Civic Action Startup Pitch for Startup Weekend Bangalore

Jyaanya IndiaCivic Action Startup

that never… started.

The problem:A lack of convenient and accessible space for citizens to feel engaged

and empowered by their government

The [initial] pitch:A mobile app to inform citizens

about government-related information and make it easy for

them to be “active citizens”

The concept:1. Informative resources for civilians

Upcoming elections & party platforms Constitutional rights & duties Public support services

2. Political action features Contacting your MP Signing petitions Participating in campaigns

What we did:• Began to research relevant statistics and information to be used in info resources• Began to survey Indian civilians on how they identify with their government• Created draft wire frames to show the flow of app and SMS features

Roadblock 1: The Political Scientist“Constitutional rights mean nothing

to someone who does not experience them on a daily basis.”

Solution 1: Recruit him!

To establish a relationship between citizens and their government via their MP, and engage citizens in discussions

together through use of an online portal

New objective:

New Concept:1. Online social media platform

Posting of concerns: problems, questions and proposal

Categorization of posting by topic, MP Commenting & upvoting

2. Curation and optimisation Contextualising concerns with information

& updates Repacking concerns and sending to MP Updating user on resulting political activity

What we did:• Began to research MPs to contact for their support and feedback• Created draft wireframes of website, app and SMS features• Began to research related initiatives:

found none the same! But why...

Roadblock 2: Mentor Problems“Why should MPs care?”

Solution 2: or lack of…

Politicians would only care if their power was threatened.The likelihood of our platform just being another “trend” then fall dormant

(NOT what we wanted)

We realized the sad truth:

[still] Unanswered QuestionsQ: How can we engage with MPs sustainably?

– in establishing relationships with them?– in getting them to listen? And act?

Q: How can we get citizens to engage together?

– in getting them to become informed?– in getting them to reflect and debate upon their own issues?

& THEN: How can we translate these methods in the mobile and online forms?

Some of our positive learnings:• It is not about what you know or don’t

knowbut about the ideas you bring forward

• That we can learn a lot from each otherand each other’s cultures and knowledge

• To not expect to get it right the first time

or the second... or the third...• If you want to go after a big problem...

you must truly understand it first and from ALL angles

To Keep in Mind:Not to start with the solution (what you can do)But with the problem (what you can’t)

“If we can really understand the problem, the answer will come out of it, because the answer is not

separate from the problem.”Jiddu Krishnamurti

Question for You:What did you learn from your

fellow entrepreneurs this weekend?

Special Thank You’sHari Krishnan (iamharikrishnan.com)

Prakash BadriSandeepTejasSohusIshanMohanMani

Akash, mentor

Startup WeekendMicrosoft Accelerator

ANDMANYMANY MORE(but NOT Syed)