The INNOWE - INFOSYS

Challenge
SOCIAL INNOVATION
2011
VisionSpring

Submitted By:

Team Netrutva
Janhavi Shah
janhavisshah@gmail.com
9819769600

Dipti Raka
diptiraka@gmail.com
9820559740

Mugdha Ghag
mugdhaghag@yahoo.co.in
9930745412

PGDM Business Design II year

Welingkar Institute of Mangement
Development & Research, Matunga, Mumbai.
 The Innowe Challenge
2011

VisionSpring
Bringing high-quality, low-cost vision care to neglected communities across the developing
world.

We talk of great visionaries who dreamt to make real innovation happen, Steve Jobs, Eric Schmidt,
Mark Zuckerberg, Ratan Tata. Here, we narrate to you the story about two people who dreamt, with
their eyes wide open to provide to the less privileged, the power of clear vision.

VisionSpring: A story on social enterprise, micro-franchising and business with the next billion.

During his first year in optometry school, Jordan Kassalow went on a trip to rural Mexico to
provide eye care services to some 2,000 people who suffer from vision problems.

He saw a seven-year old boy who couldn't see at all and was using Braille. "He suffered the burden
of blindness: besides being unable to see, blind people are ostracized in society as they are
considered 'bad luck,'" Kassalow recalls.

Being a freshman, he asked his professor to review the boy's condition with him. As it turned out,
the boy was not blind, just profoundly near-sighted. The team had brought with them eyeglasses of
varying degrees and he was asked to get the one with the strongest lens for the boy.

“As the boy aligned his eyes to the lenses, I saw his face light up as he experienced the joy of being
able to see. That moment transformed both our lives," he says. "I wanted to be able to recreate
moments like this. It got me on track."

When Kassalow returned to Boston, he was startled to see that of the 2,000 people they saw over
five days, 1,400 or 70% needed glasses. Of these;

We School, Mumbai Social Innovation: VisionSpring

Team Netrutva
 The Innowe Challenge
2011

ONLY 30% 70% need simple

was made-to- magnifying-type
order lenses that came in 5
ready-made powers

He went on eight more training trips but was dissatisfied with the strategy. He wanted to find a

In any mission or cause, the most passionate radicals and influencers

are the ones thirsting for a change. They are the ones dissatisfied with
status quo and all they need is a mission, a cause to ignite them.

sustainable model.

After working with Aravind, Kassalow had split his time between international public health work
and an optometric practice in New York City. Scott, a businessman and senior executive of a large
family business, was attracted by the idea of combining his interest in entrepreneurship with his
passion for public service. On a visit to India in 1998, Kassalow and Scott saw first-hand the huge
market for reading glasses for the poor.

In 2001, they created Scojo Foundation to provide affordable reading glasses to people with
presbyopia* living in low-income communities. During this time, Kassalow and Scott also formed
Scojo Vision LLC, a for-profit company in the United States that targeted the “affordable luxury”
niche of the reading glasses market. From the beginning, they designated that 5% of profits from
the LLC would funnel into Scojo Foundation. Kassalow felt that he and Scott were a strong team
whose skills and experiences complemented one another. Kassalow knew about eye care, public
health, and fundraising. Scott knew about sales, marketing and business management.

We School, Mumbai Social Innovation: VisionSpring

Team Netrutva
 The Innowe Challenge
2011
*Presbyopia is a natural condition whereby the lens of the eye loses its flexibility, resulting in blurry up-close
vision

Although they were both integrally involved in designing and building the LLC and the Foundation,
they agreed that Scott would take the lead in the LLC and Kassalow would run the Foundation.

Chronicling VisionSpring’s journey

Scojo Foundation
Created India
Launched in Mexico & Renamed as
El Salvador Guatemala Bangladesh VisionSpring

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

George Soros’ Open Society Institute funded Scojo Foundation’s pilot program in India in 2001 and
began operations in India in January, 2005.

Scojo India’s revenue sources were from eye-glasses sales, grants and loans. In May of 2006, Scojo
Foundation received a US$100,000 loan from Acumen Fund for its India operations. Acumen Fund
is a global non-profit venture fund that invests in scalable and financially sustainable organizations
delivering products and services to the poor. Acumen Fund tracks a combination of financial and
social returns.

Five years later, Scojo New York was sold and Scojo Foundation was renamed VisionSpring in
2008.

We School, Mumbai Social Innovation: VisionSpring

Team Netrutva
 The Innowe Challenge
2011

Serving the base of the Pyramid: A market for reading glasses in India

880 million One

In India live on less than US$ 2 per day eye care professional per 30,200 people

92.4 million Rs.250-500

Indians suffer from presbyopia spent on a pair of reading glasses by rural folk

This population was VisionSpring’s primary market which would benefit from reading glasses in
terms of improved quality of life and increased productivity. Many people did not know that there
was a simple and affordable solution to presbyopia, and therefore did not look for opportunities to
buy reading glasses even if they were available.
These glasses typically cost less than $10 in US drugstores. Kassalow felt that the problem was
really a question of distribution. People in the villages just didn’t have access to the glasses. It
struck him that the real problem was really a market failure for eyeglasses, and he came up with the
idea of training local women, whom he saw as the keys to ending the poverty spiral that entrapped
many of his patients. Kassalow came up with the concept of a “Business-in-a-Bag”, which is the
micro franchise kit that VisionSpring has today. These kits, which contain different styles and
strengths of glasses combined with the training needed to sell the glasses, empower thousands of
micro entrepreneurs around the world today. This bag came at a below-cost deposit of Rs.500.
Vision Entrepreneurs conduct educational outreach on vision care and offer screenings in their
communities. To maximize their efforts, Vision Entrepreneurs partner with reputable local
institutions such as schools and churches to host mobile vision campaigns.

.
We School, Mumbai Social Innovation: VisionSpring
Team Netrutva
 The Innowe Challenge
2011
The Business-in-a-Bag has around 40 pairs of various styles, colors and powers of glasses, accessories, mirror,
measuring wire, Eye Charts, Invoice Pad, Eye hospital referral pad, daily sales form, customer information sheet,
certificate of Training completion

Grassroots Innovation-The VisionSpring way

VisionSpring reduces poverty and generates opportunity by educating and empowering “vision
entrepreneurs” and equipping them with the tools needed to market and sell eyeglasses at affordable
prices.
VisionSpring has achieved significant impact – bringing dramatically improved vision to over
400,000 individuals at the base of the economic pyramid and leading to improvements in health,
income, and productivity in the world's poorest communities. In sum, VisionSpring is an
outstanding example of enterprising social innovation.

We School, Mumbai Social Innovation: VisionSpring

Team Netrutva
 The Innowe Challenge
2011
The continuing evolution of VisionSpring’s business model

VisionSpring’s innovations blend methods from the worlds of business and

philanthropy to create sustainable social value that has the potential for
large-scale impact.

We School, Mumbai Social Innovation: VisionSpring

Team Netrutva
 The Innowe Challenge
2011

We School, Mumbai Social Innovation: VisionSpring

Team Netrutva
 The Innowe Challenge
2011

Comprehensive Eye Care

Refers for complex Partners

vision problems

The Business Model with a difference

VisionSpring literally has its eyes on the market. With strong customer
feedback, it is able to stay ahead of competition.

Reaching the last mile: the Distribution Model

We School, Mumbai Social Innovation: VisionSpring

Team Netrutva
Refers for complex
vision problems
 The Innowe Challenge
2011
VisionSpring is a solid, illustrative example of the micro franchise model coupled with micro-
consignment while building entrepreneurship among village folk in India and also having a
dramatic impact in four countries.
VisionSpring has built effective partnerships with Shakti Ammas of HUL, Drishtee, ITC e-choupals
sanchalaks and Byrraju Foundation and 23 others who receive training from VisionSpring trainers
who would then receive the micro franchise kits and begin selling. As a result of this partnership,
nearly 10,000 reading glasses have been sold through Community Health Workers who, in turn,
earned generous profit.

If VisionSpring were to do this on its own, it would take years of planning

and raising the necessary financial resources. It is the trust in the vision
entrepreneurs that has made the innovation really touch the grassroots.

Developing the Social Innovation Niche

What sets VisionSpring apart is that it has managed to spread the good work across several
developing countries and it constantly focuses on self-sustenance and creating a social impact. The
organization has the culture of a small business, driven to be innovative and deliver measurable
results against bottom lines which trickles down to every vision entrepreneur.
The value chain provides sufficient financial incentive and social impact potential to convince
partners to open their networks, leverage their infrastructure and provide the resources to manage
these programs. Partners can take a share of the large profit margins, and receive some of the
widespread recognition for the double social impact provided by this innovative model.
No other organization sells eyeglasses to villages. In fact, very few organizations have developed
the infrastructure to reach villages with retail products, save large consumer products companies
such as Coca-Cola, HUL or agricultural products companies.
VisionSpring has taken advantage of its exclusive position in the villages by gathering market data
on customer preferences and building its brand name.

We have been privileged to hear Mr. Maruti Ram, Vision Entrepreneur Channel Manager, India and
were inspired to write this story.

We School, Mumbai Social Innovation: VisionSpring

Team Netrutva