The builder's path
For: Small investors in India can't easily check whether a deposit scheme is allowed before they hand over money.
“Some things are under our control, while others are not under our control.”
Routes to a solution
Each route is a different kind of journey, with real people and organisations to contact at each step, starting with those in Karnataka.
Step 1
Partner with a nonprofit on the ground
They know the people and can run it with you.
Incubator for social enterprises in health, agriculture and livelihoods.
Lab-to-market platform for science and technology aimed at social problems.
Incubator and investor at IIM Ahmedabad, with impact programmes.
Patient capital and fellowships for enterprises serving low-income communities.
Step 2
Pitch a foundation or CSR fund
Show the evidence and the people it reaches.
Where companies report CSR spending; shows which companies fund which causes and where.
Large philanthropy in health, education, water and livelihoods.
Support for entrepreneurs, skilling and AI for social good.
Patient capital and fellowships for enterprises serving low-income communities.
Ideas, sources and tools for this problem, from first interviews to funding.
Regulator of banks and deposit-taking NBFCs; publishes lists and warnings.
Regulator of investment schemes and intermediaries; publishes registered entities.
Sachet takes public complaints about illegal deposit schemes and could say what investors ask most.
Know how schemes recruit through agents and referrals, and could test a first version.
Starter prompt
Built from this problem's brief. Paste it into Claude or any AI assistant.
Help me design and build a first working prototype for this problem in Karnataka, India. Problem: Small investors in India can't easily check whether a deposit scheme is allowed before they hand over money. Who it hurts: People offered a scheme with assured monthly returns and referral commissions, often by someone they know. The moment it hurts: Being asked to invest, with a promise of a fixed monthly return and a commission for bringing in others. What people do today: Investors trust the agent or the people who joined before them. Problems surface only when payouts stop and police or the ED step in. Why it is still unsolved: Whether an entity may take deposits sits across several regulators and laws, and there is no single plain check an ordinary investor can run in a minute. What solved looks like: A free check by name or by a photo of a scheme's pamphlet that says whether the entity is registered to take deposits or offer the product, flags the classic warning signs (assured high monthly returns, referral commissions), and links to where to report it. Where: Karnataka, India First, list what you would need to learn from the people affected before building, as interview questions. Then propose the simplest version that would help, the screens or messages it needs, and the data it would use. Keep it cheap to run, accessible, and respectful of people's privacy. Flag anything you are unsure about instead of guessing.
Talk to the people who live it before you build.
“Lead me from the unreal to the real, from darkness to light.”
असतो मा सद्गमय। तमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमय।
asato mā sad gamaya, tamaso mā jyotir gamaya
Get a working version in front of people fast.
Using AI is not cheating. Every tool carries the work of the people who made it, and using it well is how knowledge has always moved forward. The thinking, the care for the people who live the problem, and the judgement are still yours.
“The Analytical Engine weaves algebraical patterns just as the Jacquard-loom weaves flowers and leaves.”
Open data that fits this problem.
“In the fields of observation chance favours only the prepared mind.”
Dans les champs de l'observation le hasard ne favorise que les esprits préparés.
Tools matched to what this problem needs.
“Arise, awake; seek out the wise and learn.”
उत्तिष्ठत जाग्रत प्राप्य वरान्निबोधत
uttiṣṭhata jāgrata prāpya varān nibodhata
Ship it responsibly, and find help and funding.
“The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool.”
Kit written for this problem from its brief; every link was checked. Links go to each provider's own site. Zetema is not paid for any listing.