and scalable manner, create new markets and further accelerate India’s growth trajectory.

Social Alpha has a track record of partnering with innovators, the central and state governments and the private sector. With our extensive experience in innovation curation, venture development and deployment on the ground, we can collaboratively drive initiatives that solve pressing local problems and contribute to global solutions.

Entrepreneurship is a new genre of activism. Let’s nurture it.   

Manoj Kumar, Founder, Social Alpha