Education, real estate, social inclusion: test your business creativity with Edition 124 of our weekly quiz!

Lateral Sparks, the weekly quiz from YourStory, tests your domain knowledge, business acumen, and lateral thinking skills (see the previous edition here). In this 124th 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.

Also Read

Helping HIV patients to decolonising therapy: 10 social stories of change and impact

Q1: Ergonomic products

This startup launched a range of products for ergonomic needs, such as better backrests and neck support for chairs. What are some adjacent product spaces that can also open up opportunities?

Q2: Logistics impact

The logistics sector has faced criticism for environmental damage due to wasteful packaging, inefficient routing, and carbon emissions. How can better practices and technology help change this situation?

Q3: Education for the visually impaired

Students who are visually impaired face severe challenges in getting learning materials in Braille. Traditional designs of schools also are not geared for easy navigation for the blind. How can sensitive and multi-dimensional design help here?

Also Read

Top 10 books of 2023 for entrepreneurs

Q4: The data advantage

Rapid growth in businesses is leading to a surge in data volume and complexity. Analytics and AI can play a useful role here. What else can help move the needle in harnessing data?

Q5: Real estate efficiency

There are a number of websites that offer listings for the home buyer and seller market. However, subsequent stages of the buying journey are largely offline and can be unpredictable. What’s a better business model here?

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: Ergonomic products

Ganesh Sonawane, Founder of Arcatron Mobility, launched the Frido brand of cushions and backrests that offer adequate support and alleviate pain from long hours of sitting. It also offers seven different types of wheelchairs for the differently-abled, such as a commode-friendly wheelchair.

Frido is looking to launch more products in its portfolio, including orthopaedic footwear. Read more here about the founder’s story and the brand’s offerings that combine quality with affordability.

A2: Logistics impact

The ‘green’ logistics approach integrates sustainability principles into the fabric of supply chain management, according to Nishith Rastogi, Founder and CEO at Locus. Such alternatives can reduce carbon footprints while optimising operational efficiency.

“Data analytics helps plan optimal transport routes, loading, warehouse locations and more to minimise mileage,” he adds. Read more here about how machine learning can improve demand forecasting and inventory management, and eco-friendly packaging can reduce environmental harm.

Also Read

Self-driving cars to refurbished gadgets: Top 10 startup stories of 2023

A3: Education for the visually impaired

The School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, designed by SEALAB founder Anand Sonecha, uses a multisensory approach in its designs. They involve sound, sight, touch, and even smell to help students move around.

The school features five different wall plaster textures indicating specific parts of the school. Each area is marked in Braille. Read more here about how aromatic plants have also been planted to help children navigate around school through smell.

A4: The data advantage

Companies need to do more to break down data silos and democratise data access across organisational functions. Enabling self-service analytics can empower teams to access and analyse data independently.

At the same time, business leaders need to ensure data governance, security, and compliance. Read more here about the long-term advantage of nurturing a data-driven culture, from the in-depth roundtable discussion hosted by Couchbase in association with YourStory.

Also Read

10 stories of women who won our hearts

A5: Real estate efficiency

RealBetter, a B2B real estate platform founded by Chakrapani Gollapali and Gaurev Kapur in 2023, goes beyond matchmaking to offer solutions for agents as well. It fosters a trusted environment for builders and agents, and leverages design and data.

“Design is not just about aesthetics; it's about functionality, about making complex decisions simpler and more intuitive,” Gollapali explains. Read more here about how agents can create digital profiles and post buy/sell requirements in under 30 seconds.

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).