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2 Million of Delhi's population lives in the slums, in conditions that cannot even be imagined.
Sambhav aims to uplift their well being by breaking the slum cycle and the cycle of poverty for slum dwellers and their coming generations.
Setu
User Research
Product Design
Service Design
Business Dev
Overview
Setu is a tech-enabled platform that offers retired or soon-to-retire industry experts phased retirement opportunities, helping them stay engaged and maintain a sense of purpose as they transition into retirement. At the same time, Setu connects these experts with pre-Series A startups, providing accessible and affordable expertise in non-product core areas to drive business growth through mentorship and specialized services.
My Role
Research, Analysis, Ideation, User Experience Design, and
Present & Pitch
Domain
Social Impact, Economic Development, Startup Ecosystem, Artificial Intelligence
Timeline
14 months
(Sep 2023 - Present)
Project Status: We are currently developing a research paper focused on designing a matchmaking framework for Setu, which will serve as the foundation for an AI-powered algorithm. If you're interested in collaborating, we'd love to connect and explore how we can work together.
"The jury complimented the team for addressing a real, compelling, and relevant social issue with an ambitious service solution proposed. It was beautifully brought to life, through careful research, which was inclusive and well presented. We loved the documentary style video. We thought it took a serious stance for a neglected group and presented a tangible, physical solution to solve it. This stepped us outside the realm of experiential services. It was one of the most ambitious services, so thank you for presenting a solution with such a huge scope and potential impact."
Global Services Leader at IKEA, SSDC 2023 Jury Member
The Brief for the 2024 Stanford Center on Longevity Design Challenge
The 2024 Stanford Center on Longevity Design Challenge invites student designers to help develop a new vision for how to move through these new life transitions. Designs that help make transitions more positive and meaningful can play a large role in optimizing longer lives. And it is essential to pay attention to the entire life span, as most problems and strengths observed in old age have their roots decades earlier.
The Challenge Phases
Please check out the "process booklets" for indepth process and insights.
Qualifying Round
The challenge spanned eight months and was divided into two stages. The qualifying round began with exploratory research to identify a topic aligned with this year’s theme. Our research narrowed down to retirement transitions, and we proposed a concept that advanced us to the final round.
Final Round
In the final stage, we focused on refining and enabling the concept, which led us to explore startups and mentorship. The journey culminated on April 9, 2024, with a concept pitch at Stanford University, where we presented our final solution to a panel of experts.
View Our Pitch at the Finals
The pitch provides valuable context, guiding you through the problem and the concept behind Setu. Watch the 7-minute pitch followed by 3-minute of QnA to dive deeper into the vision and purpose of Setu.
How Transitions Work?
We learnt that transitions are not situational but psychological.
For most people, retirement is not only a transition between middle and latte adulthood (65 and older) but is also associated with important psychological and interpersonal changes that may impact on an individuals’ self-esteem and well-being.
Retirement Transition Model
The model sounds simple, but as retirement is a major transition, it can affect people differently and not everyone does things in order. One can have a new beginning and then have to go back to a different stage to complete the ending.
Paths Retirees Follow in the Adjustment Phase
There is a Rise in the 50plus Population
The global demographic landscape is undergoing a profound shift with a significant increase in life expectancy, resulting in a substantial growth of the elderly population.
Further, every fifth Indian will be a sexagenarian (a person who is between60 and 69 years old) in 2050 compared with one in 12 now. Thus, by 2050, India would be in a similar position to today’s developed world in terms of the share of the elderly in population.
And Retirement is NOT Everyone's Goal
Globally, over 40% of workers age 65-plus intend to continue working into their 70s.
Should it be Retirement or ‘Revivement’?
If we look at a dictionary definition of retirement it talks about withdrawal; in battle, withdrawal is to fall back or retreat, but we don’t
want to withdraw, we want to move forward! So perhaps revivement couldbe a replacement word. When we revive something, we activate, set in motion, renew. We restore things to life.
The Multi-Stage Life Model
With longer life expectancy, traditional three-stage life models are shifting to multi-stage ones, incorporating phases like career transitions and phased retirements. This redefines retirement as a chance to stay active, contribute, and maintain purpose in later life.
Challenges of Unhealthy Retirement
Through our primary research, we identified that an unhealthy retirement transition often stems from a sudden loss of purpose, reduced opportunities for meaningful engagement, and feelings of social isolation. Retirees shared how this transition negatively impacted their mental well-being and sense of self-worth.
Cultural Context
Family Influence
In the Indian context, we observed an interesting pattern where family, particularly children, plays a crucial role in a retiree's transition. Out of good intentions and as a gesture of gratitude for their parents' sacrifices, children often discourage them from continuing to work, inadvertently influencing their post-retirement choices.
Difference Between Says and Does
Throughout our research with retirees and soon-to-be retirees, we noticed a significant gap between what they say and what they actually experience. While many expressed looking forward to retirement, they often encountered an unexpected void after retiring, leading to negative impacts on their mental and emotional well-being.
The Generativity Construct
Talking to retirees also revealed a strong desire among them to give back to society as they enter this stage of life, aligning with Erikson’s concept of Generativity vs. Stagnation.
The hypothesis was also validated our secondary research on Erikson’s 8 Stages of Psychosocial Development, emphasizing the importance of creating opportunities for retirees to contribute meaningfully and maintain a sense of fulfillment.
problem statement for qualifying: retirees and transition
In response to the outsized global economic impact of the 50plus demographic and increased life expectancy, how might we empower individuals in this age group to challenge societal norms, encouraging exploration and pursuit of their interests for a healthy and purposeful later life, contributing to a sustainable old age dependency ratio?
Understanding Pre-Series A Startup
Pre-Series A startups are those that have secured seed funding and are now working their way out of the "death valley" curve—a critical phase where they need to generate revenue and achieve product-market fit before securing their next round of funding.
During this stage, these startups often face the challenge of balancing growth, scalability, and sustainability while navigating the pressures of limited resources and the need for business development expertise.
Core Challenge of a Pre-Series A Startup
Conversations with startups, including those from our university and even some featured on Shark Tank India, highlighted the common struggles faced during their early stages.
A clear pattern emerged: startup teams often focus heavily on core product expertise, leaving them lacking in the non-product expertise essential for business growth.
Decreasing Levels of Essential Business Expertise Required for Sustainable Growth
(an example)
More Challenges
Equitable Access
49% of startups in the country originate from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, where access to resources and networks is extremely limited. At Startup Mahakumbh 2023, we met startups that had operated for as long as six years without any formal support or access to essential mentorship and networks, highlighting the stark gaps in the entrepreneurial ecosystem for small-town innovators.
Mentorship Importance
Lack of proper guidance and mentorship is one of the biggest problems that exist in the Indian startup ecosystem . Most of startups have brilliant ideas and/or products, but have little or no industry, business and market experience to get the products to the market.
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A Visit to '2023 Startup Mahakumbh'
Startup Ecosystem Networking Event
The Mentorship Loop
Through conversations with Pre-Series A startups, we discovered that while finding a mentor is challenging, ensuring that the mentorship lasts for a desired period is even harder.
A quote that stands out from Vansh, a friend and founder of FaekBank, perfectly captures this struggle: "Finding the right mentor is as tough as finding an internship these days."
Loop of Finding a Mentor from Vansh's POV
Matchmaking Matrix // Defining the Audience
After exploring the needs of Pre-Series A startups and analyzing the patterns, we identified key areas where startups require mentorship and support. We organized these needs into four categories, illustrated in the map below
The Y-axis reflects the type of expertise startups seek, differentiating between mentors with both industry-specific knowledge and technical expertise and those with technical expertise irrespective of the industry.
The X-axis distinguishes between the two types of support relationships startups require: mentorship, which involves guidance and advice, and hands-on service, which entails active, direct involvement in tasks.
Need for a
Sophisticated
Matchmaking Model
As we uncovered that finding a mentor is challenging and ensuring a lasting mentorship is even harder, we identified the need for a sophisticated matchmaking framework.
This framework must go beyond basic requirements, incorporating psychosocial attributes to align key factors such as mission, values, communication styles, and more, ensuring stronger and more sustainable mentor-mentee relationships.
Project Status: We are currently developing a research paper focused on designing a matchmaking framework for Setu, which will serve as the foundation for an AI-powered algorithm. If you're interested in collaborating, we'd love to connect and explore how we can work together.
added problem statement for the finals: startups and mentorship
How might we provide emerging startups with equitable, affordable, and efficient access to expert networks while fostering sustainable relationships, enabling them to overcome the lack of expertise, guidance, and skills essential for running a business and contributing to their chances of surviving the death valley curve?
introducing setu
Setu is an AI-powered platform designed with a sophisticated matchmaking framework that considers a wide range of attributes to match retired industry experts with pre-series A startups with the goal of fostering precise and sustainable mentor-mentee relationships.
Concept Map
Sign-in or Join
The users could sign-in or join the platform through their preferred method.
Minimal and necessary information would be asked for basic profile creation.
The SuperMatchmaker
The users would be able to complete their profile and also opt-in for the SuperMatchmaker feature to get hyper-personalized matches with the help of Setu's AI-based algorithm.
Startup
Retiree
How SuperMatchmaker Works?
The SuperMatchmaker screen would denote the strength of the users' profile which is directly proportional to their quality of matches.
Matchmaking Attributes
The SuperMatchmaker will take the users through n number of corresponding and complementary questions.
The questions would also appear in-between the users' feed to collect data to evolve its accuracy.
The data gained will be used to improve the feed and match quality of the users.
Startup
Retiree
Mutual SuperScore
On every post (for mentors) and mentor profiles (for startups) an exclusive and mutual SuperScore will be shown conveying the strength of the pair if matched.
Startup
Retiree
High-Touch Onboarding
Since both the sides would be new to each other's experience, there would be a high touch onboarding period allowing retiree to step back if needed and at the same time ensuring startup security.
Startup
Retiree
Ease of Management
Startup and Retiree could access their dashboard to view all the details regarding any ongoing contracts.
Startup
Retiree
Exclusive Features
Retirees could be part of the community and share their success in the community or any other social platform. This not only inspires other retirees to join but also enhances the overall credibility and trustworthiness of the platform.
Leveraging the startup's submitted details, Setu identifies and suggests mentors in key areas where the startup may require support, including aspects the startup might not be aware of yet.
Startup
Retiree
How Setu Works?
Choose Your Role
The users could choose their role from Retiree and Startup respectively.
Business Model
Our Experience at Stanford and SF
Our 3-day experience at Stanford University was truly unforgettable – from the campus tour and finals to an insightful workshop (all paired with complimentary meals), not to mention the delicious breakfast at the Stanford Guest House! After the finals, we ventured into the vibrant city of San Francisco, making the entire trip an incredible and memorable adventure.
Meet The SuperDuper Team
team pluto
We are a team of two undergraduate students from Delhi Technological University. After advancing past the first round, we were paired with expert industry mentors by the Stanford Center on Longevity Design Challenge to guide us through the journey.
Feel free to reach out to us for more details about the concept or the Stanford Center on Longevity Design Challenge. We’re always open to collaborating and would be thrilled to take this concept further.
Thanks :)
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