Shaffi Mather: A new way to fight corruption

The Journey of an Entrepreneurial Lawyer

In this section, the speaker shares their journey as a lawyer and how it led to the development of a new entrepreneurial idea.

Making a Career Change

• The speaker's anger against corruption motivated them to become a full-time practicing lawyer.

• Over the last 18 months, their experiences as a lawyer have sparked a new entrepreneurial idea worth spreading.

Exploring Enterprise and Entrepreneurship

• The speaker has been passionate about enterprise and entrepreneurship since 1993.

• They have explored, experienced, and experimented with enterprise in various capacities.

• They built a leading real estate company in their home state and worked with startup enterprises of prominent businessmen.

Addressing Social Sector Issues

• In 2003, the speaker transitioned from the capitalistic sector to work on social sector issues.

• They did not initially plan to find for-profit solutions but were driven by personal experiences highlighting the need for emergency medical response services in India.

Founding Ambulance Access for All

• Along with four friends, the speaker founded Ambulance Access for All to promote life-support ambulance services in India.

• Their goal was to provide world-class life support ambulance service that is self-sustainable and universally accessible regardless of one's ability to pay.

• Dial 1298 for Ambulance, which started with one ambulance in 2004, now operates over a hundred ambulances across three states.

Self-Sustainability and Impact

• Dial 1298 for Ambulance is fully self-sustainable through its own revenue streams without relying on public funds.

• The cross-subsidy model ensures that those who can afford it pay higher fees while accident victims receive free service.

• The service has transported over 100,000 patients and played a crucial role during the Mumbai terror attacks.

Expanding Impact

• In tribute to the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, the speaker's organization helped set up a self-sustainable life support ambulance service in Karachi, Pakistan.

• They have also co-founded two other social enterprises focused on education access and rural supply chain integration through microfinance.

The Challenge of Corruption

• Corruption, bribes, and lack of transparency are prevalent issues worldwide.

• The speaker highlights that one trillion dollars is estimated to be paid in bribes annually according to the World Bank.

• While market forces support capitalist policies, there is no existing service to fight against demands for bribes effectively.

A Call for Change

• The common man often pays bribes due to constrained circumstances and lack of resources or means to fight back.

• The speaker emphasizes the need for a service like a bribe buster or helpline where individuals can pay a fee and fight against bribery demands.

Personal Reflections

• The speaker shares an incident from their early business days where they witnessed an elderly woman being harassed by bureaucrats due to bribery demands.

• Despite feeling guilty about not helping her at that time, they were focused on building their real estate company.

Timestamps provided are approximate.

New Section

In this section, the speaker discusses how they have successfully obtained desired outcomes without paying bribes and proposes the idea of creating a fee-based service to prevent corruption.

Exploring an Alternative to Bribery

• The speaker mentions that they have achieved success in obtaining desired outcomes without paying bribes.

• They believe that these successful methods can be consolidated into standard processes for a fee-based service.

• The target market for this service is worth up to one trillion dollars, equivalent to India's GDP.

New Section

The speaker further explains their proposal of creating a fee-based service to stop bribes and prevent corruption.

Creating a Fee-Based Service

• The speaker suggests exploring the potential of creating a for-profit, fee-based BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) service.

• They acknowledge that fighting corruption is challenging but believe it is worth it.

• The speaker shares their personal experience battling corruption as a lawyer and the toll it takes on individuals and their families.

New Section

The speaker reflects on the courage needed to fight against corruption and shares an inspiring quote from a friend.

Courage in the Fight Against Corruption

• The battle against corruption comes at a cost, affecting individuals, families, friends, and even children.

• Despite the challenges, the speaker believes that holding onto dignity and making the world fairer is worth it.

• They share an inspiring quote from a friend who emphasized their determination to succeed in an impossible task.

New Section

The audience responds positively to the speaker's business idea, and Chris Anderson engages in conversation about potential numbers involved.

Exciting Business Idea

• Chris Anderson commends the speaker's business idea as exciting.

• The audience applauds the speaker's presentation.

• Chris Anderson asks about the potential numbers involved, such as typical bribes and fees.

New Section

The speaker provides an example of using their methods to tackle a bribe demand and discusses the cost-effectiveness of their approach.

Example and Cost Analysis

• The speaker shares an example of someone facing a bribe demand for a passport application.

• They explain how they used legal tools to push back against the bribe demand successfully.

• The cost incurred in this particular case was less than 200 rupees, making their approach cost-effective.

New Section

The speaker describes different reactions encountered when pushing back against bribery demands and highlights their success rate.

Reactions to Pushing Back Against Bribery

• When pushing back against bribery demands, there were three types of reactions observed in all 42 cases.

• Some individuals granted the request and backed away from the situation.

• Others responded aggressively, trying to show what they could do.

• By persistently using available tools, the speaker achieved success in all 42 cases.

New Section

Chris Anderson raises questions about profitability and business viability based on the low-cost nature of tackling bribes.

Profitability and Viability

• Chris Anderson questions whether charging a fee can make the business financially viable considering low-cost interventions.

• The speaker explains that their incurred costs were significantly lower than the bribes demanded, making it a high gross margin business.