Clean India’s Winning Idea

The expression “don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater” takes on new meaning as a group of Darden School of Business alumni helps Indian textile factories avoid sending profits down the drain due to the high cost of clean water.

Clean India, a for-profit business plan created by Baijnath Ramraika ‘09, Ravi Yekula ‘09 and Chip Ransler ‘09, aims to provide water recycling options for small and medium-scale garment makers in India. According to its website, Clean-India.com, the company plans to combine algae-based water treatment with traditional methods to help garment makers recycle dye-laced wastewater and produce affordable, clean water on a “pay-for-use” basis.

And, in cities in India like Tirupur, the demand is high.

There, garment makers produce nearly 100 million liters of chemically-contaminated wastewater each day, says Yekula. Unfortunately, this waste is often discarded into local waterways, contaminating the city’s water supply. The resulting shortage of clean water forces companies to purchase water from private suppliers at inflated prices.

“India has a scarcity of water,” says Yekula. “This problem is huge, but we think Clean India has a solution that actually makes a difference. It’s not only solving a social problem, it’s doing it in a very profitable way.”

In addition to providing reasonably-priced, filtered water, Clean India is also focused on producing clean energy. The company’s treatment process will sequester carbon and produce algae, a byproduct that can be used to manufacture sustainable energy sources like biofuels and electricity, according to the company’s website.

The plan’s environmental and economic benefits have helped make it a winning idea from the start.

Since its conception, Clean India has been sweeping business plan competitions, accumulating more than $100,000 in cash and prizes. The team’s most recent accomplishments include a victory in the 10th Annual Wake Forest Elevator Competition in March, where the group was given just two minutes to impress judges with their cutting-edge plan. The seemingly unstoppable trio went on to take the top spot in the Darden Business Plan Competition three days later.

Currently, the team is seeking financial backing for their project in efforts to move forward. Yekula said multiple investors and venture capitalists have expressed interest in the project.

The team has recently expanded by adding a marketing function, Matt Dixon ‘09, a fellow 2009 was named to serve as the company’s chief marketing officer.

Founded in 1955, the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business is a professional school that works to improve society by developing principled leaders in the world of practical affairs.

For information contact: communication@darden.virginia.edu.