About Us
Billion Social Masks is committed to making safe, comfortable, and reusable masks at an affordable price for all. These masks enclose our standards tested filter with 95%+ particle and 99%+ bacterial filtration. The initiative is designed to meet the need while enhancing the livelihoods of many Self Help Groups (SHGs).
This vision grew out of a group of innovators and entrepreneurs who are passionate about serving this critical need with world class quality, locally available materials and livelihood enhancing activities.
To achieve this vision, we presently work with our partners; Self Employed Womens Association (SEWA), Selco Foundation, Abhihaara, Sankalpa Rural Development Society, Tata Power Community Development Trust (TPCDT), Samhita, H2C, and Parisodhana Technologies.
FOUNDING TEAM
is co-founder of Parisodhana Technologies, an applied research and product development company based out of Hyderabad, India. Dr. Kuchibhatla's team repurposed a packaging material used for instant warm blanket used to prevent hypothermia during transport in newborn babies and created a unique filtration media that offers particulate and bacterial filtration efficiency equivalent to N95 masks, a key feature of SHG-95 masks.
is a mission-driven entrepreneur and a startup ecosystem evangelist. He has launched one of India's largest Startup Incubator and Skilling Program. Naveen is an established authority in the areas of social innovation, catalyzing leadership and entrepreneurship. He has nurtured and advised over 100 startups. His work has impacted over a million people. Naveen is British Chevening Fellow.
is a Director at Remidio Innovative Solutions in Bengaluru, India. He returned to India upon his Masters, PhD and Post Doctoral work at MIT to learn and experience first hand issues that impact access and affordability in the healthcare sector in the Indian context. Anand’s experience with taking health tech from laboratory to markets and scaling them in the Indian context is key to taking Billion Social Masks initiative forward.
is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatric and Neonatal Developmental Medicine at Stanford University. His work on health technology in the context of global health played a key role in catalyzing the research on safe, affordable and high quality masks, which is at the inception of Billion Social Masks.
is faculty at MIT’s Sloan School of Management. His work on building socio-technical solutions for underserved communities worldwide played a key role in linking Parisodhana’s world class technology to many self help groups across India, and increasingly in other nations, to form the Billion Social Masks initiative.
PARTNERS
Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) – Registered as a trade union registered in 1972, SEWA is an organization of poor, self-employed women workers. They work with over 1.6 million members in India and other nations. With Billion Social Masks, SEWA has engaged women artisans and retailers in Gujarat, Delhi, J&K and more.
Selco Foundation – Founded in 2008, SELCO Foundation seeks to inspire and implement socially, financially and environmentally inclusive solutions by improving access to sustainable energy. With Billion Social Masks, the have engaged partners in Mangalore, Karnataka and Meghalaya to manufacture and retail masks.
Abhihaara – Initiated in 2015, Abhihaara is a Social enterprise committed to sustain livelihoods of those engaged in Cotton Handloom Supply Chain and crafts. With Billion Social Masks, Abhihaara has engaged weavers and tailors in Hyderabad, Telangana.
Sankalpa Rural Development Society (SRDS) – Founded in January 2008, SRDS is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing water for farmers affected by the falling water table and poor monsoon rains in rural India. With Billion Social Masks, SRDS has mobilized and trained a group of women from the unorganized sector to manufacture and retail masks in Hubballi, Karnataka.
Tata Power Community Development Trust (TPCDT) - As the CSR arm of Tata Power, TPCDT deploys development initiatives to incubate, implement and multiply diverse community-based projects and interventions, to help build a better and sustainable society. The underlying goal of the interventions is to transform the lives of the community through result oriented participatory approach.
Samhita - Samhita Social Ventures collaborates with companies, foundations, multilateral and bilateral institutions, government and social organizations to strategize and implement effective social impact initiatives, and create a ‘better normal’ for India's most vulnerable communities and environments.
Heat2Comfort Technologies (H2C) – Billion Social Masks initiative is benefited by H2C’s marketing and logistical support.
Parisodhana Technologies – Billion Social Masks is an initiative of Parisodhana Technologies, made possible by their standards tested filtration technologies.