What if everything we know about innovation and entrepreneurship is no longer true?
What if everything we know about innovation and entrepreneurship is no longer true?
LeanSpark turns frugal thinking into a powerful, scalable innovation that thrives within limits without cutting corners. It proves that true progress comes from converting constraints into strategic strength.
LeanSpark argues that the future doesn’t belong to those with the biggest budgets or the fanciest labs. It belongs to those with the mindset to turn scarcity into strength. This isn’t jugaad romanticized. It is jugaad re-engineered: replicable and scalable.
Across India’s offices, boardrooms, farmlands and maker spaces, entrepreneurs are building rockets and medical devices on shoestring budgets and devising financial and mobility systems that are lean and accessible.
This book reveals their battle-tested blueprint. It asks a simple, provocative question: If India can build world-class innovation with less, what’s stopping the rest of the world?
Praise for the book:
‘LeanSpark speaks to the India that is rising: resource-aware, ambitious and confident. Jaideep, Priyank and Mukesh weave research with powerful case studies to show how frugal innovation can drive national transformation. A must-read for entrepreneurs, innovators and investors shaping India’s future’—Sanjeev Bikhchandani, founder, Naukri.com
‘India’s future will be shaped by aspirational innovators who can convert scarcity into strength. LeanSpark tells their stories with rare depth and clarity, and offers a powerful framework for policymakers, entrepreneurs and business leaders alike. It shows how frugal ingenuity, when married to science, technology and good governance, can transform not just India but the world’—R.A. Mashelkar, author of More from Less for More
‘LeanSpark pairs innovation with inevitable constraints and global thinking with a passion for real-world problem-solving. The spirit of the book reflects the kind of entrepreneurship we hope our youth will pursue, one that may begin small but strive for high quality and purposeful impact. Jaideep, Priyank and Mukesh turn India’s legacy instinct for jugaad into a contemporary framework for designing solutions that can scale’—Pramath Raj Sinha, chairman of the board of trustees, Ashoka University, and founding dean, Indian School of Business
About The Authors:
Jaideep Prabhu
Jaideep Prabhu is professor of marketing and Nehru Professor of Indian Business at Cambridge Judge Business School, University of Cambridge, where he is also director of the Centre for India and Global Business and vice dean for faculty. A specialist in innovation, strategy and international business, his research on high-tech and frugal innovation spans both emerging and developed economies. He is the co-author of Jugaad Innovation, an international bestseller; Frugal Innovation, winner of the CMI (Chartered Management Institute) Management Book of the Year award; and How Should a Government Be? He is a fellow of the British Academy and has played cricket at Lords.
Mukesh Sud
Mukesh Sud, a former faculty at IIM Ahmedabad (IIMA), was previously an entrepreneur. A visiting fellow at the Judge Business School at the University of Cambridge, he continues to teach both at IIMA and Ashoka University. His co-authored book, Leapfrog: Six Practices to Thrive, is a national bestseller and has been translated into many languages. His next book, Simple Thinking: Solving Problems with Simplicity, is due for release in early 2026. Mukesh is currently working on a collection of short stories.
Priyank Narayan
Priyank Narayan is a faculty member at the department of entrepreneurship and management at Ashoka University, where he also serves as the founding director of the InfoEdge Centre for Entrepreneurship. Before joining Ashoka, he spent many years as an entrepreneur and worked as a management consultant. He is a recipient of IBM’s Global Faculty Award and teaches as guest faculty at IIT Delhi, IIM Ahmedabad and HEC Paris. Priyank is the co-author of Leapfrog: Six Practices to Thrive, a national bestseller, and holds a PhD from IIT Delhi. He is also a visiting fellow at the Judge Business School, University of Cambridge, UK.
Book Coming : January 2026
