Problem #25: Due Diligence on Entrepreneurial teams

Increasingly we will see that with the number of ventures climbing up, due diligence will become harder to do efficiently.

We envisage that platforms like AngelList Syndicates and Crowdfunding platforms will further and further step into the terroritory of that which was one reserved for VCs and Super Angels. But how do you do due diligence on a team that is taking small contributions, adding up to a lot?

These teams would still go on to raise venture capital, just at a higher amount - Series Bs might become the new Series As, but the processes that go into the DD process, also need to evolve accordingly.

Since the platform evolving is global - "you can raise money from anywhere in the world for anything", the world will be in need of a platform that can also do due diligence in a scalable, and geographically scaleable way.

Problem #24: Email and SPAM

78% of emails that are sent are SPAM. 3.4mn emails are sent across the globe every second.

Problem #23: "Productivity" in Software driven Knowledge Economies

There are some very crucial problem statements that are popping up with the advent of the knowledge economy - especially with software (and if its not patentable). How do you define productivity? Especially when the underlying economics behind it is the level of asset creation one is involved in. It was easier when you were manufacturing cupcakes and bottles, as that was easy to calculate, but in software there are layers.

My sense, coming from the software engineering field, suggests that we might have to design and develop frameworks that allow us to clearly define core codebase (assets) and incremental and outlier code base (glue/integration code etc). We might have to find a way to also put a dollar figure around it (based on what we are selling) and as a result define what productivity means in this modern day workforce.

The productivity index in most sectors are around 4-5% - that means for every 100$ that is spent on wages, there is 4-5$ value that is created in assets. That itself is low, but my guess is that somehow and somewhere the equation in software engineering might be much farther skewed than that.

Wave 3 of any sector usually focuses on optimization. The first wave of the web was purely experimental. The second wave seemed to have focused on infrastructure. The third wave, will focus on processes and getting the science right.

Why is this a problem? It is, because unless we can quantify productivity, we will continue living in the stone age in terms of how we work and build enterprises of the future.

Problem #22 : Smart Taps for Apartment and Business Complexes

Atleast Once a month, either in my office or residential complex this scenario plays out. Thanks to overcrowded cities, we are no longer reliant on ground water, but buy water that is delivered via tankers. Atleast once a month, both the overhead tanks would deplete and it would be a few hours before the water load is delivered. Guess what, everyone opens their taps, sees water is not coming - and then leaves it open. Worse, they head to office.

Almost every time, when we run one of those dry tank incidents, it takes atleast twice the load to keep the water supply running. The problem - someone has left their tap open, and hence whatever is being pumped into overheads is depleting fast - even knowing that, there is no way to stop it, because if you withhold water, you have a lot of other angry residents.

The same scenario has been playing out in our office complex as well - one office left the bathroom tap open during the weekend, and not only did we lose water, but it also flooded a floor, leading to seepage to the floor below.

Point in case: Pretty serious case. and it seems to be happening a lot - maybe just for me.

I was wondering why there couldnt be a smart tap. an additional connector that fits on taps like this accessory, which gets powered and can be used to shut off all the taps (centrally), before filling overhead tanks.

Problem #21: Improving the Hospital Discharge Process

Livemint, in an article dated Jan 29, 2013 states that "Discharge from Hospitals is one of the most inefficient processes".

"Discharge from hospital is one of the most inefficient processes I have seen. It probably causes as much trauma as the medical treatment itself. Matters become worse in cashless settlement. The actual hospital bill is often higher than the pre-approved amount and getting approval for the incremental money takes time. There are three places where delays happen: The hospital itself may have a complicated process and may not have addressed the queries of third party administrator (TPA); the TPA may not have acted on the reports in time; or the insurer may not have given the final approval to the TPA. This system is gradually improving as hospitals clean up their internal processes and insurers are in-sourcing their TPAs."

It is clearly not in the interest of the Hospital to be levying this inconvenience on their patients / customers. Can there be a solution that can help both parties in this aspect?