Essmart Brings Water Filters and Solar Kitchens to Consumers Outside India’s Urban Centers

The founders of ESSMART, who won this month’s Dell Social Innovation Challenge, seem to be poising themselves to be the Sears Roebuck of the developing world.  The idea is simple:  empower the fourteen million shop owners in India through a digital distribution network so they can purchase consumer products that can make life easier for India’s 192 million household rural population. Diana Jue and Jackie Stenson have already run a successful pilot program with two rural shop owners who sold out of 17 products in one week.  Jue will launch operations this summer  in India, and plans to sign up 65 retail shops by year’s end.

Essmart’s $50,000 in winnings will help them rent warehouse space, hire sales agents, and purchase inventory to move into stores.

Independent producer Deepa Donde talked to Stenson about her goals for Essmart. Duane Allen Humeyestewa engineered the interview.

(Disclosure: Donde has been both a board member and a judge for the Dell Social Innovation Challenge).