Kotak BizLabs Hausla empowered Season 2 spotlights 4 founders solving real-world problems

A railway track that needs to be inspected before a fault could turn into an accident. A family learning to navigate life with Parkinson’s. Vegetables losing their value before they reach the market. Or a disease diagnosed later than it should have been.

For four Indian entrepreneurs, these everyday challenges became the starting point for building something new. Their ventures leverage artificial intelligence, healthcare technology, sustainable innovation, and deep-tech solutions to address complex challenges where the impact extends well beyond the balance sheet.

That is the idea behind the second season of Hausla Empowered, the startup-focused docuseries from Kotak BizLabs. The new season puts the founders and the problems they are attempting to solve at the centre of the story.

The four stories are different, but they share a common thread: using technology to address problems where the stakes are tangible and the need for solutions is immediate.

When technology enables safer commutes.

For millions of Indians, the railway network is part of everyday life. Keeping that network safe, however, involves inspecting thousands of kilometres of track and identifying potential problems before they become safety risks.

This is the challenge Pradivya AI is working on. Its approach uses artificial intelligence for predictive track inspection, with the larger objective of moving railway maintenance towards technology-enabled identification of potential risks.

It is an example of how AI is increasingly moving beyond applications that are visible on a smartphone screen. In infrastructure, its value can lie in spotting patterns, identifying anomalies and helping humans make decisions earlier.

For a founder, however, building such a solution is only one part of the challenge. Technologies designed for critical infrastructure have to work in complex, real-world environments, making the journey from an idea to adoption particularly demanding.

Rethinking care for people with Parkinson’s.

In healthcare, the challenge can be even more personal.

Parkinson’s is a progressive neurological condition that can affect movement, balance and everyday functioning. For patients and their families, managing the condition often extends far beyond a doctor’s consultation.

Lifespark Technologies is developing technology-led support for people living with Parkinson’s, bringing the focus to how digital tools can complement care and support patients through the longer journey of living with the condition.

The story reflects a broader shift in healthcare innovation. Technology is increasingly being explored not merely to diagnose or treat disease, but also to make care more continuous, accessible and responsive to the needs of patients.

 A solution to India’s post-harvest losses

India’s agricultural challenge does not end when a crop leaves the field. A significant part of the battle is what happens afterwards. Perishable produce can lose value because of inadequate storage, temperature management and gaps in the supply chain. For farmers, these losses can directly affect incomes; for consumers, they can contribute to volatility in the availability and price of fresh produce.

SabjiKothi is attempting to address this gap through sustainable cold-storage innovation designed to reduce post-harvest losses.

The idea illustrates an important aspect of India’s startup ecosystem: some of the biggest opportunities may lie not in disrupting an existing consumer habit, but in fixing the infrastructure and processes that sit behind it.

Making early detection possible.

The fourth story takes the conversation back to healthcare, but at an earlier point in the patient journey.

Easiofy Solutions is developing AI-enabled healthcare tools linked to earlier disease detection and treatment planning. The premise is straightforward but significant: when diseases can be identified earlier, clinicians may have more information, and patients may have more options when it comes to treatment and management.

Developing such technology also brings its own complexities. Healthcare solutions have to navigate questions of accuracy, clinical use and integration into existing systems. The path from innovation to meaningful impact therefore depends not only on the technology itself, but also on how effectively it can work alongside healthcare professionals.

A safe commute, a neurological condition, vegetables coming out of a farm and early disease detection may seem to have little in common. Yet the four founders featured in Hausla Empowered are responding to a similar question: Can technology solve problems that affect people long after the startup pitch is over?

Their journeys also highlight a different side of entrepreneurship. The startup story is often told through funding rounds, valuations and rapid growth. But building businesses in areas such as infrastructure, healthcare and agriculture can require a different kind of persistence. Founders have to understand complex systems, earn the confidence of stakeholders and demonstrate that an innovation can work outside a controlled environment.

That is where the idea of hausla, the courage to turn an idea into action — becomes central to these stories.

The second season of the series builds on the first season, which premiered in October 2025 and crossed 30 million views across platforms. This time, the format includes a launch film along with our documentary episodes, each centred on one founder and the problem they are trying to solve. Presented as part of Kotak BizLabs Accelerator Programme, the series seeks to bring these entrepreneurial journeys to a wider audience, while highlighting the work emerging from its startup ecosystem.

For viewers, the four episodes offer something beyond the familiar startup success story. They show what happens when an entrepreneur chooses a problem because it matters — and then relentlessly strive to build an answer.

Hausla Empowered Season 2 is streaming on MX Player Prime Video and Kotak’s digital platforms.

The Kotak BizLabs Accelerator Programme is a CSR initiative of Kotak Mahindra Bank in association with IIMA Ventures, IIM Bangalore NSRCEL, t-hub & FITT Delhi.