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Padcare Labs’ And ‘Stand We Speak’ win Villgro-FPAI Innovation Challenge

Dec 16, 2020 by Rekha Nair 0 Comments #Ajinkya Dhariya, #CEO, #Dr Kalpana Apte, #FPA India, #Padcare Labs, #Priyal Agrawal, #Secretary-General, #Srinivas Ramanujam, #StandWeSpeak, #Villgro

New Delhi: Villgro and Family Planning Association of India (FPAI) today announced Padcare Labs and Stand we Speak as the winners of the Innovation Challenge, an initiative to find start-ups and innovators using technological solutions to solve sexual and reproductive health challenges. Padcare Labs), a startup that has developed a solution for sanitary napkin disposal was announced as the winner in the startup category. Further, SexEd-tech initiative Stand We Speak was chosen as the winner in the Individual / Team category. The winners will receive a cash award of upto INR 3.5 lakhs.

Innovation Challenge was launched in October this year in the wake of rising gap in awareness during COVID-19 pandemic to identify and support start-ups and innovators which are developing technology solutions to sexual and reproductive health challenges such as early diagnosis of pregnancy, poly cystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), ovulation monitoring, eco-friendly disposal of sanitary napkins and multi-lingual sex education. Startups and Innovators from across India had submitted applications for the challenge.

Speaking on the Innovation Challenge, Srinivas Ramanujam, CEO, Villgro said “The Innovation Challenge has been an extremely satisfying and fruitful initiative for Villgro. During this initiative, we were introduced to several cutting edge tech solutions that address sexual health issues. After a lot of deliberations and consultations, we chose Padcare Labs and Stand we Speak as the winners because both these ventures address two important issues in sexual healthcare that have remained neglected in India for years- sanitary waste disposal management and lack of sex education. I am confident that these two ventures will contribute significantly to improving the sexual healthcare system in India”.

On the conclusion of the Innovation Challenge, Dr Kalpana Apte, Secretary General, FPA India said “The Innovation Challenge has opened up a new avenue of collaboration between the SRH fraternity and the world of innovators and start-ups. We hope to build upon this collaboration in the process of addressing the sexual and healthcare issues, particularly experienced by young people, not only in India, but across the globe, in the subsequent months. . The winner in the startup category- Padcare Labs has a remarkable solution that if deployed across the country can effectively tackle the problem of sanitary waste management. The other winner in the  individual / team category- Stand we Speak has achieved remarkable progress in improving access to comprehensive sexuality education and sexual health experts in India. Further, both these ventures also have a viable and sustainable business model for implementing their solutions”

Padcare Labs is a Maharashtra based startup founded by Ajinkya Dhariya that has developed the world’s first solution for smokeless sanitary napkin disposal and recycling. Sanitary waste disposal is a major environmental problem in India. 12 billion used sanitary napkins are generated in India each year from which 98% goes to water bodies and landfills. It takes 800 years to decompose a single sanitary napkin. PadcareLabs’s solution includes an innovation called Saneco. Saneco is a  centralized processing unit that processes super absorbent polymer and produces segregated and sterilized cellulose plastic as output. This plastic can also be used for different applications like plastic  material etc.

StandWeSpeak is a Chattisgarh based SexEd-tech initiative founded by Priyal Agrawal. It equips people with the life-skills required to take care of their sexual health & well-being, and empowers them to make informed decisions about their bodies, relationships, and mental health throughout their lives. It seeks to remove the taboo around sex education. It provides access to medically accurate information on sexual health, modern contraception and menstrual hygiene products as well as access to sexual health experts such as gynecologists, counselors etc.

The runner up in the startup category was Maharashtra based startup, Fast sense diagnostics, which has developed an on the spot detection tool- POC-Scan to measure the hormonal levels in any setting urban/ rural (home, doctors clinic, PHCs etc.) for the diagnosis of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), one of the most common endocrine disorders caused by hormonal imbalance. In the individual / team category, the runner up was Be Health Positive that is working towards diagnosing infertility in reproductive aged couples in India by spreading awareness among couples of how infertility can be prevented and encouraging them to take the AMH test which can be used to diagnose PCOS and indicate infertility.

From the applications received, the following 15 applicants were shortlisted for a highly curated immersion program with industry experts to create a pilot prototype solution.

  1. Early diagnosis of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS): PCOS Virago (Startup), Janani B. (Individual/ Team)
  2. Early diagnosis of pregnancy: Bloom Glitz Light International (Startup), Sirona (Startup)
  3. Sanitary waste management: Elemantra Enterprises (Startup), Metwiz (Startup), GreenIT (Individual / Team)
  4. Sex Education: Uvi Health (Startup), ThatMate (Startup), Kara for her (Startup)
  5. Ovulation monitoring: Yaakhai Healthcare (Startup)

The above shortlisted startups and innovators participated in a month-long immersion program that consisted of a series of webinars, 1-1 mentoring support by experts from FPAI and Villgro. Further, the applicants were also provided with rapid prototyping support by connecting participants to relevant ecosystem partners. Based on the mentoring received under the immersion program, the 15 shortlisted applicants gave virtual pitches on how they will convert their pilot prototype solution into a viable business model to a panel of Villgro and FPAI experts.

Business World

Hunt for startups to generate PCOS awareness

Oct 23, 2020 by Gouri Achary 0 Comments #Dr. Manisha Bhidse, #Family Planning Association of India (FPAI), #FPAI, #Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, #Ramanathan. V, #Villgro

Villgro and FPAI have joined hands to support start-ups that are developing tech-based solutions to sexual and reproductive health challenges. In the wake of widening gap in awareness due to socially constrained circumstances from Covid-enforced limiting of ground efforts, Villgro and FPAI are backing starts up to find solutions to issues such as early diagnosis of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), timely pregnancy diagnosis, multi-lingual sex education and eco-friendly disposal of sanitary napkins.

The Family Planning Association of India (FPAI) and Villgro, to that end, have launched an innovation challenge to identify two winners who would, apart from a cash prize of Rs 3.5 lakh, would secure follow-on funding and incubation support.

It is estimated that over 20% women in India suffer from PCOS. While PCOS is a hormonal disorder that can be treated, but if not diagnosed in a timely manner, it aggravates other serious health issues and make women suffering from it more vulnerable to diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, hypertension and other complications.

As we continue to grapple with the Covid-19 pandemic, PCOS escalates co-morbidities which makes it all the more lethal to health and well-being. Most women tend to ignore easily-detectable common symptoms in the early stages, mainly due to lack of awareness about it. There is a dire need to create awareness using interactive mediums and different modes.

According to Ramanathan.V from Villgro India lags behind many countries in the development of infrastructure to deal with sexual and reproductive health problems. With Innovation Challenge, we are looking for disruptive solutions in sexual health.”

Early diagnosis of PCOS is crucial because it is connected with ailments like insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and heart diseases. As per WHO, more than 150 million women globally suffer from it.

Dr. Manisha Bhidse, Director, Resource Mobilization, FPAI said “Sexual and reproductive health is an important topic in India but still gets overlooked. In India, there has been progress in this area over the past few years with the decline of infant mortality rate and maternal mortality rate but still a lot needs to be done. Our aim is to find solutions for India that are socially transformative and at the same time commercially viable”

Business World

Villgro and FPAI invite applications for innovative solutions in Sexual and Reproductive Health

Oct 11, 2020 by Gouri Achary 0 Comments #Dr Kalpana Apte, #FPAI, #Ramanathan. V, #Sexual and Reproductive Health, #Villgro

Villgro, India’s pioneering incubator for social enterprises in collaboration with Family Planning Association of India (FPAI) today announced the launch of Innovation Challenge, an initiative to unearth disruptive ideas and technological solutions in the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) space.

This Innovation Challenge aims to attract applications from startups as well as individual innovators working to find solutions for challenges in SRH. . It is a youth-focused program and innovators who would be selected through this challenge will get access to a highly curated immersion program with industry experts to create a pilot prototype solution. Winners would be selected for receiving a cash prize of up to Rs. 3.5 lakhs. Innovators may also be provided with relevant connects for follow on funding and incubation support.

Any individual or a group of individuals who are citizens of India or a startup working to find solutions in sexual and reproductive health are eligible to participate in the challenge.

Program Timeline

1. Call for applications: 9th Oct to 30th Oct.

2. Immersion program: 5th Nov to 15th Nov.

3. Rapid prototyping and preparation for virtual pitches: 16th Nov to 28th Nov.

4. Virtual Pitches and Presentation for final cash award: 29th Nov to 3rd Dec.

The solutions by startups or innovators participating in the challenge must address one of the following problem statements:

a. Technology-driven solutions for multilingual comprehensive sexual education

b. Affordable, easy to use solutions for early diagnosis of pregnancy

c. Eco-friendly, affordable, easy to use solutions for dispensing and disposing of sanitary napkins

d. Easy and Early diagnosis of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)

e. Affordable, multiparameter, ovulation monitoring and management solutions

On the launch of the Innovation Challenge, Ramanathan. V, Practice Head, Villgro said ”We are delighted to launch the Innovation Challenge which is a distinct program in the Indian Entrepreneurship ecosystem as it seeks to encourage innovative technological solutions in sexual and reproductive health. Srinivasan Ramanujam, CEO, Villgro added that “India lags behind many countries in the development of infrastructure to deal with sexual and reproductive health problems. With the vibrant innovation ecosystem we have seen in the startup space in India, we expect disruptive solutions in SRH and also provide a platform for many entrepreneurs and innovators to convert their ideas into sustainable business models”

Speaking on the need for initiatives like the Innovation Challenge, FPAI said that “Young people and their sexual and reproductive health needs have emerged as one of the priority areas in the SRHR sector. Young people often lack the information and agency to exercise their sexual and reproductive rights. Over the last two decades, the world has seen an advancement of technology and innovation in every field. The use of technology therefore offers a multitude of opportunities to promote youth sexual and reproductive health, prevention of unplanned pregnancies, better management of menstrual hygiene and menstruation-related disorders. It is an opportune time to explore how technology can give rise to pivotal solutions with high impact potential to address the challenges faced by young people.

Dr Kalpana Apte, Secretary General, FPA India said: “The Innovation Challenge will facilitate the co-creation of technology-based solutions that will enable more young people to demand information and services pertaining to sexuality education, modern contraception, and reproductive healthcare.”

For more details/submission of applications, please visit: https://www.villgro.org/current-programs

Follow Villgro Innovations Foundation on LinkedIn for more updates: https://www.linkedin.com/company/villgro-innovations-foundation/