1. The INNOWE - INFOSYSChallengeSOCIAL INNOVATION 2011 VisionSpringSubmitted By:Team NetrutvaJanhavi Shahjanhavisshah@gmail.com9819769600Dipti Rakadiptiraka@gmail.com9820559740Mugdha Ghagmugdhaghag@yahoo.co.in9930745412PGDM Business Design II yearWelingkar Institute of MangementDevelopment & Research, Matunga, Mumbai.

2. The Innowe Challenge 2011 VisionSpringBringing high-quality, low-cost vision care to neglected communities across the developingworld.We talk of great visionaries who dreamt to make real innovation happen, Steve Jobs, Eric Schmidt,Mark Zuckerberg, Ratan Tata. Here, we narrate to you the story about two people who dreamt, withtheir eyes wide open to provide to the less privileged, the power of clear vision.VisionSpring: A story on social enterprise, micro-franchising and business with the next billion.During his first year in optometry school, Jordan Kassalow went on a trip to rural Mexico toprovide eye care services to some 2,000 people who suffer from vision problems.He saw a seven-year old boy who couldnt see at all and was using Braille. "He suffered the burdenof blindness: besides being unable to see, blind people are ostracized in society as they areconsidered bad luck," Kassalow recalls.Being a freshman, he asked his professor to review the boys condition with him. As it turned out,the boy was not blind, just profoundly near-sighted. The team had brought with them eyeglasses ofvarying degrees and he was asked to get the one with the strongest lens for the boy.As the boy aligned his eyes to the lenses, I saw his face light up as he experienced the joy of beingable to see. That moment transformed both our lives," he says. "I wanted to be able to recreatemoments like this. It got me on track."When Kassalow returned to Boston, he was startled to see that of the 2,000 people they saw overfive days, 1,400 or 70% needed glasses. Of these;We School, Mumbai Social Innovation: VisionSpringTeam Netrutva 3. The Innowe Challenge 2011 ONLY 30% 70% need simple was made-to- magnifying-type orderlenses that came in 5ready-made powersHe went on eight more training trips but was dissatisfied with the strategy. He wanted to find asustainable model. In any mission or cause, the most passionate radicals and influencers are the ones thirsting for a change. They are the ones dissatisfied with status quo and all they need is a mission, a cause to ignite them.After working with Aravind, Kassalow had split his time between international public health workand an optometric practice in New York City. Scott, a businessman and senior executive of a largefamily business, was attracted by the idea of combining his interest in entrepreneurship with hispassion for public service. On a visit to India in 1998, Kassalow and Scott saw first-hand the hugemarket for reading glasses for the poor.In 2001, they created Scojo Foundation to provide affordable reading glasses to people withpresbyopia* living in low-income communities. During this time, Kassalow and Scott also formedScojo Vision LLC, a for-profit company in the United States that targeted the affordable luxuryniche of the reading glasses market. From the beginning, they designated that 5% of profits fromthe LLC would funnel into Scojo Foundation. Kassalow felt that he and Scott were a strong teamwhose skills and experiences complemented one another. Kassalow knew about eye care, publichealth, and fundraising. Scott knew about sales, marketing and business management.*Presbyopia is a natural condition whereby the lens of the eye loses its flexibility, resulting in blurry up-closevisionWe School, Mumbai Social Innovation: VisionSpringTeam Netrutva 4. The Innowe Challenge 2011Although they were both integrally involved in designing and building the LLC and the Foundation,they agreed that Scott would take the lead in the LLC and Kassalow would run the Foundation.Chronicling VisionSprings journeyScojo FoundationCreatedIndiaLaunched in Mexico &Renamed asEl SalvadorGuatemalaBangladeshVisionSpring200120022003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008George Soros Open Society Institute funded Scojo Foundations pilot program in India in 2001 andbegan operations in India in January, 2005.Scojo Indias revenue sources were from eye-glasses sales, grants and loans. In May of 2006, ScojoFoundation received a US$100,000 loan from Acumen Fund for its India operations. Acumen Fundis a global non-profit venture fund that invests in scalable and financially sustainable organizationsdelivering products and services to the poor. Acumen Fund tracks a combination of financial andsocial returns.Five years later, Scojo New York was sold and Scojo Foundation was renamed VisionSpring in2008.We School, Mumbai Social Innovation: VisionSpring Team Netrutva 5. The Innowe Challenge 2011Serving the base of the Pyramid: A market for reading glasses in India880 millionOneIn India live on less than US$ 2 per dayeye care professional per 30,200 people92.4 million Rs.250-500Indians suffer from presbyopiaspent on a pair of reading glasses by rural folkThis population was VisionSprings primary market which would benefit from reading glasses interms of improved quality of life and increased productivity. Many people did not know that therewas a simple and affordable solution to presbyopia, and therefore did not look for opportunities tobuy reading glasses even if they were available.These glasses typically cost less than $10 in US drugstores. Kassalow felt that the problem wasreally a question of distribution. People in the villages just didnt have access to the glasses. Itstruck him that the real problem was really a market failure for eyeglasses, and he came up with theidea of training local women, whom he saw as the keys to ending the poverty spiral that entrappedmany of his patients. Kassalow came up with the concept of a Business-in-a-Bag, which is themicro franchise kit that VisionSpring has today. These kits, which contain different styles andstrengths of glasses combined with the training needed to sell the glasses, empower thousands ofmicro entrepreneurs around the world today. This bag came at a below-cost deposit of Rs.500.Vision Entrepreneurs conduct educational outreach on vision care and offer screenings in theircommunities. To maximize their efforts, Vision Entrepreneurs partner with reputable localinstitutions such as schools and churches to host mobile vision campaigns. .The Business-in-a-Bag has around 40 pairs of various styles, colors and powers of glasses, accessories, mirror,measuring wire, Eye Charts, Invoice Pad, Eye hospital referral pad, daily sales form, customer information sheet,certificate of Training completionWe School, MumbaiSocial Innovation: VisionSpring Team Netrutva 6. The Innowe Challenge 2011Grassroots Innovation-The VisionSpring wayVisionSpring reduces poverty and generates opportunity by educating and empowering visionentrepreneurs and equipping them with the tools needed to market and sell eyeglasses at affordableprices.VisionSpring has achieved significant impact bringing dramatically improved vision to over400,000 individuals at the base of the economic pyramid and leading to improvements in health,income, and productivity in the worlds poorest communities. In sum, VisionSpring is anoutstanding example of enterprising social innovation.We School, MumbaiSocial Innovation: VisionSpringTeam Netrutva 7. The Innowe Challenge 2011The continuing evolution of VisionSprings business model VisionSprings innovations blend methods from the worlds of business andphilanthropy to create sustainable social value that has the potential forlarge-scale impact.We School, Mumbai Social Innovation: VisionSpring Team Netrutva 8. The Innowe Challenge 2011We School, Mumbai Social Innovation: VisionSpring Team Netrutva 9. The Innowe Challenge 2011Comprehensive Eye Care Refers for complexPartners vision problemsThe Business Model with a difference VisionSpring literally has its eyes on the market. With strong customerfeedback, it is able to stay ahead of competition.Reaching the last mile: the Distribution ModelWe School, Mumbai Social Innovation: VisionSpring Team NetrutvaRefers for complexvision problems 10. The Innowe Challenge 2011VisionSpring is a solid, illustrative example of the micro franchise model coupled with micro-consignment while building entrepreneurship among village folk in India and also having adramatic impact in four countries.VisionSpring has built effective partnerships with Shakti Ammas of HUL, Drishtee, ITC e-choupalssanchalaks and Byrraju Foundation and 23 others who receive training from VisionSpring trainerswho would then receive the micro franchise kits and begin selling. As a result of this partnership,nearly 10,000 reading glasses have been sold through Community Health Workers who, in turn,earned generous profit. If VisionSpring were to do this on its own, it would take years of planningand raising the necessary financial resources. It is the trust in the visionentrepreneurs that has made the innovation really touch the grassroots.Developing the Social Innovation NicheWhat sets VisionSpring apart is that it has managed to spread the good work across severaldeveloping countries and it constantly focuses on self-sustenance and creating a social impact. Theorganization has the culture of a small business, driven to be innovative and deliver measurableresults against bottom lines which trickles down to every vision entrepreneur.The value chain provides sufficient financial incentive and social impact potential to convincepartners to open their networks, leverage their infrastructure and provide the resources to managethese programs. Partners can take a share of the large profit margins, and receive some of thewidespread recognition for the double social impact provided by this innovative model.No other organization sells eyeglasses to villages. In fact, very few organizations have developedthe infrastructure to reach villages with retail products, save large consumer products companiessuch as Coca-Cola, HUL or agricultural products companies.VisionSpring has taken advantage of its exclusive position in the villages by gathering market dataon customer preferences and building its brand name.We have been privileged to hear Mr. Maruti Ram, Vision Entrepreneur Channel Manager, India andwere inspired to write this story.We School, MumbaiSocial Innovation: VisionSpring Team Netrutva