India’s innovation story is changing. From jugaad to globally scalable deep-tech products, a new generation of Indian innovators is turning constraint into competitive advantage.
Join us on Saturday, May 23, 2026 at 5:00 PM IST for a fireside conversation on frugal innovation, deep tech, and India’s emerging product ecosystem.
Featuring:
• Jaideep Prabhu, Author of LeanSpark
• Manoj Kumar, Founder & CEO, Social Alpha
In conversation with Dr Madanmohan Rao
Jaideep will explore how constraint-driven thinking—the core principle of LeanSpark—is reshaping how Indian entrepreneurs, startups, and enterprises build products for global markets. Rather than abandoning frugality as India grows wealthier, Indian innovators are doubling down on it: using fewer resources more intelligently, designing for scale from day one, and building systemic resilience into their DNA.
Manoj Kumar will throw light on how lean thinking, intellectual property, and deep-tech entrepreneurship are shaping India’s innovation future.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS:
1.Jaideep Prabhu is Professor of Marketing, Jawaharlal Nehru Professor of Indian Business, Director of the Centre for India and Global Business, and Vice Dean for Faculty at Judge Business School, University of Cambridge. He has a PhD in Business Administration from the University of Southern California and a BTech from the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi.
He has published in leading academic journals and his work has been profiled by the BBC, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, The Economist, The Financial Times, Le Monde, The New York Times, and The Times. He is the co-author of Jugaad Innovation: Think Frugal, Be Flexible, Generate Breakthrough Growth, described by The Economist as “the most comprehensive book yet” on the subject of frugal innovation.
His 2015 book Frugal Innovation: How to do Better with Less with Navi Radjou won the CMI’s Management Book of the Year Award 2016. He published How Should a Government Be: The New Levers of State Power in February 2021 and LeanSpark: Frugal by Design, Global in Impact in January 2026. He was elected a Fellow of the British Academy in 2023
2.Manoj Kumar is the founder of Social Alpha, a multi-stage innovation curation and venture development platform that backs science and technology innovations addressing some of the world’s most pressing social, economic, and environmental challenges.
After more than two decades as a corporate leader, entrepreneur, and early-stage investor across global markets, Manoj transitioned to philanthropy with a conviction that breakthrough innovations must be harnessed to solve complex development problems. This belief led to the creation of Social Alpha in 2016 as an operating philanthropy.
Beyond Social Alpha, Manoj serves on the boards of several companies, non-profits, and research institutions. He remains deeply passionate about bridging the gap between science and society, and continues to champion innovation and entrepreneurship as powerful tools to address market failures and create lasting impact.
ABOUT THE MODERATOR:
1.Dr Madanmohan Rao is the Co-founder of innovation platform MXR.world (‘mixers across the world’), Research Director at YourStory Media, and Charter Member at TiE Bangalore. He is a graduate of IIT Bombay, University of Massachusetts at Amherst (USA), and Loyola High School (Poona).
He has given talks, lectures and workshops in over 90 countries around the world. He has written 15 books on knowledge management, innovation, and digital media. His hobbies include world music, jazz, travel, and craft beer appreciation.
He was earlier the Communications Director at the United Nations Inter Press Service Bureau (New York), Research Director at the Asian Media Information and Communication Centre (Singapore), Group Consultant at Microland (Bangalore), and Vice President at IndiaWorld Communications (Mumbai). Madan is on the board of directors of a range of organisations including Digital Empowerment Foundation and TellMe Media.
