Ali Nia

Azadi

An impact driven venture that's making menstruation a non-issue for 300 million girls and women in rural India. Without access to female hygiene products, girls stop going to school and women stop going to work when they menstruate. In most of the world as we know it, menstruation has become a non-issue. We believe it should be that way for women in rural India as well. We started Azadi with a commitment to make menstruation a non-issue in the lives of girls and women in India. By applying User-Centered Design principles, we developed an eco-ultra thin sanitary napkin that costs $0.04/each (43% cheaper than competitors). To test product and distribution hypotheses, we participated in the Impact Engine (an accelerator geared towards impact-ventures) and through it network raised money for a 15 month runway from some of the top angels in Chicago. In our six month pilot, we sold 15,000 packets to women in rural India through a network of 103 Female Village Level Entrepreneurs and larger distribution partnerships. While we sold product, we realized that conducting awareness and advocacy work would help us reach our mission quicker rather than selling a widely available low cost product. With that learning, we transitioned to a non-profit model by integrating Azadi into Milaan, a non-profit that works with the youth in rural India. Under that umbrella, Azadi's program currently works to directly implement programs with UNICEF and also organizes Bejhihjak, a platform to instigate collective action on making menstruation a non-issue in India.