Enabling Purpose-driven Tech Innovations

As technology permeates every aspect of our lives, with rapid developments in the field affecting people and the planet every day, questions about the impacts of technology on humankind continue to be deliberated upon. However, it’s no secret that if used efficiently and responsibly, technology can do wonders for humankind.

As an investor with a focus on technology and social impact, I have always emphasized investments in tech-driven businesses. However, at C4D Partners , we ensure that we're not merely integrating technology into our investment strategies for the sake of market trends. We believe that technology is essential to delivering positive impact at a meaningful scale. In the right hands, technology has the power to transform lives for good.

Take, for instance, the Bangalore-based last-mile rural e-commerce company 1BRIDGE , which employs technology to create better lifestyles and livelihoods. With the insight that rural consumers also seek urban lifestyle products, while they are not easily accessible to them, the tech-driven company developed a digital assisted-commerce platform where rural consumers are connected with suppliers, enabling access to an array of products as well as digital services, such as bill payments, mobile recharge, and cash withdrawals. The company's services are operationalized through a network of rural youth, generating employment opportunities in the country's underserved regions.

1Bridge also has a hyperlocal e-commerce app that connects local sellers with local buyers through Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), expanding its market reach and strengthening its business by further leveraging technology to achieve not just the company's economic but also social impact goals.

Another great example where technology has been thoughtfully put to use for good is the Hyderabad-based rooftop solar company Freyr Energy Services Pvt Ltd . The company identified that one of the world’s largest solar market for homes and small businesses is fragmented, unorganized and has multiple points of failure in a customer’s solar journey. To solve this problem, they built the Freyr Energy App.

?This user-friendly application allows consumers to transition seamlessly from expensive and polluting energy sources to affordable and clean rooftop solar power. Their entire journey from enquiry to ordering a system, applying for loans, tracking the installation and savings from solar, happens on the Freyr Energy App. It's a win-win for the consumers, the businesses, and the environment — all through the brilliant use of technology.

Similarly, another Bangalore-based company, LabourNet Services India Pvt. Ltd., is creating learning and employment opportunities by enabling technology for their business. LabourNet recognized that most people in India struggle to find jobs due to a lack of relevant industry skills and also work for meagre?wages, to keep them out of poverty. Addressing this issue, the company designed a technology-based system called SAHI that evaluates an individual’s skill sets and offers them a platform for skilling or upskilling and getting certifications, followed by employment opportunities, offering benefits to both companies and workers.?

The tech-based system offers workers access to learning and upskilling opportunities, flexibility to choose the type of work, and transparency in payments. It also enables associated companies that hire from LabourNet to not just benefit from an improved ability to scale and access on-demand go-to-market skills, but also execute and track salary disbursements, and manage and engage their workforce more efficiently.

While these are just a few examples from our investment portfolio, they reinforce our approach to investments, which is that business models should be woven around social or environmental impact with technology at their core. This perspective will help define a clear path to long-term positive and sustainable development through technology rather than falling prey to the lure of fleeting trends.

The ecosystem is ripe for technological innovation today, offering an array of opportunities for businesses to explore and adopt emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and web3 to foster improved operational efficiencies and enable a large-scale impact. As investors, it is crucial to encourage and support such innovative businesses, however, with the right intent of delivering meaningful benefits to all stakeholders.