Manu Janardhanan and Santosh Abraham
Founders, Dataogram

Pair launched essential supplies distribution app to help NGOs track impact of influence and beneficiaries

Back in 2017, Manu Janardhanan, 37, and Santosh Abraham, 39, met at a co-working space in Navi Mumbai, and soon, it became a habit to bounce ideas off each other, with the former playing devil's advocate. One such idea was Dataogram, a comprehensive data solutions platform for the social sector, which they eventually launched in January 2020. Having their professional experiences in sync — Janardhanan has worked as a software consultant and Abraham started off as a corporate banker before moving to the development sector — they set out to bring cutting-edge technology to the social sector. "I recognised the need for an affordable digital solution that enables NGOs to collect, manage and evaluate field information in real time," says Abraham. And while the pandemic thrust many into unemployment and left civil society to carry the baton of relief work, Dataogram launched two pro-bono initiatives during the lockdown.