Mon, 26 May 2025

Mon, 26 May 2025 Frugal tech: The start-ups working on cheap innovation

Indian start-ups are using local materials and innovative ideas to make useful and affordable products.
Mansukh Prajapati, an Indian entrepreneur, grew up in the 1970s in Morbi, India, where his family made clay pots for storing water. However, due to social stigma and low income, he decided to create something new. After a devastating earthquake in 2001 destroyed their home and business, Prajapati began experimenting with making a non-electric refrigerator using clay. Through trial and error over four years, he developed a working design: a small clay cabinet that uses the natural cooling properties of water to keep food fresh for at least five days. The product, MittiCool, is affordable ($95) and now sold in 300 stores across India and exported to several countries. Prof Anil Gupta from the Honeybee Network calls such innovations "frugal innovations" - solutions made accessible, affordable, and available. Prajapati's success has created jobs for 150 people and inspired other entrepreneurs, including Bijayshanti Tongbram in Manipur, who extracts silk-like fibers from lotus stems to create sustainable yarns. Tongbram leads a team of women who spin the threads into scarves and garments, providing them with an income. Other innovators include Girish Badragond, who is developing a device for blind farmers, and various other entrepreneurs who face challenges in accessing funding and support due to high transaction costs.
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