WhatsApp Incubator Program

Envisioning Innovation in Digital Health

The WhatsApp Incubator Program was open to NGOs, start-ups, entrepreneurs and organisations registered in India with bold and innovative ideas to tackle critical healthcare issues, such as general immunisation, mental health, maternal health and equitable access to healthcare. Organisations had the opportunity to leverage the power of WhatsApp Business to scale their health solutions. The project was envisioned to explore how WhatsApp could become integral to the digitisation of health in India, with hopes to unpack the value of Meta platforms in enabling innovation and impact in the Indian Health ecosystem over the next five years.

This project was spearheaded by the Whatsapp Social Impact Partnerships team at Meta, to make health tech accessible to people working on different health use cases. They had four specific focus areas in mind; childhood immunisation, mental health, maternal and child health, and equitable access to health care. The idea was to support firms working under these thematic areas to leverage the Whatsapp Business Platform to build chatbots to deliver their services. Conventionally, the sales team at Whatsapp works with a network of Business Service Providers and in turn with businesses or organisations to help them run, test, and develop chatbots. This was the first incubator programme of its kind run by Meta’s Social Impact Partnerships team.

Designing the Incubator Programme

Quicksand’s role as a design and implementation partner for the WhatsApp Incubator Program included:

• Designing the incubator program: Conceptualising and structuring the program in collaboration with Meta and partners.
• Organising and facilitating the program: Managing all the day-to-day coordination and logistical aspects of the program, ensuring smooth progress and providing updates to Meta.
• Providing support and guidance to incubatees: Bespoke support covering business strategy, conversational UX design, and product/service design, with ongoing assistance.

Across the four phases of the project, Quicksand managed the application process, guided pitch development, supported prototype development, oversaw pilot implementation, and jury presentation preparation, all while connecting with key ecosystem stakeholders.

The program attracted approximately 120 unique health use cases from credible organisations across 30 Indian cities. Through active engagement with the ecosystem, the program ensured that only relevant and credible organisations applied, resulting in a highly competitive selection process. The selection of finalists involved reviewing over 200 applications and selecting 15 compelling use cases based on criteria such as idea novelty, potential impact, program fit, and team profile.

The finalists underwent a month-long design boot camp, after which the top 10 incubatees were selected. The boot camp, devised around design thinking principles, provided a platform for exploration, refinement, and peer engagement. It consisted of intensive sessions by mentors and domain experts, fostering high engagement despite being conducted virtually. The final cohort selected represented the future of Indian healthcare, showcasing diverse and innovative approaches to address industry challenges.

Prototype Development

During the prototype development stage, each incubatee embarked on a journey of refining their concept, starting with a clear definition of their hypothesis, the target audience for the pilot test, and the metrics to measure outcomes. Conversational UX design played a pivotal role as incubatees developed conversation roadmaps, intent maps, and user journeys to ensure a seamless chatbot experience, integrating text, voice, and multimedia content for optimal user engagement. Working closely with their Business Service Partner (BSP) partners, they adapted existing user flows to WhatsApp or developed new ones, whilst leveraging the platform's evolving features.

Quicksand's support remained instrumental throughout the process, offering guidance through design clinics covering various topics such as storytelling, business planning, and user research. The phase was characterised by rapid testing and iteration, with the WIP team providing constant feedback on chatbot functionalities, impact measurement mechanics, and engagement tactics. Some incubatees conducted soft launches to test conversation flows, incorporating feedback rapidly to refine their prototypes before the pilot launch.

Cohort management was streamlined by making smaller pods based on thematic alignment . These pods were supported by program and pod managers from Quicksand, facilitating regular check-ins, support, and liaising with the wider WIP and Meta teams. The cohort's engagement with design thinking methodologies enriched their product development process, enabling them to navigate platform constraints while prioritising user needs and experience.

Pilot Phase

After a rigorous period of prototype development, the cohort had three months to launch and test their chatbots. Before the launch, an impact measurement checklist was prepared to measure user acquisition, user engagement and performance of digital marketing ads. The launch itself was staggered to accommodate varying levels of readiness among the incubatees – an illustration of the program's agility in facilitating bespoke journeys.

The incubatees launched their pilots in batches, with some organisations opting for a soft launch before scaling to a larger audience. A Pilot Tracker, capturing metrics like cost per acquisition and adoption rates, was maintained weekly to measure progress and success throughout the twelve-week phase. Regular check-ins and documentation of user testimonials showcased the impact and usage of each product, reflecting the intersection of technology, business, human values, and communities, and highlighting the on-ground value of the breakthrough products and services created by the cohort.

Demo Day

The program concluded with a Demo Day, wherein incubatees showcased their chatbots, go-to-market strategies, and sustainability plans to a room full of investors and key stakeholders from the health industry.

The day marked a significant milestone for the WIP cohort as they celebrated their success and showcased exhibits featuring demos of their chatbots. The day commenced with a tour of the exhibits, followed by presentations to stakeholders, offering the cohort their first opportunity for in-person interaction after an entirely virtual program.

The demo day attracted diverse representation from the development, healthcare and commercial sector investors, with 28 investors from 20 companies registering for the event and providing excellent feedback to the cohort. This allowed the cohort to expand partnerships for their innovative solutions and leverage Meta's reach and brand equity to create additional success stories beyond investments.

Why is Design Thinking Critical for Incubation?

The uniqueness of this program was brought about by its diverse cohort, which included both for-profit and nonprofit organisations. The for-profits aimed to extend their products to typically untapped segments, such as novice internet users and those in geographies with low internet penetration. This presented a significant challenge as these users were outside the remit of their target audience thus far, calling on the need for user experience research and thinking. On the other hand, the non-profits had a deep understanding of such segments but lacked technical expertise. They needed to consider the lifecycle of a digital product, focusing on design, minimum viable products, optimising the features of a platform and conducting staggered releases. Design played a crucial role in centering the voice of the user and navigating these challenges flexibly by adopting an iterative mindset.

To remain true to the spirit of fast-changing user habits and needs, the expanding capabilities of technology, and the expectation for products and services to remain fresh, an incubation launchpad cannot afford to remain dated in its approach. A design-led incubation allows the flexibility to accommodate bespoke journeys and adapt to the ecosystem context while keeping the incubatee’s personal journey and the product’s north star into consideration.  A program built on design thinking is well-positioned to provide the required habitat and innovation ecosystem that invites experimentation, celebrates failure, rewards invention and irreverence, and encourages the passionate pursuit of discovery. Any experimentative incubation and acceleration program must apply the principles of design thinking to remain relevant to a startup's growth. A design-led incubator thus emphasises adaptability, co-creation, and empathy, ensuring agility, real-world relevance, and insightful support for founders and users alike.