Lateral Sparks, the weekly quiz from YourStory, tests your domain knowledge, business acumen, and lateral thinking skills (see the previous edition here). In this 231st edition of the quiz, we present issues tackled by real-life entrepreneurs in their startup journeys.
What would you do if you were in their shoes? At the end of the quiz, you will find out what the entrepreneurs and innovators themselves actually did. Would you do things differently?
Check out YourStory’s Book Reviewsection as well, with takeaways from over 355 titles on creativity and entrepreneurship, and our weekend PhotoSparkssection on creativity in the arts.
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Q1: Electric vehicles
One solution for the power needs of electric vehicles is installation of charging stations at urban locations and along highways. What’s another energy option?
Q2: Women founders
Startups founded by women have been shown to deliver well on invested capital. However, women founders receive less share of venture capital funding globally, and have shortage of access to networks and mentors. How can this gap be filled?
Q3: Energy solutions
Energy security and transition call for smarter and adaptive power grids. How can this energy opportunity be tapped?
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Q4: Personal care
Many consumers are concerned about the increasing use of chemicals in personal care products, as well as their impact on the environment. Where is the entrepreneurial opportunity here?
Q5: Home services
India has a large home services market which spans domestic help, cleaning, cooking, and maintenance. But it remains largely fragmented and informal. How can trust and convenience be improved here?
Answers!
Congratulations on having come this far! But there’s more to come – answers to these five questions (below), as well as links to articles with more details on the entrepreneurs’ solutions. Happy reading, happy learning – and happy creating!
A1: Electric vehicles
Founded by Pulkit Khurana and Siddharth Sikka, Battery Smart operates over 1,518 battery swapping stations with more than 321 stations in Delhi. As opposed to traditional charging infrastructure, Battery-as-a-service (BaaS) enables EV users to quickly swap drained batteries for fully charged ones.
This helps in minimising downtime, particularly in high-demand segments like last-mile delivery and passenger transport. Read more here about how it has raised $15 million in debt funding from Mirova, an affiliate of Natixis Investment Managers.
A2: Women founders
Founded by Aishwarya Malhi and Vikas Kumar, Rebalance is an accelerator and angel community focused on women founders. Its 15-week accelerator runs twice a year, with 10-15 companies per cohort.
Rebalance also offers assistance in storytelling for founders to refine their pitches and investor communication. Read more here about how its angel community has made 30 investments, of which 76% of the startup are women-led.
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A3: Energy solutions
Founded by Ayush Sinhal, Kimbal is an energy engineering company that has developed solutions for Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI). The smart system helps electricity distribution companies manage power better, using smart meters and a wireless communication network.
Central software helps track electricity usage, reduce power loss, improve billing accuracy, and balance supply and demand. Read more here about how it has raised $22 million in a Series B funding round, led by sustainability-focused private equity firm, GEF Capital Partners.
A4: Personal care
Founded by Tuba Siddiqui and Faiz Siddiqui, Soil Concept is a natural personal care brand that offers plant-based products with a healthier, more sustainable approach. It has over 25 SKUs sold across 60 to 70 premium organic stores in India and on major online platforms.
Soil Concept covers hair care, skin care, essential oils, and wellness products. Read more here about its awareness initiatives through experience stores, and its plans to work with salon chains.
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A5: Home services
Founded by Aayush Agarwal, Snabbit is a quick home services startup that aims to bring India’s largely informal domestic help ecosystem onto an on-demand, app-driven model. Its approach is to build density block by block, focusing on micro-markets rather than rapid geographic expansion.
This can lead to higher utilisation of workers, lower customer acquisition costs, and stronger repeat behaviour. Read more here about how it processes over 40,000 jobs daily across five cities, and crossed one million monthly jobs in March 2026.
YourStory has also published the pocketbook ‘Proverbs and Quotes for Entrepreneurs: A World of Inspiration for Startups’ as a creative and motivational guide for innovators.
Original Article
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