Shaffi Mather: A new way to fight corruption

TL;DR

The speaker discusses his experiences as a lawyer and his new entrepreneurial idea to create a fee-based service to fight bribes and corruption, highlighting the potential for profitability in addressing this global issue.

Transcript

The anger in me against corruption made me to make a big career change last year, becoming a full-time practicing lawyer. My experiences over the last 18 months, as a lawyer, has seeded in me a new entrepreneurial idea, which I believe is indeed worth spreading. So, I share it with all of you here today, though the idea itself is getting crystalliz... Read More

Key Insights

• 🚀 The speaker's background as a lawyer and entrepreneur has sparked a new idea to address corruption and lack of transparency in society.
• 🏙️ The speaker has experience in building successful businesses in the real estate and startup sectors, but has now shifted focus to social sector issues.
• 🚑 The speaker co-founded Ambulance Access for All, a life-support ambulance service in India that is fully self-sustainable and accessible to anyone in need, regardless of their ability to pay.
• 💰 The service operates on a cross-subsidy model where the rich pay higher rates, the poor pay lower rates, and accident victims receive the service for free.
• 🌍 The service responded effectively and efficiently during the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, becoming the first medical response team in every incident location and saving lives.
• 📚 The speaker has also co-founded two other social enterprises focused on education access and rural supply chain integration.
• 💰 Diligent investors and venture funds have committed over $7.5 million in funding to the speaker's social enterprises, demonstrating the viability of these ventures.
• 💡 The speaker is exploring the idea of creating a fee-based BPO service to stop bribes and prevent corruption, targeting a market worth up to $1 trillion dollars annually.

Questions & Answers

Q: How does the ambulance service in India address the issue of corruption?

The ambulance service in India, Dial 1298 for Ambulance, is fully self-sustainable and provides life-support services without accessing public funds, using a cross-subsidy model where the rich pay higher fees, the poor pay lower fees, and accident victims receive the service for free. This model ensures that the service is universally accessible to anyone in need, regardless of their ability to pay.

Q: How do existing tools like the Right to Information Act and video/audio help fight bribery and corruption?

The speaker and his team have successfully used tools like the Right to Information Act, video recording, and audio evidence to push back against demands for bribes. By utilizing these tools and applying peer pressure, they have been able to achieve their desired outcomes without actually paying the bribe, often at a lower cost than the demanded bribe amount.

Q: What is the potential market size for a fee-based service to fight bribes and corruption?

The potential market for such a service is immense, with an estimated one trillion dollars being paid in bribes globally each year. In India alone, this amount is equivalent to the country's GDP. The speaker sees this as a virgin market with significant potential for profitability.

Q: How does the speaker's proposed service differ from existing market solutions to address corruption?

The speaker highlights the lack of a service that specifically focuses on fighting bribes and corruption, using a fee-based model. While there are organizations and initiatives working against corruption, the speaker's proposal aims to consolidate existing tools and processes into a business process outsourcing (BPO) model, making them accessible through web, call-center, and physical franchise offices for a fee. This approach sets it apart from other initiatives and has the potential for widespread impact.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The speaker, a former lawyer, shares his entrepreneurial journey and success in creating a self-sustaining life support ambulance service in India.

• He discusses the importance of addressing corruption and bribery, stating that it is a demand and supply issue with politicians and bureaucrats as the demand side and common people as the supply side.

• The speaker proposes the idea of a fee-based service to fight bribes and corruption, using existing tools like the Right to Information Act, video/audio, and peer pressure to help individuals confronted with demands for bribes.