Manan Singla: Where Entrepreneurship Meets Social Impact

For Manan Singla entrepreneurship is not simply about building a business It is about understanding the systems that shape everyday life who they serve where people fall through their gaps and how they can become more responsive to the communities that depend on themWhile studying commerce at IEC University Manan has built a profile at the intersection of entrepreneurship communitycentred problemsolving urban mobility publicsector operations research and philosophy His work has taken him from engaging with municipal authorities and autorickshaw networks to publishing research on technology labour and informal institutions in smaller Indian cities Alongside this he has published his first book Meet Me in the Backyard exploring identity mortality belief freedom and the psychology of the selfOne of Mananrsquos key entrepreneurial projects is ECTO India a mobility venture he founded in 2024 to explore technologyenabled autorickshaw transportation in tier2 and tier3 Indian cities Rather than simply replicating metropolitan models Manan has focused on understanding the transport ecosystems that already exist including drivers local networks fare structures and informal systems of coordinationThis question forms the basis of his recently published research paper ldquoPlatformisation in Smaller Indian Cities A Literature Review of Informal Institutions Labour and Technology Adoption in Urban Mobilityrdquo The paper examines how driver unions labour incentives regulation personal networks and locally established systems of trust influence the adoption of digital mobility platforms Its central argument is that technology cannot simply be transplanted from metropolitan markets platforms must adapt to the institutional and social environments of the cities they enterThe research also connects directly to Mananrsquos work with ECTO where he is developing a fieldbased model for integrating local autorickshaw networks with technology platforms examining driver onboarding fare logic route design partnerships and barriers to adoptionHis entrepreneurial experience extends into another area with a direct impact on everyday urban life public sanitation Through SS Solutions Manan has worked on municipal sanitation and mechanised sweeping assignments including deploying a 3D mechanical roadsweeping machine under the Municipal Council of Kurukshetra The experience has given him a groundlevel understanding of publicservice delivery and the coordination required to maintain shared urban spacesThis has also inspired an independent outputbased framework for municipal sanitation contracts measuring outcomes through indicators such as kilometres swept machine hours dust removed watersprinkling coverage and pollutioncontrol operations For Manan sanitation thus becomes a broader question of how municipalities private operators and measurable systems can work together to improve the environments in which people liveBeyond these practical systems Mananrsquos interests extend to questions about the individual His published book Meet Me in the Backyard explores identity mortality belief fear desire power freedom and selfdeception reflecting his wider interests in philosophy theology and psychologyWhat connects these seemingly different pursuits is a consistent instinct to understand problems at the level of both systems and people and explore how those systems might work better As Manan continues to build ventures pursue research and explore ideas his journey reflects the possibilities available to a generation willing to look beyond conventional boundaries not simply to identify problems but to understand the people behind them and turn that understanding into actionFor Manan Singla entrepreneurship is not simply about building a business It is about understanding the systems that shape everyday life who they serve where people fall through their gaps and how they can be made more responsive to the communities that depend on themWhile studying commerce at IEC University Manan has been building a profile that sits at the intersection of entrepreneurship communitycentred problemsolving urban mobility publicsector operations research and philosophy His work has taken him from working directly with municipal authorities and autorickshaw networks to publishing academic research on how technology interacts with informal institutions in smaller Indian cities encouraging him to look beyond efficiency alone and consider questions of livelihood accessibility trust and public welfare Alongside this he has now published his first book Meet Me in the Backyard an exploration of identity mortality belief freedom and the psychology of the selfOne of Manans most significant entrepreneurial projects is ECTO India a mobility venture he founded in 2024 to explore technologyenabled autorickshaw transportation in tier2 and tier3 Indian cities Rather than simply attempting to replicate the appbased cab model developed in metropolitan India Manans work has focused on understanding the existing transport ecosystem in smaller cities including drivers local networks fare structures and informal systems of coordinationThis approach has led him to an important question Can a mobility platform designed for Bengaluru Delhi or Mumbai simply be transplanted into a smaller Indian cityHis recently published research paper ldquoPlatformisation in Smaller Indian Cities A Literature Review of Informal Institutions Labour and Technology Adoption in Urban Mobilityrdquo explores precisely this question Drawing on research into informal institutions platform labour algorithmic management and transport governance the paper examines what happens when digital mobility platforms enter cities where transportation is already shaped by driver unions sharedroute practices personal networks and locally established systems of trust The research argues that technology alone cannot determine whether a mobility platform succeeds Existing informal institutions labour incentives local regulation and perceptions of trust and value all influence how a platform is adopted In smaller cities where personal relationships and established transport networks can carry considerable social legitimacy a new digital platform may have to work with these institutions rather than simply attempting to replace themOne of the cases Manan examines is Namma Yatri whose partnership with Bengalurus Auto Rickshaw Drivers Union offers an example of a platform adapting itself to an existing driver network rather than treating that network as an obstacle His paper uses the case to illustrate a broader argument successful platformisation may depend as much on institutional adaptation and trust as on the technology itselfThe research has a particularly personal connection to Manans entrepreneurial work Through ECTO India he is himself developing a fieldbased model for integrating local autorickshaw networks with technology platforms His work involves examining driver onboarding fare logic route design partnerships and the barriers that can prevent technology adoption at the local levelldquoThe challenge isnt simply putting an app in a city You have to understand the system that already existsrdquo Manan SinglaHis entrepreneurial experience extends into another area with an immediate impact on everyday urban life public sanitation Through SS Solutions Manan has worked on municipal sanitation and mechanised sweeping assignments including the deployment of a 3D mechanical roadsweeping machine under the Municipal Council of Kurukshetra Working closely with municipal systems gave him a groundlevel view of an essential public service that is often noticed only when it fails and of the coordination required to keep shared urban spaces cleaner and more effectively maintainedHis responsibilities have ranged from equipment deployment and daily operations to municipal coordination and service reporting But the experience also prompted him to think about how public services can be evaluated by the outcomes they create for communities rather than simply by whether a contractual task has been completed Manan is consequently developing an independent outputbased framework for municipal sanitation contracts considering indicators such as kilometres swept machine hours dust removed watersprinkling coverage and pollutioncontrol operations For Manan this has turned sanitation from an operational assignment into a larger question of public service delivery how can municipalities private operators and measurable systems work together to improve the environments in which people live Much like his work in mobility it reflects an interest in understanding public systems from the ground up and using that understanding to make them more responsive to the people they ultimately serveBut Manans interests are not limited to the systems around him They also extend inward to the questions people ask about themselves His recently published book Meet Me in the Backyard explores identity mortality belief fear desire power freedom and selfdeception The book represents another side of his intellectual interests moving away from the mechanics of urban systems and towards philosophy theology and psychology That apparent contrast is actually characteristic of Manans broader body of work which include the philosophy of self mortality and freedom philosophical theology and comparative belief entrepreneurship and institutionbuilding urban mobility and publicprivate service delivery and gemology and value perceptionWhat connects these seemingly different pursuits is a willingness to look beyond the obvious structure of a problem An autorickshaw platform is not merely a technology problem it involves labour trust regulation and the communities that depend on it Municipal sanitation is not merely a question of deploying machinery it involves public service coordination and the quality of the spaces people live in And questions of entrepreneurship and achievement eventually lead Manan towards more fundamental questions about identity freedom belief and human behaviourAt the beginning of his undergraduate journey Manan Singla is pursuing several paths simultaneously building ventures conducting independent research and writing about the questions that shape how people understand themselves and the systems around them Together they reflect a consistent instinct to understand problems at the level of both systems and people and then explore how those systems might work better As he continues to explore the intersections of entrepreneurship research and ideas Mananrsquos journey reflects the possibilities available to a generation increasingly willing to look beyond conventional boundaries not simply to identify problems but to understand the people behind them and turn that understanding into actionAs he continues to explore the intersections of entrepreneurship research and ideas Mananrsquos journey reflects the possibilities available to a generation increasingly willing to build question and create beyond conventional boundaries

Manan Singla: Where Entrepreneurship Meets Social Impact

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Manan Singla: Where Entrepreneurship Meets Social Impact

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