Intellecap’s content partnership with Next Billion, one of the largest online publications from the ecosystem, will enable a host of authors from India and Africa to share their ideas, insights and expertise through this yearlong special series which began in 2018.

Ankur Seth, Engagement Manager and Neha Kumar, Senior Associate, Intellecap India, as part of our yearlong content partnership with Next Billion contribute the fifth story in the series.

As a quick recap the first story in this Next Billion Series was on ‘India’s Impact Capital Vacuum’ which was authored by Intellecap’s Gagandeep Bakshi and Sameer Gaud, and the second story was ‘The Definition of Insanity: Why Repeating the Same Approach to Enterprise Support is Failing Africa’s SMEs’ which was authored by Intellecap Africa’s Mercy Mangeni and Joshua Murima. The third article by Rajat Chabba, VP Intellecap India and Sheena Raikundalia, Lead, Intellecap Africa was around ‘Inexpensive Impact: The Case for Frugal Innovations’. The fourth article by Santosh Singh, Associate Partner and Ankit Gupta, Manager, Intellecap India was titled  ‘Building an Ecosystem to Save an Ecosystem: How Facilitating Climate Finance for MSME’s can fight Global Climate Change’

Titled ‘Bringing Digital Financial Inclusion to Women: The Impact of an Integrated Ecosystem Approach’ the fifth article talks about how despite global initiatives aimed at catalyzing formal banking and increasing the usage of digital channels, almost 1 billion women still remain excluded from the global financial economy.

Sharing data more closer to home, the authors opine how close to 14% of total establishments in India are managed by women, and that these businesses provide employment to roughly 13.5 million people. But while the Indian economy has grown at an accelerated pace in the past decade, the workforce participation of women has seen a decline from 35% in 2005 to 26% in 2018.  The authors state further that this clearly indicates that either the growth in the economic empowerment of women has not been in sync with the economic growth of the country, or women are not included in the formal economy, despite performing many economic activities, and how global statistics reveal a similar issue, with 56% of the unbanked being women and just 41% of women being part of the work force.

The authors highlight that while there have been a slew of global initiatives introduced to integrate women into the formal economy, the fact is that the comprehensive financial inclusion of women is still a distant dream. They state the compelling example that just having a bank account is not sufficient to consider women financially included, since In India, almost half of all accounts are dormant and don’t provide the real benefits that digital financial services (DFS) can bring, such as access to credit, reductions in cash risk due to the use of mobile money transfers and savings, increases in disposable income, and better personal financial management.

The authors go on to talk about the barriers to women’s financial inclusion , shedding light on the fact that in India this is more so, since traditionally, women in rural communities are highly reliant on men to make financial decisions for the household. They also state that women in India are also held back by the psychological barriers they face while accessing DFS. These barriers include reluctance to own a mobile phone, self-doubt while using a smartphone, hesitation in attending training events due to the unequal gender ratio at the training centers, and a broader fear of technology. These obstacles are amplified by the absence of a local support system, in the form of female change agents or women support groups led by more progressive members of the community.

The foundation for financial inclusion, they highlight, stands on three pillars – access, trust and comfort. But this foundation cannot be built through a single government policy or a development agency in isolation. Instead, it will entail a range of partnerships across technology, banking, the rural-focused private sector and government departments. This is where rural value chains can create an integrated digital financial ecosystem for women. Unless women reliably find value in using their bank accounts, no initiative can spur their financial inclusion.

The authors then go on to talk about a model for digitizing financial access for women, and speak about how Intellecap has digitized over 800 women across 30 villages in India by building an integrated digital financial ecosystem for them, following the approach outlined above.

Getting into the details, the authors share details of how this was accomplished by implementing integrated rural digital financial ecosystem pilots for women-dominant agriculture value chains, including dairy, poultry and food processing, across selected geographies in India. The pilots have demonstrated success on several primary metrics such as income, savings and productive time for smallholder women farmers. As secondary gains, these women have built higher awareness of digital channels of transactions, and gained more financial independence through better control over their income and expenses.

Speaking also about the dairy value chain digitization pilot, they present data of how 36% of financially excluded women in the pilot villages were included in the formal economy, and 80% of the participating women dairy farmers also reported an increase in savings. Through the pilot for the food and beverages value chain, 75% of self-help groups for women entrepreneurs improved sales in their businesses through market linkages using digital platforms.

The authors end with how this unique value propositions of the pilot partners – which ranged from rural value chain aggregators to payment/commercial banks and lending fintechs – have ensured that these pilots continue to scale. The integrated ecosystem model endeavors to first establish the roots of digital financial services deployments, and then branch out in phases. It therefore presents the most sustainable way to replicate digitization across varied value chains, both formal and informal, enabling comprehensive inclusion for women across geographies.

MoooFarm’s face-recognition solution may end insurance fraud, stray menace

One cow does not look very different from another. This opens up opportunities for insurance fraud in rural areas, and leads to cattle menace in cities, with no way of readily identifying the true owners of the animals that are left to roam free.

But this is set to change, with use of facial-recognition technology for cattle.

Agri-tech start-up MoooFarm has launched a solution for facial recognition of cattle that has won a $30,000 prize from a World Bank group entity in the Data Analytics category.

The technology is expected to reduce, if not end, frauds in cattle insurance and identify the true owners of stray cattle.

According to a study by the Institute for Financial Research and Management, up to 80 per cent of cattle insurance claims are fraudulent.

While currently ear-tags are used to connect the cattle with the owner, MoooFarm uses the facial recognition technology.

High accuracy

“Using this technology, MoooFarm has tested the facial-recognition model with 95.7 per cent accuracy. We are aiming at achieving 100 per cent accuracy in six months. With such accuracy levels, our software will eliminate fraud,” Param Preet Singh, MoooFarm’s co-founder, told BusinessLine.

Through its app, MoooFarm collects geography-specific data for each farm and cattlehead with details of breed, yield, critical events such as successful calving and heat symptoms, as also concurrence of a disease and antibiotics given. By leveraging data analytics, it identifies unique patterns and assists in predicting each cattlehead’s mortality rate.

This record is compared with other cattleheads of the same breed to allow for accurate valuation of its market price, giving a true basis for calculating the sum assured and premium, which will encourage farmers to insure their cattle.

Low insurance rates

According to the latest census, India has over 30 crore milch cattle. “But,” Singh says, “the number of cattle insured in the country is less than 9 per cent. The cost of cattle insurance is 4 per cent of the cattle value. Of this cost, the government foots 50 per cent. However, in terms of volume, cattle insurance accounts for a meagre 1 per cent of insurance companies’ incomes. That doesn’t justify the high cost of entering the rural livestock market.

“However, using our technology and app, if cattle insurance spreads in the country, benefiting both the farmer and the insurance companies, the latter may take a re-look at this 4 per cent figure, going forward.”

MoooFarm, which provides last-mile connectivity solutions to small dairy farmers, said that in the coming weeks, this technology will reach far-flung small-holder farmers via its mobile app and network of village-level entrepreneurs.

Innovation contest

The World Bank group’s Global Index Insurance Facility had hosted the Agriculture Insuretech Innovation Challenge in association with Sankalp Forum, an initiative of Intellecap Advisory Services. A total of 106 applications from 16 countries were received; 21 finalists presented their innovative business propositions.

On the use of the prize money, Singh said: “MoooFarm plans to use it to develop more such technologies to disrupt the dairy industry and bring about a white tech revolution in India.”

World Bank Group’s flagship program, Global Index Insurance Facility (GIIF), facilitates access to finance and insurance solutions for smallholder farmers.
Supports and enables farmers to access finance and build resilience against future farm risks

MUMBAI, July 13, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — World Bank Group, through the Global Index Insurance Facility (GIIF) and Sankalp Forum by Intellecap, announced the winners of Agriculture Insuretech Innovation Challenge at the Agri Insuretech Forum that took place at the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai, today.

The event witnessed participation from leading insurance companies, government officials from Ministry of Agriculture, impact investors, and innovators incubators from the agriculture, technology, and insurance sectors. The platform held key panel discussions on bringing together the agri-insuretech ecosystem stakeholders such as innovators, investors, government, academia, technology and financial services companies to deliberate on the role that technology innovations can play in driving the design, distribution and adoption of agricultural insurance solutions. Key government dignitaries Suhas Divase, Commissioner of Agriculture, Government of Maharashtra and Dr. Ashish Kumar Bhutani, CEO, Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, Government of India were also part of the panel discussions.

Speaking about the strategic partnership, Vikas Bali, CEO, Intellecap Advisory Services, said, “The partnership between GIIF and Intellecap comes at a very important time. Solving agri and smallholder farmer incomes is key to making a more equitable and sustainable ecosystem. Through this partnership, we have brought together innovators from 21 countries who will drive this change. This summit is just a start of a long eventful journey.”

Of the world’s 500 million smallholder farmers, around 400 million are in Asia. The region is home to some of the world’s most climate-exposed territories and has been disproportionately hit by the effects of climate change, with 45 percent of the world’s natural disasters occurring here in the past three decades. Smallholders farmers, in particular, are suffering from crop failures that can threaten their economic livelihood. The Global Index Insurance Facility (GIIF), is supporting farmers and micro-entrepreneurs in developing countries to gain better access to finance and manage financial losses arising from frequent and severe weather events.

Fatou Assah, GIIF Program Manager, World Bank Group, said, “The World Bank Group is committed to promoting agriculture insurance for smallholder farmers, so they can protect themselves against more frequent and severe climate events. The adoption of Insuretech solutions helps reach the larger number of low-income rural populations with financial products that are needed, cost-effective, transparent, and simple. I am delighted that the innovators participating in this challenge are contributing to the betterment of the rural finance ecosystem with scalable technology solutions that can be replicated in other geographies.”

The event was closed with the announcement of the Agri Insuretech Challenge winners. The Awards recognized some of South and Southeast Asia’s most promising entrepreneurs who are using technology to address challenges in providing agricultural insurance to farmers. The awards were given under three categories of an insurance product’s lifecycle — Data & Analytics, Sales and Distribution, and Premiums & Claims. The 9 winners, selected from 24 challenge finalists and 105 applicants, won cash awards valued at $270,000. They will now collaborate with WBG’s Global Index Insurance Facility to develop their solutions further to improve agricultural insurance products and their uptake, particularly in the Asia Pacific region. The nine winners are:

Data & Analytics:
Stellaps
MoooFarm
Niruthi

Sales & Distribution:
ICT 4 Agri
Hara
HF Mlog

Premiums & Claims:
Gramcover
Coastal
Dhwani RIS

Keynote speaker, Vineet Rai, CEO of leading impact investment group, Aavishkaar Capital said, “There is a huge opportunity for entrepreneurs if they look at different verticals in the agriculture value chain and create specialization. Capital should not be an issue as there is serious interest in agri tech from the investor community.”

World Bank Group’s flagship program, Global Index Insurance Facility (GIIF), facilitates access to finance and insurance solutions for smallholder farmers.

Supports and enables farmers to access finance and build resilience against future farm risks
MUMBAI, July 13, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — World Bank Group, through the Global Index Insurance Facility (GIIF) and Sankalp Forum by Intellecap, announced the winners of Agriculture Insuretech Innovation Challenge at the Agri Insuretech Forum that took place at the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai, today.

The event witnessed participation from leading insurance companies, government officials from Ministry of Agriculture, impact investors, and innovators incubators from the agriculture, technology, and insurance sectors. The platform held key panel discussions on bringing together the agri-insuretech ecosystem stakeholders such as innovators, investors, government, academia, technology and financial services companies to deliberate on the role that technology innovations can play in driving the design, distribution and adoption of agricultural insurance solutions. Key government dignitaries Suhas Divase, Commissioner of Agriculture, Government of Maharashtra and Dr. Ashish Kumar Bhutani, CEO, Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, Government of India were also part of the panel discussions.

Speaking about the strategic partnership, Vikas Bali, CEO, Intellecap Advisory Services, said, “The partnership between GIIF and Intellecap comes at a very important time. Solving agri and smallholder farmer incomes is key to making a more equitable and sustainable ecosystem. Through this partnership, we have brought together innovators from 21 countries who will drive this change. This summit is just a start of a long eventful journey.”

Of the world’s 500 million smallholder farmers, around 400 million are in Asia. The region is home to some of the world’s most climate-exposed territories and has been disproportionately hit by the effects of climate change, with 45 percent of the world’s natural disasters occurring here in the past three decades. Smallholders farmers, in particular, are suffering from crop failures that can threaten their economic livelihood. The Global Index Insurance Facility (GIIF), is supporting farmers and micro-entrepreneurs in developing countries to gain better access to finance and manage financial losses arising from frequent and severe weather events.

Fatou Assah, GIIF Program Manager, World Bank Group, said, “The World Bank Group is committed to promoting agriculture insurance for smallholder farmers, so they can protect themselves against more frequent and severe climate events. The adoption of Insuretech solutions helps reach the larger number of low-income rural populations with financial products that are needed, cost-effective, transparent, and simple. I am delighted that the innovators participating in this challenge are contributing to the betterment of the rural finance ecosystem with scalable technology solutions that can be replicated in other geographies.”

The event was closed with the announcement of the Agri Insuretech Challenge winners. The Awards recognized some of South and Southeast Asia’s most promising entrepreneurs who are using technology to address challenges in providing agricultural insurance to farmers. The awards were given under three categories of an insurance product’s lifecycle — Data & Analytics, Sales and Distribution, and Premiums & Claims. The 9 winners, selected from 24 challenge finalists and 105 applicants, won cash awards valued at $270,000. They will now collaborate with WBG’s Global Index Insurance Facility to develop their solutions further to improve agricultural insurance products and their uptake, particularly in the Asia Pacific region. The nine winners are:

Data & Analytics:
– Stellaps
– MoooFarm
– Niruthi

Sales & Distribution:
– ICT 4 Agri
– Hara
– HF Mlog

Premiums & Claims:
– Gramcover
– Coastal
– Dhwani RIS

Keynote speaker, Vineet Rai, CEO of leading impact investment group, Aavishkaar Capital said, “There is a huge opportunity for entrepreneurs if they look at different verticals in the agriculture value chain and create specialization. Capital should not be an issue as there is serious interest in agri tech from the investor community.”

(Eds: Disclaimer: The following press release comes to you under an arrangement with PR Newswire. PTI takes no editorial responsibility for the same.)
World Bank Group’s flagship program, Global Index Insurance Facility (GIIF), facilitates access to finance and insurance solutions for smallholder farmers.
Supports and enables farmers to access finance and build resilience against future farm risks
MUMBAI, July 13, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — World Bank Group, through the Global Index Insurance Facility (GIIF) and Sankalp Forum by Intellecap, announced the winners of Agriculture Insuretech Innovation Challenge at the Agri Insuretech Forum that took place at the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai, today.

The event witnessed participation from leading insurance companies, government officials from Ministry of Agriculture, impact investors, and innovators incubators from the agriculture, technology, and insurance sectors. The platform held key panel discussions on bringing together the agri-insuretech ecosystem stakeholders such as innovators, investors, government, academia, technology and financial services companies to deliberate on the role that technology innovations can play in driving the design, distribution and adoption of agricultural insurance solutions. Key government dignitaries Suhas Divase, Commissioner of Agriculture, Government of Maharashtra and Dr. Ashish Kumar Bhutani, CEO, Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, Government of India were also part of the panel discussions.

Speaking about the strategic partnership, Vikas Bali, CEO, Intellecap Advisory Services, said, “The partnership between GIIF and Intellecap comes at a very important time. Solving agri and smallholder farmer incomes is key to making a more equitable and sustainable ecosystem. Through this partnership, we have brought together innovators from 21 countries who will drive this change. This summit is just a start of a long eventful journey.”

Of the world’s 500 million smallholder farmers, around 400 million are in Asia. The region is home to some of the world’s most climate-exposed territories and has been disproportionately hit by the effects of climate change, with 45 percent of the world’s natural disasters occurring here in the past three decades. Smallholders farmers, in particular, are suffering from crop failures that can threaten their economic livelihood. The Global Index Insurance Facility (GIIF), is supporting farmers and micro-entrepreneurs in developing countries to gain better access to finance and manage financial losses arising from frequent and severe weather events.

Fatou Assah, GIIF Program Manager, World Bank Group, said, “The World Bank Group is committed to promoting agriculture insurance for smallholder farmers, so they can protect themselves against more frequent and severe climate events. The adoption of Insuretech solutions helps reach the larger number of low-income rural populations with financial products that are needed, cost-effective, transparent, and simple. I am delighted that the innovators participating in this challenge are contributing to the betterment of the rural finance ecosystem with scalable technology solutions that can be replicated in other geographies.”

The event was closed with the announcement of the Agri Insuretech Challenge winners. The Awards recognized some of South and Southeast Asia’s most promising entrepreneurs who are using technology to address challenges in providing agricultural insurance to farmers. The awards were given under three categories of an insurance product’s lifecycle — Data & Analytics, Sales and Distribution, and Premiums & Claims. The 9 winners, selected from 24 challenge finalists and 105 applicants, won cash awards valued at $270,000. They will now collaborate with WBG’s Global Index Insurance Facility to develop their solutions further to improve agricultural insurance products and their uptake, particularly in the Asia Pacific region. The nine winners are:

Data & Analytics:
– Stellaps
– MoooFarm
– Niruthi

Sales & Distribution:
– ICT 4 Agri
– Hara
– HF Mlog

Premiums & Claims:
– Gramcover
– Coastal
– Dhwani RIS

Keynote speaker, Vineet Rai, CEO of leading impact investment group, Aavishkaar Capital said, “There is a huge opportunity for entrepreneurs if they look at different verticals in the agriculture value chain and create specialization. Capital should not be an issue as there is serious interest in agri tech from the investor community.”

Innovative startups from India with disruptive sustainability solutions applicable to the fashion supply chain will now have the opportunity to be part of a Asia innovation programme launched by Fashion for Good, supported by Intellecap.

India is not only a global leader in manufacturing and one of the largest consumer markets for fashion, it is also increasingly a hotspot for innovators that tap into the growing opportunities to create value and impact both socially and environmentally from a transition towards a circular economy. With a rich heritage in textile manufacturing and production, Fashion for Good, Intellecap’s Circular Apparel Innovation factory (CAIF) and its Indian corporate partners are seeking to spark and scale promising innovations from this region that have the potential to disrupt the current fashion supply chain worldwide. Of particular interest will be the unique perspective of home-grown innovators focusing in key areas including raw materials, dyeing and finishing, manufacturing, retail, end-of-use and transparency and traceability.

We are pleased to see the Fashion for Good innovation platform expanding to Asia; together we will continue to work on promoting and growing the sustainable technologies originating from the FFG platform. We are looking forward to work with these technologies to fuel next set of growth in manufacturing for us with the aim of growing with drastically less environmental impact,” said Punit Lalbhai, Board of Directors; Arvind Limited.

“Our team at Intellecap is very excited to work with Fashion for Good to scale up sustainable fashion innovations in India. Our organizations share a similar vision of putting entrepreneurship in the center of change, and by joining forces, we believe we can build a powerful ecosystem to nurture and grow high impact innovations that are needed to bring India’s fashion industry on a more sustainable growth path,” said Stefanie Bauer, CAIF Intellecap.

Fashion for Good is working on scaling innovations in the region, by catalysing collaborative pilots, which address areas such as making organic cotton traceable and solutions for the treatment of waste water from the apparel manufacturing process.

Katrin Ley, Managing Director of Fashion for Good, explains: “Working closely with these local partners enables us to promote the transition of the fashion industry towards more sustainable, circular practices as well as the betterment of social and environmental issues.”

Leading up to the programme launch, Intellecap and Fashion for Good would host a series of events across India to engage the Indian sustainable textile ecosystem. A first joint event was hosted on 25th of June in Bangalore, followed by an event in the context of this year’s Lakme Fashion Week on 23rd of August, and culminating in a investor showcase at this year’s Sankalp Forum 2019 in November 2019 in Mumbai.

Innovative startups from India with disruptive sustainability solutions applicable to the fashion supply chain will now have the opportunity to be part of a Asia innovation programme launched by Fashion for Good, supported by Intellecap.

India is not only a global leader in manufacturing and one of the largest consumer markets for fashion, it is also increasingly a hotspot for innovators that tap into the growing opportunities to create value and impact both socially and environmentally from a transition towards a circular economy. With a rich heritage in textile manufacturing and production, Fashion for Good, Intellecap’s Circular Apparel Innovation factory (CAIF) and its Indian corporate partners are seeking to spark and scale promising innovations from this region that have the potential to disrupt the current fashion supply chain worldwide. Of particular interest will be the unique perspective of home-grown innovators focusing in key areas including raw materials, dyeing and finishing, manufacturing, retail, end-of-use and transparency and traceability.

“We are pleased to see the Fashion for Good innovation platform expanding to Asia; together we will continue to work on promoting and growing the sustainable technologies originating from the FFG platform. We are looking forward to work with these technologies to fuel next set of growth in manufacturing for us with the aim of growing with drastically less environmental impact,” said Punit Lalbhai, Board of Directors; Arvind Limited.

“Our team at Intellecap is very excited to work with Fashion for Good to scale up sustainable fashion innovations in India. Our organizations share a similar vision of putting entrepreneurship in the center of change, and by joining forces, we believe we can build a powerful ecosystem to nurture and grow high impact innovations that are needed to bring India’s fashion industry on a more sustainable growth path,” said Stefanie Bauer, CAIF Intellecap.

Fashion for Good is working on scaling innovations in the region, by catalysing collaborative pilots, which address areas such as making organic cotton traceable and solutions for the treatment of waste water from the apparel manufacturing process.

Katrin Ley, Managing Director of Fashion for Good, explains: “Working closely with these local partners enables us to promote the transition of the fashion industry towards more sustainable, circular practices as well as the betterment of social and environmental issues.”

Leading up to the programme launch, Intellecap and Fashion for Good would host a series of events across India to engage the Indian sustainable textile ecosystem. A first joint event was hosted on 25th of June in Bangalore, followed by an event in the context of this year’s Lakme Fashion Week on 23rd of August, and culminating in a investor showcase at this year’s Sankalp Forum 2019 in November 2019 in Mumbai.

Innovative startups from India with disruptive sustainability solutions applicable to the fashion supply chain will now have the opportunity to be part of a Asia innovation programme launched by Fashion for Good, supported by Intellecap.

India is not only a global leader in manufacturing and one of the largest consumer markets for fashion, it is also increasingly a hotspot for innovators that tap into the growing opportunities to create value and impact both socially and environmentally from a transition towards a circular economy. With a rich heritage in textile manufacturing and production, Fashion for Good, Intellecap’s Circular Apparel Innovation factory (CAIF) and its Indian corporate partners are seeking to spark and scale promising innovations from this region that have the potential to disrupt the current fashion supply chain worldwide. Of particular interest will be the unique perspective of home-grown innovators focusing in key areas including raw materials, dyeing and finishing, manufacturing, retail, end-of-use and transparency and traceability.

“We are pleased to see the Fashion for Good innovation platform expanding to Asia; together we will continue to work on promoting and growing the sustainable technologies originating from the FFG platform. We are looking forward to work with these technologies to fuel next set of growth in manufacturing for us with the aim of growing with drastically less environmental impact,” said Punit Lalbhai, Board of Directors; Arvind Limited.

“Our team at Intellecap is very excited to work with Fashion for Good to scale up sustainable fashion innovations in India. Our organizations share a similar vision of putting entrepreneurship in the center of change, and by joining forces, we believe we can build a powerful ecosystem to nurture and grow high impact innovations that are needed to bring India’s fashion industry on a more sustainable growth path,” said Stefanie Bauer, CAIF Intellecap.

Fashion for Good is working on scaling innovations in the region, by catalysing collaborative pilots, which address areas such as making organic cotton traceable and solutions for the treatment of waste water from the apparel manufacturing process.

Katrin Ley, Managing Director of Fashion for Good, explains: “Working closely with these local partners enables us to promote the transition of the fashion industry towards more sustainable, circular practices as well as the betterment of social and environmental issues.”

Leading up to the programme launch, Intellecap and Fashion for Good would host a series of events across India to engage the Indian sustainable textile ecosystem. A first joint event was hosted on 25th of June in Bangalore, followed by an event in the context of this year’s Lakme Fashion Week on 23rd of August, and culminating in a investor showcase at this year’s Sankalp Forum 2019 in November 2019 in Mumbai.

Eligible Innovators can apply to the Programme here: LINK

About Fashion for Good

Fashion for Good is the global initiative that is here to make all fashion good. It’s a global platform for innovation, made possible through collaboration and community. With an open invitation to the entire apparel industry, Fashion for Good convenes brands, producers, retailers, suppliers, non-profit organisations, innovators and funders united in their shared ambition.

At the core of Fashion for Good is our innovation platform. Through our Fashion for Good Accelerator Programme we give promising start-up innovators the expertise and access to funding they need in order to grow. Our Scaling Programme supports innovations that have passed the proof-of-concept phase, with a dedicated team that offers bespoke support and access to expertise, customers and capital. Our Good Fashion Fund will catalyse access to finance to shift at scale to more sustainable production methods.

Fashion for Good also acts as a convener for change. In October 2018, the Fashion for Good Experience has opened the world’s first interactive tech museum dedicated to sustainable fashion innovation. In its hub in Amsterdam, Fashion for Good also houses a Circular Apparel Community co-working space, creates open-source resources like its Good Fashion Guide about circular apparel.

Fashion for Good’s programmes are supported by founding partner C&A Foundation and corporate partners adidas, C&A, BESTSELLER, Galeries Lafayette Group, Kering, Otto Group, PVH Corp., Stella McCartney, Target and Zalando and affiliate partners Arvind and Nørrona.

About Circular Apparel Innovation Factory (CAIF):

Intellecap, supported by the DOEN Foundation, launched the Circular Apparel Innovation Factory (CAIF) in 2018. CAIF is an initiative that brings together a variety of stakeholders in the apparel industry in India to shift the industry from its current ‘take-make-dispose’ approach, to one that is more circular across the lifecycle. CAIF’s is an industry-led platform aiming to build a circular apparel and textile industry. Our mission is to build capabilities and the ecosystem needed for a transition towards a circular textile and apparel industry in South Asia. We leverage the Aavishkaar approach of creating impact at scale through providing access to capital, knowledge, and networks throughout the journey of a circular innovation.

Innovative startups from India with disruptive sustainability solutions applicable to the fashion supply chain will now have the opportunity to be part of a Asia innovation programme launched by Fashion for Good, supported by Intellecap.

India is not only a global leader in manufacturing and one of the largest consumer markets for fashion, it is also increasingly a hotspot for innovators that tap into the growing opportunities to create value and impact both socially and environmentally from a transition towards a circular economy. With a rich heritage in textile manufacturing and production, Fashion for Good, Intellecap’s Circular Apparel Innovation factory (CAIF) and its Indian corporate partners are seeking to spark and scale promising innovations from this region that have the potential to disrupt the current fashion supply chain worldwide. Of particular interest will be the unique perspective of home-grown innovators focusing in key areas including raw materials, dyeing and finishing, manufacturing, retail, end-of-use and transparency and traceability.

“We are pleased to see the Fashion for Good innovation platform expanding to Asia; together we will continue to work on promoting and growing the sustainable technologies originating from the FFG platform. We are looking forward to work with these technologies to fuel next set of growth in manufacturing for us with the aim of growing with drastically less environmental impact,” said Punit Lalbhai, Board of Directors; Arvind Limited.

“Our team at Intellecap is very excited to work with Fashion for Good to scale up sustainable fashion innovations in India. Our organizations share a similar vision of putting entrepreneurship in the center of change, and by joining forces, we believe we can build a powerful ecosystem to nurture and grow high impact innovations that are needed to bring India’s fashion industry on a more sustainable growth path,” said Stefanie Bauer, CAIF Intellecap.

Fashion for Good is working on scaling innovations in the region, by catalysing collaborative pilots, which address areas such as making organic cotton traceable and solutions for the treatment of waste water from the apparel manufacturing process.

Katrin Ley, Managing Director of Fashion for Good, explains: “Working closely with these local partners enables us to promote the transition of the fashion industry towards more sustainable, circular practices as well as the betterment of social and environmental issues.”

Leading up to the programme launch, Intellecap and Fashion for Good would host a series of events across India to engage the Indian sustainable textile ecosystem. A first joint event was hosted on 25th of June in Bangalore, followed by an event in the context of this year’s Lakme Fashion Week on 23rd of August, and culminating in a investor showcase at this year’s Sankalp Forum 2019 in November 2019 in Mumbai.

Eligible Innovators can apply to the Programme here: LINK

About Fashion for Good

Fashion for Good is the global initiative that is here to make all fashion good. It’s a global platform for innovation, made possible through collaboration and community. With an open invitation to the entire apparel industry, Fashion for Good convenes brands, producers, retailers, suppliers, non-profit organisations, innovators and funders united in their shared ambition.

At the core of Fashion for Good is our innovation platform. Through our Fashion for Good Accelerator Programme we give promising start-up innovators the expertise and access to funding they need in order to grow. Our Scaling Programme supports innovations that have passed the proof-of-concept phase, with a dedicated team that offers bespoke support and access to expertise, customers and capital. Our Good Fashion Fund will catalyse access to finance to shift at scale to more sustainable production methods.

Fashion for Good also acts as a convener for change. In October 2018, the Fashion for Good Experience has opened the world’s first interactive tech museum dedicated to sustainable fashion innovation. In its hub in Amsterdam, Fashion for Good also houses a Circular Apparel Community co-working space, creates open-source resources like its Good Fashion Guide about circular apparel.

Fashion for Good’s programmes are supported by founding partner C&A Foundation and corporate partners adidas, C&A, BESTSELLER, Galeries Lafayette Group, Kering, Otto Group, PVH Corp., Stella McCartney, Target and Zalando and affiliate partners Arvind and Nørrona.

About Circular Apparel Innovation Factory (CAIF):

Intellecap, supported by the DOEN Foundation, launched the Circular Apparel Innovation Factory (CAIF) in 2018. CAIF is an initiative that brings together a variety of stakeholders in the apparel industry in India to shift the industry from its current ‘take-make-dispose’ approach, to one that is more circular across the lifecycle. CAIF’s is an industry-led platform aiming to build a circular apparel and textile industry. Our mission is to build capabilities and the ecosystem needed for a transition towards a circular textile and apparel industry in South Asia. We leverage the Aavishkaar approach of creating impact at scale through providing access to capital, knowledge, and networks throughout the journey of a circular innovation.

Innovative startups from India with disruptive sustainability solutions applicable to the fashion supply chain will now have the opportunity to be part of a Asia innovation programme launched by Fashion for Good, supported by Intellecap.

India is not only a global leader in manufacturing and one of the largest consumer markets for fashion, it is also increasingly a hotspot for innovators that tap into the growing opportunities to create value and impact both socially and environmentally from a transition towards a circular economy. With a rich heritage in textile manufacturing and production, Fashion for Good, Intellecap’s Circular Apparel Innovation factory (CAIF) and its Indian corporate partners are seeking to spark and scale promising innovations from this region that have the potential to disrupt the current fashion supply chain worldwide. Of particular interest will be the unique perspective of home-grown innovators focusing in key areas including raw materials, dyeing and finishing, manufacturing, retail, end-of-use and transparency and traceability.

“We are pleased to see the Fashion for Good innovation platform expanding to Asia; together we will continue to work on promoting and growing the sustainable technologies originating from the FFG platform. We are looking forward to work with these technologies to fuel next set of growth in manufacturing for us with the aim of growing with drastically less environmental impact,” said Punit Lalbhai, Board of Directors; Arvind Limited.

“Our team at Intellecap is very excited to work with Fashion for Good to scale up sustainable fashion innovations in India. Our organizations share a similar vision of putting entrepreneurship in the center of change, and by joining forces, we believe we can build a powerful ecosystem to nurture and grow high impact innovations that are needed to bring India’s fashion industry on a more sustainable growth path,” said Stefanie Bauer, CAIF Intellecap.

Fashion for Good is working on scaling innovations in the region, by catalysing collaborative pilots, which address areas such as making organic cotton traceable and solutions for the treatment of waste water from the apparel manufacturing process.

Katrin Ley, Managing Director of Fashion for Good, explains: “Working closely with these local partners enables us to promote the transition of the fashion industry towards more sustainable, circular practices as well as the betterment of social and environmental issues.”

Leading up to the programme launch, Intellecap and Fashion for Good would host a series of events across India to engage the Indian sustainable textile ecosystem. A first joint event was hosted on 25th of June in Bangalore, followed by an event in the context of this year’s Lakme Fashion Week on 23rd of August, and culminating in a investor showcase at this year’s Sankalp Forum 2019 in November 2019 in Mumbai.

Eligible Innovators can apply to the Programme here: LINK

About Fashion for Good

Fashion for Good is the global initiative that is here to make all fashion good. It’s a global platform for innovation, made possible through collaboration and community. With an open invitation to the entire apparel industry, Fashion for Good convenes brands, producers, retailers, suppliers, non-profit organisations, innovators and funders united in their shared ambition.

At the core of Fashion for Good is our innovation platform. Through our Fashion for Good Accelerator Programme we give promising start-up innovators the expertise and access to funding they need in order to grow. Our Scaling Programme supports innovations that have passed the proof-of-concept phase, with a dedicated team that offers bespoke support and access to expertise, customers and capital. Our Good Fashion Fund will catalyse access to finance to shift at scale to more sustainable production methods.

Fashion for Good also acts as a convener for change. In October 2018, the Fashion for Good Experience has opened the world’s first interactive tech museum dedicated to sustainable fashion innovation. In its hub in Amsterdam, Fashion for Good also houses a Circular Apparel Community co-working space, creates open-source resources like its Good Fashion Guide about circular apparel.

Fashion for Good’s programmes are supported by founding partner C&A Foundation and corporate partners adidas, C&A, BESTSELLER, Galeries Lafayette Group, Kering, Otto Group, PVH Corp., Stella McCartney, Target and Zalando and affiliate partners Arvind and Nrrona.

About Circular Apparel Innovation Factory (CAIF):

Intellecap, supported by the DOEN Foundation, launched the Circular Apparel Innovation Factory (CAIF) in 2018. CAIF is an initiative that brings together a variety of stakeholders in the apparel industry in India to shift the industry from its current ‘take-make-dispose’ approach, to one that is more circular across the lifecycle. CAIF’s is an industry-led platform aiming to build a circular apparel and textile industry. Our mission is to build capabilities and the ecosystem needed for a transition towards a circular textile and apparel industry in South Asia. We leverage the Aavishkaar approach of creating impact at scale through providing access to capital, knowledge, and networks throughout the journey of a circular innovation.

About Intellecap:

Intellecap is a pioneer in building enabling ecosystems and channeling capital to create and nurture a sustainable & equitable society. Founded in 2002, Intellecap works across critical sectors like Agriculture, Livelihoods, Climate Change, Clean Energy, Financial Services, Gender & Inclusion, Healthcare, Water and Sanitation, and has delivered over 500 global engagements across 40+ countries and syndicated investments of over $500 Million USD in Capital. Intellecap through its presence in India and Africa, provides a broad range of Consulting, Research and Investment Banking Services, to Multilateral Agencies, Development Finance Institutions, Social Enterprises, Corporations, Investors, Policy Makers and Donors. Our common action platform, Sankalp Forum, one of the largest global inclusive development platforms, brings together the ecosystem to shape the way markets work for delivering the SDGs 2030.

For more details, please visit, https://www.intellecap.