Tag: South Asia Innovator Panel

Hunny Bhagchandani, founder and director of Torchit Electronics, a social-tech start up based in India, has continually been driven by creating accessible and affordable assistive technology for people with disabilities (PwDs). This is the sole motivation behind Bhagchandani’s innovation.

“The lack of affordable assistive technology for PwDs was a major problem. Seeing individuals struggle with mobility, education, and employment motivated me to innovate solutions that truly empower and uplift.”

Understanding the challenges and barriers that have, and continue, to limit the independence of so many, Hunny has dedicated his career breaking through these barriers.

Pushing through barriers and strivings for innovation does not come without creativity; for Bhagchandani and Torchit, this is means “constantly [challenging] ourselves to think beyond limitations,” he explains. For Bhagchandani the importance of “creating solutions that are affordable, intuitive, and user-friendly,” which was especially true in “the process of developing devices like Jyoti AI and Saarthi Smart Cane,” cannot be understated. With this strife for affordability, sustainability, along with creativity, these innovations have “required [Bhagchandani] to reimagine how visually impaired individuals interact with the world,” displaying what is means to innovate: to think outside of the box to create something that hasn’t been done before.

The use of Artificial Intelligence has played a major role in this process.

“AI has been a game-changer—it enables real-time text recognition, facial recognition, object detection, and smart navigation.”

With the development of these AI technologies, assistive technology is no longer limited to basic mobility solutions. Bhagchandani envisions a future where AI technologies can be seamlessly integrated into daily life, enabling individuals with disabilities to navigate the world independently and with confidence.

“The response has been incredibly positive—users share stories of how our technology has transformed their independence and confidence. Organizations and governments are now recognizing the importance of assistive tech and actively supporting our mission.”

The communities response to incorporating these new technologies has been a massive success. Despite this success and upward trend in Torchit Electronics, innovation does not come without its challenges. For Torchit, Bhagchandani highlights three major challenges that they have faced and continue to combat are:

These challenges push Bhagchandani and Torchit to continuously refine their work, approach situations from new perspective, and create new strategies that will ensure the validity of their product as well as ensuring their technologies reach the people that need them most.

Beyond the technical aspects of innovation, Bhagchandani emphasizes the human element of his work. The genuine care that he has for the people he tries to aid and the emotional impact of his technologies can often be overlooked, he feels, as the focus favors technological advancement.

“One thing that is often overlooked—the emotional impact of assistive technology. It’s not just about devices; it’s about restoring confidence, dignity, and self-reliance to millions of individuals.”

This theme of empathy is a key motivation for Bhagchandani, when I asked him what keeps you up at night? His response for himself and his company was:

‘”How can we scale faster and reach every person in need?

How do we continue making our solutions better, smarter, and more affordable?

How can we ensure equal opportunities for PwDs across the world?”

How can Torchit continue to impact others, what more aren’t they doing, what can they do better? These are important questions that Bhagchandani continues to answer as is the theme with innovation.

For Bhagchandani, impacting real lives, of real people, who have real needs is of the upmost importance. This journey is a testament to the power of purpose-driven innovation. His work is not just about advancing technology but about transforming lives—one breakthrough at a time. Innovation is always moving, never stagnant, and Bhahchandani and Torchit Electronics are evidence of this continual strife.

In a recent conversation, Minhaz Fahme, author and CEO of Battery Low Interactive Ltd., shared his journey and opinions on the evolution of game development and the innovative influence on the industry. His narrative offers an interesting view on how people’s experiences influence their career choices, how it is important to change according to the audience and the future of technology in gaming.

First, Minhaz recounted how he started playing video games at an early age and how this led him to want to become a game developer. He spent his childhood in Bangladesh where he could not always afford to buy gaming consoles and at times had to borrow them from friends to escape into the various worlds. His passion for games increased as he played games like “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” and he wanted to build something that would make players happy. Despite the fact that there were no game design universities in Bangladesh at the time, Minhaz taught himself the C programming language and even created a game during his university days. This foundation provided the basis for his eventual entry into the gaming industry.

When Minhaz moved on from being a casual gamer to a professional game developer, he observed many changes in the gaming industry that opposed a new developing game studio. One of the most important changes that he noticed has been the changing of audience. He pointed out that the gamers’ population is getting younger and therefore the games must be developed to meet this new audience. This has resulted in more focus being made on integrating new ideas from the younger members of the development teams. Minhaz admitted that he enjoys working with young people, but this shift has become necessary for success in the commercial gaming world as well as giving him a hurdle to overcome in the effort of appealing to those audiences.

In discussing the impact of technology, Minhaz highlighted the rise of mobile gaming. He pointed out that although mobile gaming is easily accessible, it is not always as engaging as it is on the bigger platforms. This is in line with a larger debate within the industry about how to maintain innovation while also preserving the fundamentals of gaming experiences. In response to that question posed, Minhaz delved into the innovative technologies of Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) to implement in his own games. He explained how his company has gone out into the community to take AR and VR technologies to schools and colleges, and have students experience these new, accessible forms of gaming first hand. He believed that AR is an effective learning tool which can deliver information in a more engaging and long lasting manner than conventional approaches. Using the success of games like Pokémon Go to show just how much AR can not only change gaming but also education.

In the future, Minhaz is envisioning a world in which the gaming experiences will be improved by technological developments especially with respect to lighter and more energy efficient devices like mixed reality glasses. He predicted that these devices would in due course outcompete smartphones as new means of producing highly engaging games. His optimism towards the future is dampened by the understanding of the risks that come with innovation. He noted that any form of disruption in any sector comes with its consequences and complications and compared them to principles of physics, entropy and Newton’s laws of motion. Minhaz argues that while the path of entrepreneurship and innovation is fraught with difficulties, it is also ripe with opportunities for growth and success.

In terms of advice for aspiring game developers and entrepreneurs, Minhaz emphasizes the importance of resilience and adaptability. He encourages young innovators to envision potential challenges and prepare accordingly. By setting milestones and regularly evaluating progress, they can navigate the often tumultuous journey of entrepreneurship. He believes that every effort, whether successful or not, contributes to valuable learning experiences that can inform future endeavors.

In conclusion, I believe Fahme’s insights underscore the pivotal role of innovation in the gaming industry. His journey from a passionate gamer to a developer reflects a broader narrative of growth, adaptation, and the continuous evolution of technology. As the industry moves forward, embracing new technologies and audiences while fostering creative and business acumen will be crucial for success. His experiences and philosophy serve as an inspiration for the next generation of game developers and entrepreneurs, reinforcing the notion that with creativity and perseverance, the possibilities in the gaming industry are limitless.

Dr. Bishal Dhakal always understood the importance, and the disparities of healthcare. Growing up in a small town in Nepal, he knew the struggles that a lack of good healthcare came with. This experience, growing up in a small town, combined with an international education, shaped his vision of a solution to affordable healthcare within Nepal. His understanding of healthcare and his experiences abroad laid the foundation for his future, innovative, company: “Health at Home,” a company that is a “one-stop shop” for all healthcare related needs in Nepal.

“I saw [more] advanced healthcare systems than what we had in Nepal, nothing [like this] existed in Nepal,” Dr. Dhakal said.

Before launching “Health at Home,” however; Dr. Dhakal started his studies in St. Petersburg, Russia, where he studied medicine. Dr. Dhakal was exposed to new forms of healthcare that didn’t exist in Nepal, saying that “ambulance services,” and “dispatch management” were not services that were around. He brought these ideas back to Nepal, trying to look for ways to innovate Nepal’s healthcare system.

“I started doing research, but there was not much [information] around this idea, but my commitment was to provide healthcare beyond hospital doors.”

His idea for a revamped healthcare system in Nepal took the services outside of hospitals and into the homes. He recognized that the traditional, hospital centric, model in Nepal was too expensive to pay out of pocket. It was also in-accessible to many communities, as some people didn’t have access to hospitals or hospital services. Dr. Dhakal envisioned healthcare where routine check-ups, preventative care, therapy, and other services could all be delivered directly to a patient’s doorstep. 

“Wild idea, crazy. In Nepal, you know, nobody’s going to buy it.”

In order to make this concept a reality, Dr. Dhakal had to come up with new ideas that weren’t the norm in Nepal. He had to use his international experiences to fuel and provide inspiration to innovate: Working to make his vision of Health at Home into a reality.

As he was developing this idea of delivering healthcare to the patient, he had his first at-home patient. Nepal has many holidays where traditional services wouldn’t be open; This means that people wouldn’t be able to receive healthcare at hospitals. Health at Home, however; Allowed patients to receive care, even on holidays.

“This guy calls me up and asks, hey, listen, can you help me take care of my mom? Because, you know, there’s a celebration coming and I need to keep her [healthy].” 

This led to his first patient, and his first at home visit. He sent a nurse to this patient’s house, and the nurse provided at home services. Not only was this a new service for healthcare in Nepal, it also opened up a whole new job market. Dr. Dhakal noted that nurses in hospitals in Nepal were overworked and underpaid: Causing them to leave for other countries. Health at Home was an alternative service for nurses that allowed them to get paid a livable salary and also not be overworked. According to Dr. Dhakal, it was the first time hourly pay was done in Nepal.

“I found out there was a term called temporary placements in the United States,  In Nepal, I had never encountered this. I got an opportunity to do a private nursing placement duty for the first time, and to create a temporary placement job for the first time. We kept on changing the boundaries.” 

Temporary placement in the United States is where an employee is temporarily put in a certain job position for a certain need. By bringing this to Nepal, he was able to provide work for nurses and other healthcare providers: Revolutionizing the local job market by offering flexible jobs with fairly paid employment opportunities. This was something that hadn’t been done in Nepal before and would not have been possible without Dr. Dhakal’s vision. By adapting concepts from other countries, he was able to use his innovation to not revolutionize only the healthcare industry, but also the job market within Nepal

Services at Health at Home include home doctor visits, nursing care, vaccinations, equipment rental, like wheelchairs, and other health services. These are all provided through in-house doctors and temporary placement jobs. Because these are done at home, it reduces the amount of money that patients would have to pay if they paid for these services at a hospital. Health at Home doesn’t have to build infrastructure at a hospital, or pay rent at a hospital, therefore cutting down on recurring costs. 

None of this would have been possible without Dr. Dhakal’s innovation. He was able to create a healthcare system that prioritizes the needs of Nepal with a combination of his experience with healthcare internationally. His vision turned into a product that helps thousands of people every week in Nepal, at an affordable cost. Through this commitment, Dr. Dhakal not only transformed how healthcare was implemented in Nepal, but also set a new benchmark for accessible services.

“I would call myself a patient advocate. I fought my battle, fighting for the rights of the people, not by arguments and litigations, but by building something.”

In a world that seems to push toward change at full speed ahead, it’s far too easy to overlook the challenges experienced by the masses in everyday life. Innovation has always been considered the creation of something new. More than this, it should be a way to build new systems within existing ones. Farhana Rashid launched her social enterprise “Bhumijo” in 2017, creating innovative solutions to one such overlooked issue. 

Bhumijo operates out of Dhaka, Bangladesh. They provide hygienic, inclusive, and affordable access to clean toilets throughout the city. Expanding beyond this, Bhumijo provides extra services such as clean drinking water, laundry, and showers. 

Farhana always knew she wanted to make a positive impact on the world, but was looking for a path that created change for underserved demographics.

“I wanted to do something for the most people, not only to serve the elite.” 

 Recognizing the toilet crisis and the lack of safe public spaces for women was the first step. It had been a problem directly affecting her world for years, but she became especially passionate about solving the issue after having a daughter. 

Farhana explains that innovation occurs at different stages. This recognition of a problem was step one. 

“You recognize a problem, ask why it is happening, and create a solution.” 

Her approach could be described as a systemic solution. Using this pattern, you can identify the problem, analyze it, create and implement solutions, and evaluate and adapt the solutions. This is exactly what Bhumijo has done.

Farhana recalled having the initial discussion with her family. They debated all of these questions and she decided right then to pursue change. Farhana joked about the situation, showing that innovation doesn’t always happen in some formal setting.

“Sometimes innovation happens at the dinner table.” 

There is a longstanding system of public restrooms in Bangladesh; however, that doesn’t mean that a push toward change should be off the table. While there are public restrooms, they are often inadequate. Women are especially affected by the unsafe spaces provided. This system is the context in which Bhumijo exists and builds upon. 

“When we started, the percentage of women was almost 2 percent of total customers. Right now it’s around 20 percent… as a target, I would say I want my daughter and every daughter in Bangladesh to not worry when they are outside… I wanted to make a safe accessible space for them.” 

The population of Dhaka is about 21 million people, condensed within the city. There are many ‘hot spots’ frequented by shoppers, storefronts selling anything from accessories to household items.

“Every day, thousands and thousands of people are coming to this space and most of them are women… we thought there should be women only toilets, and we didn’t find any.” 

Upon discovering this, Farhana spoke with one market owner about installing a public toilet for women. To this request, she was told ‘women don’t come here to pee, they come here to shop.’ This was said in the context of thousands of women visiting the hotspots daily and more than 40 female employees at the specific site. Farhana continued to push her innovation in support of positive change and after a few more meetings, the market owner gave in and allowed Bhumijo to move forward with the project. Within 6 months, he contacted Farhana giving praise, and even requested a new installation for the men’s restroom. 

Farhana remained innovative at all stages in developing the company. Various challenges arose, yet they were met gracefully by the team at Bhumijo. Resistance to change was a big obstacle to the team’s mission. 

Now, Bhumijo operates 43 centers in Bangladesh. Over 10,000 are served daily, and the population of female users is consistently rising. Farhana takes great pride in being able to provide safe and inclusive spaces for the community, and rightfully so. Her approach to innovation was enormously successful. Bhumijo improves lives daily and continuously strives toward change.