Cohort 2

Empowering Indian Rural Women through ESG Solutions

The "Empowering Indian Rural Women through ESG Solutions" project is dedicated to transforming the lives of Indian rural women by establishing sustainable micro dairy plants, integrating key Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) measures such as employing electric vehicles for transportation, and utilizing blockchain for product traceability. Beyond economic empowerment, the initiative creates multipurpose facilities for education and health check-ups, contributing to a holistic community development model. Recognized for its innovative approach with a prestigious runner-up position in the Eureka social track at IIT Bombay, the project is a beacon of empowerment, education, and environmental consciousness, aiming to inspire similar models globally.

Project Team:

Ashish Airon, Founder, Cognitensor
Project Role: Artificial Intelligence, Data Science
Email: ashishairon@gmail.com

Abdessalem Rabhi, Senior Programme Coordinator, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies
Project Role: Project Lead, Sustainability and ESG Finance
Email: abdessalem@iges.or.jp

Arvind Patil, Senior Manager, Design & Programs, Good Business Lab Foundation
Project Role: Impact evaluation and economic development 
Email: aurobindo.patil@gmail.com

Lei Lei, Research Fellow, IDE Jetro
Project Role: Sustainable agriculture development
Email: lei_lei@ide.go.jp

Sanjay Bhattacharji, Founder and Director, Telpu Learning Pvt Limited
Project Role: Digital, Finance, Dairy
Email: sanjay@teplu.in

Tomo Kawane, Senior Researcher, Keio University
Project Role: Community engagement & Network development
Email: kawanetomo337@gmail.com

For more information, please email Abdessalem Rabhi 

Additional Resources:
Empowering Indian Rural Women through ESG Solutions _ Presentation

BeeKind

"BeeKind: Empowering Rural Women Through Scientific Beekeeping" addresses the need for sustainable livelihoods and ecological awareness by providing rural and tribal women with training and support in beekeeping. The project aims to educate consumers about genuine honey, raise awareness about the importance of bees, and foster community building among beekeepers. Utilizing the BeeKind app, the initiative offers continuous training, decision-making tools, and community connectivity to enhance hive management and productivity. By ensuring fair prices and a buy-back system, the project promotes economic sustainability and empowerment. The expected outcomes include increased per capita consumption of real honey, improved livelihoods for women beekeepers, and the establishment of a robust, community-supported beekeeping network. This initiative not only supports biodiversity but also contributes to the financial independence and social upliftment of rural women.

Project Team:

Monika Shukla, CEO and Co-founder, Lets Endorse Development
Project Role: Project Lead
Email: monika@letsendorse.com

Kaede Nagashima, Lead- Finance and Accounts, Rakuten India Enterprise Private Limited
Project Role: Japanese Expat Connection in India, Marketing and Brand Research
Email: kaede.wf08@gmail.com

Lei Lei, Research Fellow, IDE Jetro 
Project Role: Agriculture/Land-use Pattern Research in Japan
Email: lei_lei@ide.go.jp

Makoto Noda, Business Development Manager, Global Business Unit, NEC corporations
Project Role: Project Co-Lead, Technology Integration for Traceability
Email: m-noda@nec.com

For more information, please email Monika Shukla

Additional Resources:
BeeKind Presentation
https://thehumblebee.co/
www.instagram.com/humblebeekind

Pathways: Empowering Every Step in Autism Care

The "Pathways: Empowering Every Step in Autism Care" project introduces a mobile application designed to empower caregivers of autism spectrum disorder individuals with personalized, evidence-based resources. Since Autism is a spectrum of various conditions, not all individuals have similar needs. Personalized support, tailored towards every child’s need is very important. This initiative seeks to bridge the gap between professional therapy and home care by leveraging AI, providing progress tracking, and fostering a supportive community platform for a holistic care approach. By enhancing the abilities of parents and family members, the team aims to significantly improve the quality of life for individuals with ASD, and also provide a platform for the caregivers to connect and learn from each other, breaking the cycle of isolation and building a supportive community.

Project team:

Remo Sugimoto, COO and Project Manager, Ohana Co. 
Project Role: Project Lead, Team management, HR, Partnerships 
Email: remosugimoto@gmail.com 

Paras Sharma, Co-founder and Director, Kidaura
Project Role: Project Co-Lead, Product Manager, Technology, Research and Development  
Email: paras@kidaura.in

Nidhi Khurana, Independent Global Health Consultant
Project Role: Project Mentor, Strategic Advisor for Research and Value Proposition   
Email: nidhi.khurana@gmail.com

For more information, please email Remo Sugimoto

Prototypes:

YoriAI (web version) Intro Video

YoriAI (LINE version) Intro Video

Additional Resources:
Care for ASD _ Presentation
Pathways_Care for ASD_Brochure
https://pathways.kidaura.in

Moral Morpheus: Gamifying Critical Pedagogy & Collective Innovation Around Complex Challenges of the Zeitgeist

Moral Morpheus is an innovative platform aimed at promoting critical discussions & collective innovation around challenging issues such as digital fairness by gamifying the innovation environment. The project, hosted at Digital Asia Lab India, targets a diverse audience including engineers, artists, and policymakers. Moral Morpheus: AI edition addresses the ethical dilemmas posed by AI and blockchain technologies, nudging people to consider the impact of techsolutionist approaches through various lenses. By making digital ethics education engaging and accessible through interactive tools and scenarios, Moral Morpheus aspires to train a million responsible leaders, ensuring that technological advancements benefit humanity as a whole. Expected outcomes include responsible innovation, enhanced awareness of digital ethics, improved decision-making capabilities, and the promotion of an equitable digital future. 

Project Team:

Satyam Mohla, Founder, Digital Asia Lab & Innovation Program Manager, Honda Europe
Project Role: Project Owner
Email: satyammohla@gmail.com

Pranay Ramesh Patil, MPP candidate, Harvard Kennedy School
Project Role: Project Advisor
Email: pranaypatil.nha@gmail.com  

Rami Desai, Distinguished Fellow, India Foundation
Project Role: Senior Member
Email: ramidesai@gmail.com

Atiya Anis, Head of Communication, Humanitarian OpenStreetMap
Project Role: Senior Member
Email: atiyaanis@gmail.com

Tomoko Imai, Director of Education Strategy, Jiyugaoka Gakuen High School
Project Role: Project Advisor
Email: imai@jiyugaoka.ac.jp

Arvind Patil, Associate Director - Design, Good Business Lab
Project Role: Project Advisor
Email: aurobindo.patil@gmail.com

For more information, please email Satyam Mohla

Additional Resources:

https://satyammohla.com/moralmorpheus

Narrative Kitchen

"Narrative Kitchen" leverages the universal appeal of food to connect urban and rural communities in Japan and India, fostering social inclusion and understanding through culinary storytelling. This technology-enabled distributed living lab aims to encourage people from diverse backgrounds to share their stories, traditions, and experiences, thereby promoting empathy and unity. By highlighting marginalized voices and converting them into powerful agents of change, the project aspires to influence social policy and create a more inclusive society. Through creative, art, and design-led processes, including dialogue-based activities and gamified participative reflections, "Narrative Kitchen" seeks to redefine community engagement. The anticipated outcomes include enhanced social cohesion, mutual respect, and a platform for unheard and unseen narratives to be shared and celebrated, ultimately driving social equity and participation.

Project Team:

Sudebi Thakurata, Co-founder and Associate Dean, D.epicentre and Srishti Manipal Institute of Art, Design & Technology
Project Role: Project Lead
Email: sudebi@depicentre.in

Yumiko Mori, Founder &  Board Member, Specified Non-Profit Organization Comachiplus
Project Role: Project Co-Lead
Email: mori@comachiplus.org

Tomo Kawane, Senior Researcher, Keio University
Project Role: Project Member, Community Outreach Japan
Email: kawanetomo337@gmail.com

Parul, Associate Professor, DevBhoomi Uttarakhand University
Project Role: Project Member
Email: parul130288@gmail.com

For more information, please email Sudebi Thakurata
 

Additional Resources:

https://www.instagram.com/narrativekitchen/ ;

Mitr: Mental Health Champions

"Mitr: Mental Health Champions" addresses India's critical shortage of mental health professionals by providing innovative training through an advanced chatbot powered by Large Language Models (LLMs). This project, inspired by Japanese efficiency principles, aims to democratize mental health support by making effective training accessible to community champions. By leveraging a digital platform, Mitr connects college students with trained mental health champions, offering personalized and impactful care. The project focuses on providing "just-in-time" learning, conversation guides designed by experts, and real-time support to ensure that community champions can effectively meet diverse mental health needs. The anticipated outcomes include a sustainable and community-driven mental health support system, improved mental health care accessibility, and enhanced well-being among underserved populations in regions lacking professional resources.

Project Team:

Anushka Kelkar, Co-Founder, Therapize
Project Role: Project Lead
Email: ak322@uw.edu

Arundhuti Gupta, CEO, Mentor Together
Project Role: Project Co-Lead
Email: arundhuti@mentortogether.org

For more information, please email Anushka Kelkar

Additional Resources:
Mitr _ Presentation

Japan-India Co-Innovation on Sustainable Mobility

"Japan-India Co-Innovation on Sustainable Mobility" aims to foster Indo-Japanese collaboration and innovation in the realm of sustainable mobility. Building on past successes like Suzuki's compact cars, this project seeks to replicate such achievements in the field of electric mobility, a crucial step in climate response. The project's objectives include enhancing collaboration between Japan's and India's innovation ecosystems and leveraging Japan's leadership in processes, safety, and quality alongside India's strengths in agility, cost competitiveness, and market scale. The team is currently identifying pilot cases to support and develop a collaborative framework through consulting projects and academic research. The anticipated outcomes include increased Indo-Japanese technological cooperation in sustainable mobility, evidenced by joint ventures, MoUs, co-developed products, and the scaling of e-mobility initiatives in both countries. Additionally, the project will highlight shared and unique mobility challenges, such as addressing aging population issues in Japan and similar but underrecognized challenges in India's smaller towns.

Project Team:

Rajarshi Rakesh Sahai, Venture Partner, Mobility Fund
Project Role: Project Lead
Email: Rajarshi.rakesh.sahai@gmail.com

Aiko Shimizu, Corporate, External and Legal Affairs, Microsoft
Project Role: Policy lead
Email:aiko.shimizu@gmail.com

Rajat Gupta, Senior Manager (EV & Auto),  Invest India
Project Role: Partnerships Lead
Email: rajatgupta1294@gmail.com

Nandakumar Janardhanan, Director, IGES 
Project Role: Academic Coordination Lead 
Email: janardhanan@iges.or.jp

Huma Mursaleen, Senior Engineer, OTSL
Project Role: Technical Lead
Email: huma.murs@gmail.com

For more information, please email Rajarshi Rakesh Sahai

Additional Resources:
 

Inclusive Communication, Education, and Empowerment in the AI Era

This forward-thinking project leverages AI, Robot, and Metaverse technologies to foster Social Emotional Learning (SEL) among students from diverse cultural backgrounds, notably between India and Japan. Collaborating with educational institutions, the initiative aims to dismantle cultural barriers and promote empathy, understanding, and collaboration among young individuals. Through innovative technology and strategic partnerships, this project is setting new standards in global education, emphasizing inclusivity, ethical learning, and emotional intelligence to prepare students for a harmonious global future. 

Project Team:

Tomoko Imai, Director of Education Strategy, Jiyugaoka Gakuen High School
Project Role: Project Lead, Coordination and Implementation of the Service
Email: imai@jiyugaoka.ac.jp

Anil Jaggi, CEO, Conscious Ventures
Project Role: Network Development
Email: draniljaggi@gmail.com

Rami Niranjan Desai, Consulting Editor, Global Order
Project Role: Conflict Areas Analyst
Email: ramidesai@gmail.com

Shigeko Yoshimura, System Administrator, JICA
Project Role: Developing Countries Specialist
Email: shigeko.yoshimura@gmail.com

Satyam Mohla, Founder, Digital Asia Lab & Innovation Program Manager, Honda Europe
Project Role: Project Advisor
Email: satyammohla@gmail.com

Parag Mankeekar, Founder & CEO, RealLives Foundation
Project Role: Project Advisor
Email: parag@reallivesworld.com

For more information, please email Tomoko Imai

Additional Resources:
ICEE _ Presentation  

Design of Efficient and Cost-Effective Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling Methods for India and Japan

"Design of Efficient and Cost-Effective Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling Methods for India and Japan" addresses the critical need for sustainable and ecological recycling solutions amid the rising use of electric vehicles. The project aims to create high-yield, low-cost recycling processes with minimal greenhouse gas emissions, enhancing supply chain resilience and sustainability. By researching and evaluating multiple recycling methods, the project will establish benchmarks and innovative process flows tailored for local and global applications. The initiative will actively involve recyclers in the battery manufacturing value chain, fostering sustainable supply chains and reducing dependence on politically unstable economies. Expected outcomes include significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, cost-effective recycling methods, and a robust circular value chain. The project will also highlight the positive impact on women, children, and the environment by improving the efficiency of raw material extraction and reducing the reliance on environmentally harmful mining activities.

Project Team:

Manik Dhingra, CEO & Co-founder/Director, Shoonya Environmental Solutions/Eywa Environmental Service Foundation
Project Role: Project Lead, E-Waste Recycling Lead
Email: manik@shoonyaes.com

Rajat Gupta, Investment Consultant  - EV/Mobility, Invest India, Ministry of Commerce
Project Role: Partnerships and Investment Lead
Email: rajatgupta1294@gmail.com

Tejaswini Atluri, Innovation Manager, Bosch Limited
Project Role: Technology and Infrastructure Lead
Email: tejaswini995@gmail.com

Naim Keruwala, Program Director CITIIS, National Institute of Urban Affairs
Project Role: Waste Management Lead
Email: naimk.janwani@gmail.com  

For more information, please email Manik Dhingra

Additional Resources:

Neighborhood Navigator

"Neighborhood Navigator" leverages the power of technology and hyperlocal data to address complex urban challenges, enhancing citizen participation in urban governance and policy advocacy. The project aims to break down data silos, integrate diverse data sources, and generate actionable insights to improve city operations and planning. The initiative employs an anonymized public data lake, a crowdsourcing system, and an AI/ML engine to analyze and visualize data, focusing initially on the usability of urban transportation and infrastructure for the elderly and disabled. Expected outcomes include improved decision-making, increased accessibility, and a more inclusive urban environment, benefiting millions in India and Japan. The project seeks to empower changemakers, foster community engagement, and support sustainable urban development aligned with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals.

Project Team:

Aishwarya Agarwal, Senior Associate, OMI Foundation
Project Role: Urban Mobility and Accessibility Lead
Email: aishwarya.ag03@gmail.com

Gautam Prakash, Co-founder, Reap-Benefit Foundation
Project Role: Technology and Data Integration Lead
Email: gautamp@reapbenefit.org

For more information, please email Gautam Prakash

Additional Resources: