The co-founders of PhonePe, India’s leading digital payment platform are considering pursuing various growth opportunities in a huge country just entering the digital age. In a highly competitive industry, the founders are keenly aware that making the right choices is not only a matter of opportunity cost but critical to preserving the company’s market leadership. PhonePe began as an enabling platform between parties and, unlike some of its competitors, did not get involved up to now in the direct delivery of goods and services. But PhonePe’s brand and reach make it relevant now to revisit the question. In the next board meeting, three areas of obvious digital potential are likely to come up: lending, education and gaming. Another is taking the model international. What should the founders recommend to their board?
Launched in Dhaka, Bangladesh, in 2015, Praava Health (‘Praava’) delivered high-quality in-clinic primary and specialist care, backed by its own high quality diagnostic laboratories, imaging and pharmacy. Praava was founder Sylvana Sinha’s response to what she saw as a broken healthcare system in one of the world’s most populous countries, unable to provide efficient, reliable medical attention to the majority of its population. Centered on the patient, it had a flagship state-of-the art medical center in Dhaka, and digital channels, including Bangladesh’s first patient app, telemedicine, and e-pharmacy. Behind all this was a highly qualified medical, technical and management team, made possible by equity investments of $11.1 million. But raising funds had been a difficult and arduous process, even as Praava’s revenues were growing at around 20% a month. As Sinha proceeded to plan her next steps in Series B fundraising, she wondered if there were modifications that she needed to consider. Were there any changes—in the Praava business model, in the financing structure or in her messaging—that would allow her to break through in the capital markets?
This article examines how the film industry influenced prevailing gender and skin color stereotypes in India during the first four decades after Independence in 1947. It shows that Bollywood, the mainstream cinema in India, shared Hollywood's privileging of paler skin over darker skin, and its preference for presenting women in stereotypical ways lacking agency. The influence of film content was especially significant in India as audiences often lacked alternative sources of entertainment and information. It was left to parallel, and often regional, cinemas in India to contest skin color and gender stereotypes entrenched in mainstream media. As conventional archival sources for this history are lacking, the article employs new evidence from oral histories of producers and actors.
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Anjali Raina is the Executive Director of the Harvard Business School India Research Centre. In her leadership role at the IRC, Anjali focuses on building and maintaining relationships with senior business leaders in the region to facilitate the work of the center in research, educational programs, community building and faculty development.
Under her leadership, the IRC has facilitated the writing of over 168 case studies on Indian Business Practice and supported half a dozen research projects. Anjali has co-authored several case studies such as Aadhaar: India’s ‘Unique Identification’ System, TeamLease: Putting India to Work (II) Legally; Pratham – Every Child in School and Learning Well; Naina Lal Kidwai: Investing in Her Country; Tech Mahindra and the Acquisition of Satyam Computers (A); HN Agri Serve : Growing Prosperity as well as an HBR Article on The Ordinary Heroes of the Taj.
Anjali wears several additional hats. She is a Director on the Board of Harvard Business Publishing, India, the Regional President (Western Region) of NHRDN, an Advisor to The Akanksha Foundation, Trustee to LIFE Trust, an Advisory Member on the Board of HBS Club of India, and on the Advisory Board of the Indian Business School.
Prior to joining HBS IRC Anjali spent 15 years with Citigroup India, most recently as Country Director, before which she worked for more than a decade with ANZ Grindlays Bank PLC. Anjali holds an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta, a bachelor's degree (Eng. Hons) from Loreto College and is an alumnus of HBS having completed the Advanced Management Program.