Growing up in Bangalore, India's tech and startup capital, I was constantly surrounded by builders and innovators. This environment instilled in me a builder's mindset from an early age.
As I grew older, I came to fully appreciate the scale of India's 1.4 billion population. This vast number represents not just challenges, but incredible opportunities. To truly become a global powerhouse, India needs solutions that address the needs of people from all regions and walks of life.
The success UPI , Aadhar and ONDC demonstrates India's readiness to adopt transformative technologies at a national scale. These are great examples of how we can build systems that work for our entire population.
I firmly believe that our 1.4 billion citizens are our greatest strength. By focusing on solving their problems, promoting financial inclusion, and enhancing social security, we can drive remarkable change. Building Rozi for Based India is my way of contributing to this vision and helping to unlock our country's full potential.

The gig economy in India represents a transformative shift in employment, blending traditional informal work with digital platform-based opportunities. This emerging sector, encompassing both platform and non-platform gig work, intersects with India's vast unorganized sector, creating a complex landscape that impacts millions of workers. As it grows, the gig economy presents both opportunities and concerns regarding worker protections and economic stability. Projections indicate significant growth, with the gig workforce expected to reach 23.5 million by 2028.

Based on in-depth conversations with 8 gig workers employed by platforms like Swiggy, Zomato, and Zepto, I've compiled this list of challenges. These insights reflect the real-world experiences and concerns shared by those at the forefront of India's gig economy:

🚧 Challenges Faced by Gig Workers in India

1. 🔄 Job Insecurity: Lack of permanent status leads to financial instability.
2. 💸 Income Instability: Irregular earnings make financial planning difficult.
3. ⚖️ Lack of Legal Protection: Limited coverage under labor laws leaves workers vulnerable.
4. 🏥 Absence of Social Security Benefits: No health insurance, retirement benefits, or paid leave.
5. 🤝 Unequal Bargaining Power: Difficulty negotiating fair compensation and conditions.
6. 💳 Payment Issues: Delayed or non-payment of wages is common.
7. 📚 Lack of Training and Career Development: Limited opportunities for upskilling and advancement.
8. 📄 Lack of Formalization: Informal sector operation restricts access to resources.
9. 🏛️ Inadequate Government Recognition: Minimal recognition contributes to lack of support.
10. 🕳️ Exploitation Through Legal Loopholes: Absence of specific laws enables potential exploitation.

To address the challenges faced by gig workers, I am building Rozi - a revolutionary platform for gig worker welfare. Leveraging the Base blockchain for speed and scalability, Rozi aims to create a more secure, transparent, and empowering ecosystem for gig workers across India.

Key Features of Rozi:

1. 📊 Data Integration: Import work history from platforms like Swiggy, Uber, and Urban Company using zk proofs via Reclaim protocol.
2. 🔐 On-chain Trust Score: Create a decentralized, verifiable identity and trust score that evolves with each gig and payment.
3. 🛡️ Tiered Benefits: Unlock various levels of insurance, loans, and subsidies based on trust score improvements.
4. 🗳️ $ROZI Token: Governance token enabling workers to participate in on-chain unions and decision-making.
5. 💰 P2P Lending: Access loans based on trust score, with incentives for lenders.
6. 🔍 Direct Gig Marketplace: Connect workers directly with users, eliminating middlemen.
7. ⚡ Instant Payments: On-chain transactions for immediate compensation.
8. 📈 Performance Dashboard: Comprehensive view of activities, performance, and cashflow.
9. 🔗 Open Protocol: Develop vertical-specific apps (e.g., for cooks, maids, electricians) on the Rozi framework.
10. 🤝 Platform Integration: Allow existing platforms to utilize Rozi's on-chain trust score system.
11. 🗣️ Multi-lingual Support: Native support for all Indian languages, ensuring accessibility for workers across the country.

🚀 What's Next for Rozi?

My step is to develop open SDKs and APIs, making it effortless for developers to integrate with the Rozi protocol. This will foster the creation of truly open experiences for gig workers, enhancing their lives while passing benefits to end-users. By enforcing trust and security, we're building a future where middlemen are obsolete, and the gig economy thrives on direct, secure, and beneficial relationships between workers and clients.

🛠️ Challenges in Building Rozi

1. 📱 User Experience (UX) Paramount
   • Designing for uneducated workers required extreme simplification
   • Traditional Web3 concepts like "connect wallet" were unsuitable
   • Multiple UI iterations based on user feedback were necessary
2. 🗣️ Language Barrier
   • English-only interface was insufficient
   • Implemented support for all Indian vernacular languages
3. 🔑 Simplifying Access
   • Integrated social login for familiar authentication
   • Implemented account abstraction to hide complex blockchain interactions
4. 🧩 Feature Integration
   • Combining multiple features into a single app was overwhelming
   • Required careful planning and modular development

🚀 Vision for the Future

I am excited to evolve Rozi into the "UPI for workers" in India. My goal is to create the first population-scale system powered by Web3 infrastructure, making decentralized technology accessible and beneficial for millions of gig workers across the country.