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Lateral Sparks, the weekly quiz from YourStory, tests your domain knowledge, business acumen, and lateral thinking skills (see the previous edition here). In this 133rd 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 Review section as well, with takeaways from over 355 titles on creativity and entrepreneurship, and our weekend PhotoSparks section on creativity in the arts.

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Q1: Fine-tuning AI

AI offers a lot of potential through solutions like autonomous cars–but there have been instances and even failures that raise concerns about their reliability and safety. How can such AI mishaps be tackled?

Q2: The gig economy

The gig economy offers freelancers and entrepreneurs the promises of flexibility, autonomy, and vast possibilities. But it also raises challenges of income variability, lack of benefits, and tax complexity. How can these obstacles be overcome?

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Q3: Nutrition awareness and solutions

Students in many government schools lack awareness about nutrition, sanitation, and solution creation to tackle these issues. How can such awareness be increased while also transforming children to become problem-solvers?

Q4: Safe skincare products

There are many skincare brands in the market targeting adults and infants. But proper care also needs to be given to children’s products that do not cause skin allergies or rashes. How can such safety issues be tackled, and where are the entrepreneurial opportunities here?

Q5: Inclusion and connection

While there are many platforms for knowledge and connection for mass market consumers, there is a shortage of such spaces for the LGBTQIA+ population. They continue to face harassment and hate speech online. What’s a way of creating a safe space 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: Fine-tuning AI

Founded by former NVIDIA and Ola executive Gaurav Agarwal, the startup RagaAI detects issues related to AI models to enhance their reliability and safety in the real world. “I realised that if you don’t do a systematic, technology-driven effort to make sure AI does not fail, it could really hold back all the good things it can do,” he observes.

The startup provides an automated testing platform designed for all types of AI, including GenAI, to ensure safe and reliable AI in production. Read more about its robust testing and compliance platform for vehicle detection systems and LLM guardrails here.

A2: The gig economy

“Creating a detailed budget is essential for managing irregular income,” S Ravi, Founder, Ravi Rajan & Co, advises gig workers. They should also diversify their income by offering different services, targeting multiple client niches, and using various gig platforms.

“Given the unpredictable nature of gig work, having an emergency fund is crucial,” he adds. Read more of his gig worker advice on tracking income and expenses using accounting software here.

A3: Nutrition awareness and solutions

Archana Sinha co-founded Nourishing Schools Foundation (NSF) in 2016 with a toolkit-based approach to make children understand the importance of proper nutrition and sanitation. “Our aim is to impart them with the right knowledge and transform them into thought leaders,” she says.

Activity-based games teach important concepts via food image cards and activities for crafting soap, soap dispensers, and handwashing stations. Games such as Snakes & Ladders reward positive behaviours. Read more about the guided activities to set up a school garden here.

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A4: Safe skincare products

Pooja Dugar and Alok Nagpal co-founded Yellow Naturals to offer natural personal care and skincare products for children in the age group 4-12 years. The Gurugram-based startup is focused on safe solutions such as daily cleanse shampoo and conditioner, body wash, and nail paint.

“Our plan is to focus on educating consumers about the benefits of using quality skincare products, affordable pricing and expanding availability through various distribution channels,” Dugar says. Read more about here how her startup targets the dedicated category for children’s personal care products, sandwiched between baby care and adult offerings.

A5: Inclusion and connection

Aayush Agrawal, former entertainment professional-turned entrepreneur, launched Pride+ as a social media platform created exclusively for the queer community. Its features such as ‘Community’ and ‘Chat’ offer a safe space for members to open up about themselves and their trauma.

There are resources on mental health, career counselling, sexual wellness, and entrepreneur marketplaces. Read more here about how the app leverages AI for customer support moderation and verification.

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 (downloadable as apps here: Apple, Android).