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Scaling Innovation: Adaptability Across Ecosystems and Policy
“Data tells you where to fire it. Creativity at the same
point in time helps us understand how to get people to
act on it.”
Her role as an incubating manager further refines this interpretive skill, par
ticularly in simplifying complex frameworks like ESG for early-stage ventures.
She practices “thought dumping,” allowing founders to express their full range
of ideas before her role asks the most uncomfortable questions that help them
simplify. “ESG, then, doesn’t need to be a 50-slide report”. These probing ques
tions, such as “What are you measuring? Who is excluded? What happens when
you grow?”, are posed early on. This proactive simplification aims to prevent
ESG from becoming a “liability later, even at the end stage” by integrating a di
agnostic process. Srishti argues that “it’s less about money than more about the
mindset that we have to be consciously aware of at the same time while working
with the frameworks”. She observes that the impact “would double if we don’t
just see it from a narrow perspective by skipping the whole process” of diagno
sis, underscoring that rigorous assessment and comprehensive understanding
drive sustainable outcomes, beyond mere compliance.
Sustainable innovations face the persistent challenge of effective scaling. How
does one translate context-specific successes into broader, global impact with
out losing critical local relevance? Srishti Chhatwal’s experience mentoring
across diverse geographies, specifically in India and Australia, yields a funda
mental lesson. She asserts: “We don’t have to export solutions. We have to
understand the principles”. This distinction rejects a ‘copy-paste’ mentality for
innovation, advocating instead for an understanding of underlying ecological,
social, and economic principles that can be adapted to local realities.
Her insights reveal that adaptability is paramount. Srishti emphasizes, “What
works in, say, Australia might not work in... Maharashtra. It might not work the
same way unless tailored or reshaped”. This underscores the need to recognize
distinct “toolboxes” in different countries, each with unique strengths. The chal
lenge lies not merely in possessing data management skills but in “identifying
which tool to use at the right time”, ensuring that analytical rigor serves con
text-specific needs rather than leading one to “bark up the wrong tree” with
irrelevant data. This strategic approach demands flexibility and an unwavering
commitment to localized solutions, preventing the imposition of external mod
els that fail due to cultural or environmental misalignment.