Startup that solves city problems wins Urban Venture Challenge

A startup that channelises youth to locate problems in urban spaces and then work together to solve them, won the  Urban Venture Challenge, 2016 Pitchfest at the Indian Institute of Management (IIMB) on Saturday.

Based in Bengaluru, Reap Benefit mainly works in the area of environment and civic problems and in the process helps the youth in developing problem-solving skills.

Kuldeep Dantewadia, co-founder of the venture said: “Reap Benefit solves mostly local issues. The way we go about it is simple – we collect data about a particular problem, understand the issue and develop solutions for problems.” The organisation has worked in many areas such as providing low-cost waterless urinals in government schools, low-cost weather stations and others.

The organisation has made as many as 10 interventions in Hubballi, Chikkamagaluru and Tumakuru. “We will be working on developing the app for a few months. We will also be connected with the Standford Design School to make our app better. With this, we would like to get more people in our mission,” he said.

Reap Benefit won a cash prize of Rs 50,000 and have also got a direct entry into the N S Raghavan Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning (NSRCEL) ‘launchpad’ that will bolster their prospects of making their venture even bigger. The runners-up and second runners-up won Rs 30,000 and Rs 20,000 respectively. The fest received many entries from across the country. 

Organised by the IIMB-Real Estate Research Initiative and supported by Stanford’s The Center on Democracy, Development and Rule of Law and Asia Initiatives, the challenge aims to identify entrepreneurs who are working on ideas and ventures that will transform India’s cities.