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Cover image for Building the Safety Net: Reimagining Insurance for India’s 7.7 Million Gig Heroes
Manish Prakkash M S
Manish Prakkash M S

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Building the Safety Net: Reimagining Insurance for India’s 7.7 Million Gig Heroes

“There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen.”
Vladimir Lenin

The 4:00 PM Impossible Choice

Imagine it’s a Tuesday in Mumbai. The sky turns a bruised purple, and within minutes the monsoon arrives.

For most of us, it’s a signal to order a hot coffee.

But for Ravi, a delivery partner, it marks the start of what we call the “Impossible Choice.”

Does he:

  • Ride through waterlogged streets, risking his health and his bike
  • Stay home, and lose 30% of his daily earnings

For gig workers, this is not just a small inconvenience.
It’s a real economic risk.


The Reality Behind the Gig Economy

When our team joined the Guidewire DEVTrails 2026 Hackathon, we started thinking about a deeper problem.

While the digital economy is booming, its backbone — gig workers — remain financially vulnerable.

A single disruption like:

  • Heavy rain
  • Illness
  • Vehicle breakdown

can instantly wipe out an entire day's income.

And unlike traditional jobs, gig workers often have no safety net.


What We Wanted to Build

So we asked ourselves a simple question:

What if technology could remove the “Impossible Choice”?

We didn’t want to build just another app.

We wanted to build a shield — something that helps gig workers stay financially protected when unexpected disruptions happen.

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