Ahmedabad Alumnus Raj Shah graduated in 2017 after studying BCom (Hons) at Amrut Mody School of Management. The Banking, Financial Services and Insurance major was deeply impacted by the University’s pedagogy of practice orientation and the emphasis on addressing societal challenges. “In 2015, the University was experimenting with this new pedagogical initiative called project-based learning. Around a dozen of us, an academically diverse group, participated in the Kumbhathon initiative led by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. I contributed to the user-testing of potentially high-impact promising health-tech devices in Nashik, where part of the Kumbha Mela was held. Aside from this, Professors Parag Patel and Vibha Tripathi motivated me to join the Gurukul Fellowship under the aegis of the Foundation for Universal Responsibility of His Holiness, The Dalai Lama. These two involvements have likely moulded my interest in social entrepreneurship and have made me impervious to the darker side of entrepreneurship. Undeniably, social entrepreneurship is not at all rosy. However, when your roots are well-nurtured, the seeds do not wither,” he says.
As the Founder of the social venture Redicine Medsol, a mission-driven company aiming to enable healthier and happier lives worldwide, Raj impacts lives daily. His company builds intelligent medication management systems that support those who regularly consume medicines and nutrition supplements, providing a single window solution for people to store, manage, get consumption reminders, and track their adherence gradually to be followed by personal and public health analytics. People own and manage their medications with greater efficiency and effectiveness. He says, “Redicine Medsol is inspired by the vision of the TATA Group – to build a business and a nation. Our ambitions are beyond borders, and we want to catalyse humanity’s journey to achieving the global goal of good health and well-being. We want to help solve the World Health Organization’s 3rd Global Patient Safety Challenge, Medication Without Harm, and contribute to India’s leadership in attaining SDG 3.”
Raj has also led the Partnerships and Talent Experience for the UNLEASH programme, which enables young people to create solutions, become social entrepreneurs, and establish networks with a mission to co-create a sustainable future. UNLEASH runs a fully funded six-month global incubator for SDGs, UNLEASH Plus, co-hosted by development consulting firm Chemonics International. “I contributed to planning and executing UNLEASH’s fourth Global Innovation Lab organised at the Infosys Campus in Mysore last December. I have directly advised and supported over 200 high-impact solutions from over 50 countries.”
Read his story about making a societal impact in AACSB Insights, where he talks about how he was influenced by Ahmedabad University’s interdisciplinary Foundation Programme that aims to plant the seeds of future leadership in its students by equipping students with a deep desire to identify local challenges, think simply and clearly, and innovate for the global good.