Organization
Frontier Markets
Mission
Frontier Markets' ® mission is to provide reliable, affordable, and high-quality clean energy products to the low-income households to increase health, wealth, and productivity. We believe that unless customers are satisfied with their purchase, our impact will not last. We are committed to superior after-sales service, ensure that our customers understand the new technology and its benefits, and foster a personal relationship with customers so that they may voice their household needs and provide essential feedback. Through our work, we are dedicated to reach millions of low-income households, remove thousands of tons of carbon from the atmosphere, and provide income-generating opportunities to thousands of villagers in India and beyond.® Frontier Markets' mission is to provide over 1 million solar products to 3 million households in India by 2016, and become a global leader in rural distribution and products for low-income households.
Other Organization Type
Social Business
Organizational Expertise
Capacity Building, Climate/Environment, Livelihoods, Marketing
Other Organizational Expertise
Frontier Markets was established in response the challenges in electricity access in rural villages of India. There have been many unsuccessful attempts to address this gap, however, none of them have been successful in providing rural BOP villagers in India with access, training, and servicing for clean-energy products. Despite a clear demand, rural villagers are reluctant to purchase clean energy solutions either because they are not educated on how they work, have skewed quality perceptions of solar due to government subsidies and cheap products that flooded the market, and a lack of trust in solar based on an inferior product purchased in the past. Product companies exist that design products with this target customer group in mind, but they lack on-the-ground infrastructure to deliver these to last-mile locations, do not understand the rural customer, and do not have the capability to provide education and servicing after a sale is made. Frontier Markets offers a unique distribution model as part of its inclusive business commitment, partnering with local entrepreneurs who sell our clean-energy products under the brand name ‘Saral Jeevan.' We have set up brick-and-mortar service facilities to fix any technical issues, as well as educate customers. We engage with consumers to better understand their product and design needs, so that by working with technical partners we are able to provide them with high-quality and relevant products. Our 18 years of experience in rural marketing and market-based solutions have given us a better understanding of how to reach the right customers, and provide applicable products to different segments of the market. Our 3 years of experience with product companies give us an advantage in negotiating price points which are affordable for our target customers. Because of our high-touch approach and emphasis on quick and simple servicing, customers trust our brand and regain confidence in clean-energy solutions as a way to improve household health, wealth and productivity.® FM has developed an extensive network of strategic and research partners, including the Asian Development Bank, the UN Foundation, the Institute for Microfinance Research (IFMR), the Center for Development Finance (CDF). FM was a Scholarship Winner for the Skoll World Economic Forum 2012, winner of the World Brand Congress' 2012 “Innovation in Rural Marketing in India†competition, Social Scholarship Winner for SOCAP Europe and San Francisco 2012, and Ajaita Shah was recognized as one of Business Today's Top Entrepreneurs Under 30. FM is an Echoing Green fellow, part of the Energy for All Partnership and Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, and was a 2013 Sankalp Forum finalist and partner for SAP and Ashoka Changemakers The Power of Small initiative.
Technologies & Fuels
Solar
Other Technologies Fuels
In addition to solar systems and hybrid inverters, Frontier Markets is working to promote market demand for clean cookstoves.
Clean Cooking Activities
Currently, FM is active in five districts of Rajasthan and three districts of Andhra Pradesh. We are in the process of experimenting with a comprehensive CRM system to manage logistics, lead generation, and customer data collection, and a line-of-credit model to provide financing options to our entrepreneurs during peak seasons. We have developed a business-in-a-box model for demand generation, innovative marketing, distribution, servicing and follow-up which makes our model easily replicable within India and beyond.
In addition to expanding organically to 4-5 states of India in the next 5 years, we will scale our model to other countries by partnering with local entrepreneurs who are willing to adapt our model with the same vigor, passion and understanding of the rural household. At that time, we will have developed a franchise structure which may be replicable in other developing countries in need of affordable and well-serviced clean-energy solutions for the BOP. We will leverage our greater network of colleagues, and private and public partners to facilitate this expansion.® Through our work, we are dedicated to reaching millions of low-income households, removing thousands of tons of carbon from the atmosphere, and providing income-generating opportunities to thousands of villagers in India and beyond. Frontier Markets' mission is to provide over 1 million products to 3 million households in India by 2016, and become a global leader in rural distribution of clean-energy products for low-income households.
®
Partnership
We are interested in joining the partnership in order to learn from other entrepreneurs who are engaged in similar work. We are always looking for interested individuals who would like to adopt our model into their own operations, within the framework of a franchised partnerships. Conferences and events with the Alliance would be excellent ways to make meaningful connections, and to rejuvenate and inspire us to create a greater impact.
Regions Operating In
South Asia
Country Based In
India
Address
D-52 City Vijay Scheme #304
Ahinsa Circle, C-Scheme
Jaipur, Rajasthan 302015
Website
Primary Point of Contact
Name: Ajaita Shah
Title: Founder/CEO
Email: ajaita.shah@frontiermkts.com
Phone: 914-514-0521
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