“How’s it going?”
This innocuous question can elicit a range of answers, depending on whom you ask. And when you turn the microphone to an entire industry, we can expect a spectrum of reactions that give you the full picture — that’s the philosophy behind Inc42+ Playbooks.
With our membership programme — Inc42+ (launched last week), we want to bring you a slice of this spectrum with observations, opinions and thoughts from the startup ecosystem, enterprises, experts, investors and consumers. And Inc42+ Playbooks are a crucial part of this journey.
Playbooks. Might mean different things in different contexts, but essentially it’s a master list of the way to do things, tactics and methods. Each month, we will break down sectors and topics that are rising to prominence in this very manner, exclusively for Inc42+ members. These topics and ideas lead to heated debates and war of words in our newsroom, and most tech enthusiasts need to know about these right now.
Each Playbook will show you the other side of the coin and highlight the most pressing issues in the sector (or topic) in focus.
These are not just deep-dives, but explorations into various branches that form this sector. We will go into every nook and cranny of the industry with a series of articles, interactive content and opinions from thought leaders. Our vision is to go beyond what’s reported and what’s already trending with groundbreaking stories driven by our passion for knowledge.
We also believe that each sector has its moment in the sunshine. Thus each month, we will release one Playbook (six articles) on sectors, ideas or topics that demand deep exploration, beyond the obvious and into the unknown. Backed by data points from the DataLabs by Inc42 team, each Playbook will also reveal intriguing and unique data points to back our findings and the opinions from founders, investors and sector experts.
The Upcoming Playbooks
India’s Edtech Moment
In February-March, we are diving into the exciting world of edtech, which is transforming India’s education system and taking it into the 21st century by the horns. We will delve into how it is affecting teachers and students, and find out if online learning really changes anything, if outcomes are measured in the same old way?
So, why edtech to begin with? Well, it’s as simple as the time and moment in our lives in 2020. In India, exams and annual tests take centre-stage in the first few months of every year. So what better way to start our quest for new ideas and deep conversations than take a look at the industry than disrupting the way India learns.
As former India President A.P.J Abdul Kalam said,
“When learning is purposeful, creativity blossoms. When creativity blossoms, thinking emanates. When thinking emanates, knowledge is fully lit. When knowledge is lit, the economy flourishes.”
With that in mind, the edtech Playbook will analyse how startups are trying to democratise the Indian education system by leveraging tech and also delve into issues faced by educators, edtech startups as well as learners. Is technology really delivering the rewards promised to students and teachers?
The rise of edtech can be credited to the rising awareness about how India’s education system fails to create market-ready professionals and patronises rote learning. Beyond seeing the future of classrooms, we are analysing how ideas get transferred across the oceans from Silicon Valley to India, and how even adults are reaping the benefits of edtech through skill development and reskilling.
Each Playbook is also highly topical and timely — which is best highlighted by our look at how edtech is changing how students learn in the times of coronavirus. And finally, we are questioning the gadget-obsessed nature of some schools and colleges, and wondering whether parents are to blame or whether it’s actually what children want.
And of course, we cannot ignore the role played by edtech startups in India — with over 4K edtech startups in India, it was time to highlight the ones that have gained the most prominence. You will see this in our periodic table of edtech startups.
India’s Electric Future
In our next Playbook (releasing on 16th March), we will take a look at the world of green mobility with our electric vehicles Playbook — India’s Electric Future. Why EV?
Well for obvious reasons — melting ice caps, unabated wild-fires, natural disasters and so on. As the world looks for sustainable and clean energy resources, Indian entrepreneurs and automotive giants are spending most of their time strategising on electric vehicles.
While Inc42 has been extensively writing about EVs, the Playbook will probe further and reveal the impact of this massive revolution on the stakeholders and the oil-dependent auto industry. What about charging infrastructure and batteries? Will India hold up to the international standards? What exactly goes into an EV?
Our EV Playbook will answer these questions and much more, giving you a birds’-eye view of the history of EVs, the components industry, the key players, the business models that are gaining traction and more. We have already spoken to the length and breadth of the industry and can’t wait to bring you the EV Playbook in the next couple of weeks.
Beyond this new green revolution, we are looking at the sectors like — agritech (April), gaming (May) and more in the months to come. Like a living document, our Playbook will evolve with each year and each decade, to fit the current context.
And that’s just one part of Inc42+ — we will also bring you expert analysis by leveraging our network of experts, influencers and thought leaders in the form of podcasts and guides. Stay tuned for more Playbooks, Guides authored by experts, podcasts, exclusive stories and interactive data-driven content from Inc42+ exclusively for our members.