Creating an Essential Marketplace to Close the Information Gap for Social Impact Technologies

This research examines the use of market mechanisms to not only distribute social impact technologies but also to collect data about the technologies and their customers' behaviour. Essmart, a last-mile distribution social enterprise operating in Tamil Nadu, India, addresses technology for development's distribution and information gaps with a transparent, closed-loop feedback system that incorporates all relevant factors. Market-based distribution and data are vital to the success of creating social impact through technology.