We take you to the Digital World to give prospective customers – Inaequalis Consulting
This is the story of Snigdha and Ritesh, the power couple from Lucknow, who choose to challenge themselves. Meet Ritesh Saxena (MBA and Software Engineer) and Snigdhaa Ritesh (BA Honors in English & Journalism in Mass Communication) husband-wife duo and co-founders of LAADLI – A Women Safety Tech tool designed for Women helplines. Married in 2006, they believe, if we can live together we can work together too — at our own, carefully nurtured fledglings.
Snigdhaa has been into media for over 15 years but before quitting it last year she was very vocal about women-related issues throughout her reporting carrier and wanted to do something powerful for the women populace, while Ritesh has been heading top-line Marketing and Branding positions in various IT companies over a span of 18 years. Such varied interests and professional duties haven’t come in the way of a 14-year-old relationship as they conceptualized an out-of-the-box innovative solution on women’s safety.
Over 30 years of collective experience in the media and marketing industry made their two-year-old bootstrap company, Inaequalis Consulting Private Limited is a profit-making organization. Inaequalis Consulting was founded on one simple belief, that change is only constant in our world and that as enterprises and individuals, there is a requirement for all of us to respond to change with vision, courage, and integrity.
How did they start it?
Snigdhaa was working in the All India Radio and Doordarshan Kisan in New Delhi and had to return home at odd hours as she used to travel by Delhi Metro and public transport. To feel safe she downloaded various women’s safety mobile apps to avert any mishaps but she found various issues in these apps and none of them were of much help to her. She discussed the same with Ritesh and he agreed and this gave birth to their startup dedicated for women’s safety.
Snigdhaa has been awarded by Dy. CM of Uttar Pradesh Dr. Dinesh Sharma at the UPStartup Conclave on 14th September 2019 as the ‘Best Social Impact Startup on Women Safety’ among 1000 startups from all over India. She also received appreciation on Twitter from Niti Aayog’s CEO Mr. Amitabh Kant and Startup India.
What is exactly LAADLI and how will it save women populace?
Snigdhaa syas, ‘we have developed this innovative unique app after four years of thorough research and talking to various stakeholders in the society and have showcased the app and the features list to the likes of UP’s Chief Minister Shri Yogi Adityanath Ji, Ms. Rita Bahuguna Joshi, Ms. Swati Singh, Ms. Smriti Irani, Mr. Mahendra Nath Pandey and CM Office beaurucrats.
The State-of-the-art women safety mobile app has integrated system of Crime Data Analytics and Crime Data Bank. The app works as a ‘3-Way Emergency Response Support System (ERSS)’ which will function as an integrated computer and mobile aided emergency response platform to respond to distress calls and ensure speedy assistance to the women in distress. The LAADLI mobile app is a software led application where women can register, report issues, speak for immediate medical assistance and get guidance from women helpline call-center and the Police agencies. The mobile app will utilize the existing infrastructure of any functioning Women Helpline.
Tell us more about LAADLI and how it is going to reduce the rising crime graph.
The app primarily aims to secure women in public places and at home, asking for immediate help without any obligation, secondly, it shares the comprehensive database of unreported incidents/crimes against women to the Government Agencies and Departments which will be obtained through the users’ stamping a particular location as unsafe. The registration process is quick and easy; all the individual profile data stored and captured in the form of pictures, and the locations of the users will be kept confidential and on a secured server.
This would lead the Police and the Government agencies to find the ‘Dark Spots’ (Vulnerability Map/Crime prone Areas) and take corrective measures by increasing Pink Patrol two-wheelers patrolling, deploying Anti-Romeo squads and women constables, installing Pink Booths, CCTV cameras, increasing means of commutations (Pink Buses), providing enough streetlights, and thereby reducing the overall crime rate against women. With the help of all modern facilities and technological advancements at the women helplines, and by using our proposed technology and strategy, the app aims to curb crime against women by 15% to 45% in the first year of inception, in different geographies.
What are the key bottlenecks to launching LAADLI and how you manage to overcome?
Ritesh briefed us that ‘As Uttar Pradesh didn’t have a Startup Policy and despite awards and honors the support from the Govt. agencies support was not possible as the state had no mechanism to cater to startups. We have been unofficially representing UP at Startup India and Niti Aayog and we scheduled the meetings for the State Minister of IT & Electronics Mr. Ajit Singh Pal with Mr. Deepak Bagla, CEO of Startup India, and with Mr. Ramanan Ramnathan MD, Atal Innovation Mission at Niti Aayog. We shared the draft of the Startup Policy and guidelines with CM Office beaurocrats and the honorable Chief Minister took cognizance, which resulted in the MoU signing between the UP Govt. and SIDBI.
Snigdhaa added, ‘recently the UP Cabinet also approved the amendments in the first-ever dedicated Startup Policy in Uttar Pradesh. It gives fresh hope to help the women populace with this very relevant social app. Moreover, I would now be associated with a top Incubation center, shall this startup policy comes into effect.’
What are your expectations from the UP Govt. and Incubator?
Snigdhaa briefed to us that the UP Govt. announced that preference will be given to women-led startups under the new startup policy for women entrepreneurs in Uttar Pradesh! It states that firstly, 25% Incubator seats reserved will be reserved for women, secondly, a capital of Rs. 7.5 lakh/year and a thirdly a sustenance allowance Rs. 22,500/month will be contributed to women entrepreneurs. This will give a big boost to Women Entrepreneurs in the state.
The Incubator is another support-system. Ritish says,, ‘our technology solution is built on the latest technologies like Big Data, Artificial Intelligence and IoT, which can help the Government and Police agencies to get real-time insights of Crime Data Analytics pan State – City-wise Crime Data – Dark Spots, Crime Type, Crime Time, Victim Age Graph, etc. Therefore, it needs a lot of technology integration and to draw analytics we are in talks with IIT Kanpur to incubate LAADLI and take the product to the next level.
What is your one-liner to attract potential investors and Govt. agencies?
The women in distress need not to call the helpline number, she just needs to shake the phone. If she is physically comfortable and wants to report silently, she can stamp mark the crime type on the map’s location. This data we will convert into transformational change needed in the desired location.
What are the other activities and engagements you are involved?
Ritesh briefly addressed, ‘We knew the key strengths lie in the ability to service clients with enterprise-scale and class. So, we offered digital expertise and branding specialist services in a wide range of functional areas and engagements. The diversity in their digital solution offering enables our clients to leverage their strengths to drive business improvement needs wherever there may be and whenever they may arise. Some of our key engagements have been the One District One Product (ODOP) as Technology Partners, UPStartup Conclave as Event, Technology, Digital, and Media Partners. Besides Digital and Technology Consulting we have also moved into Govt. Advisory and Public-Policy Reformations since this year.’
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