WORK IN PROGRESS: March 2025

Welcome to the March edition of ‘Work In Progress’, our monthly newsletter that brings you stories of innovation and entrepreneurship as we work towards solving India's most pressing challenges.

This month, the spotlight is on women-led innovation, mobility, sustainability, and global collaborations that are unlocking new possibilities.

What happens when innovation is inclusive? From a self-administered cervical cancer screening test breaking barriers in early detection to women in rural Uttar Pradesh reclaiming mobility and independence through e-rickshaw entrepreneurship, innovation is being put into action in powerful ways.

At the same time, we’re expanding efforts to scale clean energy solutions in India’s dairy sector through our recently announced partnership with National Dairy Development Board (NDDB).

At Impact / Failure 2025, we explored the role of philanthropy in funding innovation, emphasising the urgent need for long-term, risk-tolerant capital to drive breakthrough solutions in health, climate, and livelihoods. Meanwhile, our portfolio start-ups continued to make waves globally, scaling clean energy solutions in France, deploying bio-based building materials in Europe, and strengthening agritech collaborations in Ethiopia. Across sectors, their work earned well-deserved recognition, from industry awards to global showcases. With each milestone, we’re reminded that big change begins with bold ideas.

As we continue backing mission-driven entrepreneurs, we’re grateful to have you on this journey. Stay tuned for more impact stories in the next edition—and dive into this one to explore the innovations making a real impact!

Reimagining Women’s Health: Innovation, Access, and Equity

What if a woman didn’t have to wait for a hospital appointment to screen for cervical cancer? What if healthcare was built with a woman’s perspective at its core?

For too long, women’s health has been shaped by discomfort, stigma, and limited access—but innovation is changing that. From self-screening solutions to AI-powered diagnostics, start-ups are transforming women’s healthcare, making it more accessible, affordable, and personalised.

This Women’s Day, we spoke with Dr Anchal Chandra , founder of bioLOCKEY Healthworks , about how selfCERVIX, a point-of-care cervical cancer screening test, is making early detection simpler and stigma-free. She shares why women’s voices in innovation matter and how technology is reshaping healthcare for a more equitable future.

Read the full interview here

Driving Change: How Women Are Steering Their Own Futures

For women in rural Uttar Pradesh, mobility has long been a barrier—to healthcare, education, and financial independence. But today, they are taking the driver’s seat—literally.

Through a partnership with SMV Green Solutions , Sustain Plus is enabling women across Lucknow, Varanasi, Allahabad, and Bahraich to become ‘Vahinis’—e-rickshaw entrepreneurs. Women like Poonam, an ASHA worker from Bahraich, are now driving their own e-rickshaws, transporting patients, earning a steady income, and proving that mobility isn’t just about movement—it’s about empowerment.

These ‘E-Rickshaw Didis’ are breaking barriers, changing perceptions, and showing that women don’t just need better transport—they deserve to lead it.

Read the full story here

Scaling Circular Dairy

At Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, Sustain Plus and NDDB launched a partnership to drive biogas adoption, optimise manure management, and integrate renewable energy into dairy operations. Building on a successful earlier collaboration, this next phase will further expand biogas access across multiple states, helping farmers convert dairy waste into clean energy, reduce reliance on firewood and LPG, and improve productivity and income stability.

With a 60% recovery rate, manure from dairy farming could generate 39 billion m3 of biogas, meeting nearly all rural cooking needs while cutting emissions. By embedding circularity in dairy operations, this collaboration has the potential to reshape the dairy sector—improving livelihoods, sustainability, and climate resilience for millions of farmers.

Reimagining Philanthropy

At Impact/Failure 2025, our founder, Manoj Kumar , raised a critical question: Why aren’t we seeing enough philanthropic participation in R&D and innovation?

While the government remains the largest funder of innovation, financial constraints and policy challenges often lead to suboptimal resource allocation. Meanwhile, private capital focuses on business-aligned R&D. This leaves high-risk, long-gestation innovations—especially in poverty alleviation, healthcare, livelihoods, and climate resilience—without the support they need to scale.

Manoj Kumar (Founder), Onkar Pandey (Director, Social Alpha), and Ayan Deb (Director, Sustain Plus) spoke on key challenges in philanthropy, agritech, and solar irrigation adoption.

Reflecting on the event, Manoj shared: “Philanthropy must go beyond charity and invest in systemic change.”

Strengthening India's Space & Defence Ecosystem

At Aero India 2025,?mach33.aero?played a key role in driving conversations and showcasing innovations shaping India’s strategic capabilities.

As part of the event,?mach33.aero?hosted a high-impact roundtable on ‘India-US Space Strategy and Opportunities for Indian Start-Ups’, bringing together leading start-ups, venture capitalists, and senior officials from the US Space Policy and US Space Force. The discussions laid the groundwork for future collaborations under INDUS X, the India-U.S. Defence Acceleration Ecosystem, a collaboration between the United States and India to strengthen their defence technologies.

Four mach33.aero-backed start-ups— Manastu Space , Kepler Aero , Aatral , and Next Defence Private Limited , presented their innovations at the iDEX - DIO India Pavilion, highlighting advancements in autonomous aerial vehicles, propulsion systems, and satellite subsystems.

At Manthan 2025, the annual flagship defence innovation event,?mach33.aero?participated in discussions on expanding space and defence innovations into commercial markets, addressing critical global challenges such as climate change, energy security, and disaster management.

Social Alpha at the Asia Reuse Consortium?

At the Asia Reuse Consortium workshop, Aishwarya KS from Social Alpha joined a discussion on strengthening advocacy and fostering collaborative action for reuse at both national and global levels. She highlighted Social Alpha’s approach to driving environmental and social impact, with a strong emphasis on gender, equity, and improving livelihoods for informal waste pickers and how start-ups within its ecosystem are enabling a shift in how their work is valued.

Blackfrog Unveils Health Center Jerry: A Breakthrough in Cold Chain?and Mobile Healthcare

Blackfrog Technologies , a Social Alpha portfolio company, has launched Health Center Jerry, a solar-powered, high-capacity power bank designed to strengthen healthcare delivery in resource-limited settings. Inspired by the jerry can—a symbol of survival in war zones—this innovation provides continuous cold chain maintenance and supports mobile healthcare teams with over six hours of independent power, allowing medical services to reach the most underserved communities. In regions with unreliable electricity, the device offers a 900-lumen LED light for power outages and 65W charging for essential medical devices, reducing dependence on fossil fuels and ensuring last-mile healthcare resilience.

Strengthening Impact Through Partnerships

We are excited to share four key partnerships forged by our portfolio companies that expand access to sustainable agriculture, circular economy solutions, green building materials, and renewable energy.

Krimanshi ?has partnered with Essmart to bring science-backed cattle feed and supplements to rural farmers across Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu.?

STRAWCTURE ECO has partnered with Binnovator Pte. Ltd to bring its carbon-neutral building materials to West Bengal and Eastern India. The company has also joined hands with Ricehouse Srl Società Benefit in Italy, successfully shipping two full containers of its bio-based materials for insulation, furniture, and panelling applications.?

Kheyti ?has signed an MoU with the Society For Elimination Of Rural Poverty - India (SERP) in Andhra Pradesh, in the presence of Hon’ble MSME Minister Mr Kondapalli Srinivas. The partnership will enable women farmers in Self-Help Groups (SHGs) to transition into micro-entrepreneurs through protected agriculture.?

Saaf Energy has announced the successful commissioning and bio-methanation grid injection in France, achieving 97.5% CH? purity using its biogas membrane upgrading system.?

Through these partnerships, our start-ups are scaling innovation and impact, advancing sustainability, economic inclusion, and clean technology adoption—from farms to cities, and across global markets.

PadCare , Ai Health Highway , Rechargion Energy Private Limited , and Loopworm , all part of the Social Alpha ecosystem, have been recognised for their groundbreaking contributions across healthcare, sustainability, and biotechnology.?

PadCare?was awarded the Most Innovative Partner Award at the JLL India Partner’s Summit 2025, reaffirming its commitment to sustainable menstrual hygiene management.?

Ai Health Highway?was shortlisted among the Top 100 start-ups at Maharashtra Startup Week 2025, where it showcased AiSteth, its AI-powered stethoscope, to experts from clinical, public health, investment, and policy backgrounds.

Dr Manjusha Shelke , founder of?Rechargion, was featured in ‘She Is, Women in Chemistry’, a book celebrating 75 Indian women driving advancements in chemical sciences, honouring women shaping the future of battery technology and clean energy solutions.

Loopworm?received the Aegis Graham Bell Award in the Agritech category, recognising its biotechnology-driven approach to sustainable nutrition.

Ethiopian Delegation Explores Social Alpha’s Climate-Resilient Agriculture Models

We recently hosted a delegation from Precise Consult International and the Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Institute (ATI) , who visited production clusters in Gujarat and Rajasthan to explore climate-resilient agriculture models implemented under Social Alpha’s communities programs.

The delegation visited sites in Dahod and Dungarpur to understand interventions such as high-value crop cultivation, solar irrigation, dairy and poultry models, and community-managed lift irrigation schemes. The visit also included insights into biogas-based clean cooking solutions and organic fertiliser production.

To advance collaboration, a workshop was held at VIKSAT INDIA , Ahmedabad to co-develop a roadmap for implementing a pilot project in Ethiopia.

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