Building “Saral Jeevan” (an “Easy Life”) in villages by delivering clean energy and essentials via a network of women-led micro-entrepreneurs.
Frontier Markets is tackling the perennial problem of market access in rural India. Founded in 2011 by Ajaita Shah, this Jaipur-based social commerce platform aims to supply high-quality, climate-friendly products and services to villages, using rural women as connectors. Frontier’s mission is to create “Saral Jeevan” or “Easy Life” for low-income households by bringing local access to everything from solar lamps to smartphones. According to Ajaita, rural India has immense untapped potential, and women play a crucial role in realising it. She believes that their deep-rooted community ties and natural ability to influence make them essential drivers of grassroots change. Frontier’s Meri Saheli (My Friend) app and on-the-ground support turn this vision into reality.
Frontier’s model trains and invests in women (Sahelis) who become “phygital” store-owners – blending physical touchpoints in villages with digital inventory. A Saheli might sell solar lanterns and seeds door-to-door, place e-commerce orders for customers, or offer telemedicine referrals. Frontier provides microloans, training, and a tech platform so that each Saheli can manage her micro-business and serve her neighbours. Rural merchants and even government partners collaborate to stock clean-energy products, mobile recharges, and agricultural inputs at a last-mile outlet a few kilometres from every home. Frontier’s partnerships range from state rural development programs to Mastercard’s “She-Leads Bharat” initiative, reflecting its hybrid social-business approach.
The real-world impact is impressive. Frontier now operates in 5,000+ villages across India. Through its digital marketplace and Saheli network, it “transformed 18,000 women entrepreneurs to become phygital store owners”. These 18,000 Sahelis collectively service over 1 million rural households, delivering essential goods within 15 minutes’ reach of village homes. In addition, the Frontier Innovations Foundation’s She-Leads Impact Fund, launched at COP23, aims to “unlock the potential of 1 million women entrepreneurs” and benefit 100 million families by 2030. Frontier’s women-led model is already creating ripple effects – increasing incomes and financial inclusion for women and improving choices for entire communities.
Beyond commerce, Frontier’s platform tackles multiple challenges. By digitising transactions and introducing women to smartphones, Frontier bridges the digital divide, teaching Sahelis e-commerce and banking. It also addresses health and climate: for example, Sahelis can direct villagers to Frontier’s telehealth kiosks or sell cookstoves and water filters. Frontier’s founder notes that empowering rural women with knowledge, credit, and connectivity leads to far-reaching change. As Ajaita Shah reflects, the Sahelis “prove that women are the future of rural innovation and entrepreneurship,”.
Frontier Markets has earned global recognition (Ajaita is a Forbes 30 Under 30 and Schwab Social Entrepreneur awardee) and has raised funding to scale its impact. The social enterprise recently partnered with multiple state governments in India to expand digital markets and clean energy distribution. As it grows, Frontier remains committed to its founding vision: using market forces and technology to give villages a “Saral Jeevan” through women-led change