Go Green: Journey of Yatri

AbstractThe case, Go Green: Journey of Yatri the entrepreneurial journey of two childhood friends Manish Kumar and Arun Jain who started an e-rickshaw business in Central India realizing their dream of sustainable mobility. Starting as Yatri e-rickshaw distributors in 2017, they had drivers who were skeptical about the product, challenges to find financing options for it, and servicing and maintenance that had no infrastructure available. By introducing practices including lease-cum-purchase schemes, accepting government subsidies, and implementing new technologies such as lithium batteries and FINTECH applications, the two were able to successfully expand throughout the state of Madhya Pradesh and further. It was an effort at generating sustainable livelihoods for women that also contributed to a number of sustainable development goals (sdgs) including those around clean forms of transportation, and economic inclusion. While they did undergo tremendous growth, including branching out into e-scooters and rentals, the case exposes some serious issues around team building, dependency on subsidies, as well as questions around the scalability of their business model in an ecosystem for electric vehicles that is changing quickly. The case affords opportunity for discussion of aspects of entrepreneurial vision, innovation in raising capital and financing, the use of technology, and sustainable business in the developing world.