N Chandrababu Naidu: The chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, he is a great proponent of technology and its utility in improving governance. He is a big believer in solving problems using data rather than by relying on instinct. To achieve this he has initiated State-wide data collection. Today, no other State in India has a data portal that is as comprehensive and transparent as that of Andhra Pradesh. From the core dashboard of this portal, Naidu can access the key performance indicators of 33 departments, including information such as power generated daily, water levels in reservoirs, the rainfall scenario, tax revenue collected, etc. He has launched E-Pragathi, a ₹2,400-crore State-wide enterprise architecture that seeks to leverage the power of technology for good governance. In Naidu’s words: “This is a great way of reviewing our shortfalls and achievements.” Not surprisingly, the NDA Government entrusted Naidu with the task of heading a chief ministers’ task force on digitisation.
Photo: N Chandrababu Naidu
▲
Hotstar: Owned by broadcaster Star India, it is currently India’s numero uno premium streaming platform in terms of downloads (300 million). It was launched in early 2015. With nearly 1,00,000 hours of exclusive content across eight languages and coverage of the biggest sporting events from around the world, including cricket, football, kabaddi, tennis, F1 and badminton, Hotstar has a huge and diverse content portfolio. The Hotstar Premium service features television shows, movies and sports from around the world, including Emmy Award-winning shows such as Game of Thrones, Veep and Silicon Valley, and live sporting tournaments, including Premier League and F1, all at a monthly subscription fee of ₹199. Hotstar has appropriated the top spot on the Google Play Store as well as the Apple App Store, and has been named among the most popular apps of 2017 on both platforms. Hotstar is still burning cash — its parent, Novi Digital, posted a loss of ₹409 crore in 2015-16. Its subscription revenue stood at ₹24 crore and revenue from advertising amounted to ₹128 crore.
Photo: Hotstar
▲
Ola (ANI Technologies Pvt
Ltd): Founded in December 2010 by Bhavish Aggarwal, alumnus of IIT-Bombay, along with fellow IIT-Bombay alumnus Ankit Bhati, this taxi service offers a range of services. They include affordable AC cabs and luxury rides as well as localised offerings such as autorickshaws, shuttle buses, cycles, rentals, outstation travel, and corporate travel. The Ola app integrates city transportation for customers and driver partners onto a mobile technology platform to provide convenient, transparent and quick service for hassle-free on-demand transportation. Ola's success is attributed to the innovative mindset that saw it introduce many features that took its rival Uber many months to replicate. It is one of the most well-funded startups in India, having raised $3 billion to date. Bhavish does not own a car and vows that he never will. ▲
Practo: This healthcare portal began operations in 2007 and caters to patients, doctors, diagnostic chains, hospitals and other healthcare providers, offering a range of services from booking appointments to ordering medicines. It has two aspects to its business: the first is helping consumers identify doctors and book appointments; the second is a software for clinics and hospitals, through which patient medical records can be stored and accessed. Practo has a team of over 1,500 people. According to the company’s RoC filing, at the end of FY2016, Practo had clocked a revenue of ₹165.14 crore and posted a loss of ₹64.61 crore.
Photo: Practo
▲
Udyami Mitra: This comprehensive digital platform was launched by SIDBI in December 2017 to provide micro, small and medium enterprises better access to credit as well as expertise. It can be used by entrepreneurs to get loans of up to ₹2 crore under the MUDRA Yojana through any bank branch mapped on the portal. To boost entrepreneurship, the portal also provides access to non-financial services and expertise from handholding agencies. The online module helps in auto-estimation of working capital needs and enables MSME applicants to provide information electronically, access bankable project profiles, communicate with various stakeholders and track their application. It also serves as a one-stop source for all schemes/subsidy-related information pertaining to the MSME sector in India.
Photo: SIDBI’s UdyamiMitra Portal
▲
Social entrepreneurs twins Hilmi and Subhi Quraishi, founders of ZMQ, have been quietly transforming the lives of many using their coding skills. They launched the non-profit organisation to create and implement technology-linked tools to empower communities by providing them information and connecting them with life-saving services.