Anup Akkihal, a post graduate in logistics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology , found his inspiration to develop the software while working on a US Army project with defence contractor Northrop Grumman during July 2006.

"While working for the US defence, I realised why don't I try and apply the same hi-tech system to mobile as I realised that military fronts are similar to villages," says the 37-year-old Akkihal who hails from Dharwad in Karnataka. He along with his team, worked with local chemists to develop a solution that could solve their problems in a simple, effective way.

The solution developed by Akkihal, who sells the software through his firm Logistimo, is now gaining traction and holds potential for solving supply chain management problems faced by many village entrepreneurs in the country, experts say. Logistimo's solution is finding takers in remote villages and districts of Africa.