If we are to play a meaningful role nationally, and in the community of nations, we must be second to none in the application of advanced technologies to the real problems of society.

These are the words of Vikram Sarabhai, fondly remembered as the visionary who established India’s space program and the IIMs.

The World Economic Forum (WEF) echoes Sarabhai's belief that innovation is critical to ensure future well-being of society and economic growth.

Each year, the global forum brings together a cohort of early to growth-stage startups that are using new-age technologies to change the world for the better.

This year, five Indian startups are among the 100 joining the World Economic Forum's tech pioneers community.

They are helping blue-collar workers find jobs, using mobile phones to enable credit to the underserved, solving the waste problem with a digital marketplace, unifying supply-chain systems for enterprises to drive sustainability, and extracting plant-based protein for climate and food security.

These change makers are joining an impressive group of alumni that includes Airbnb, Google, Twitter and Wikimedia among others.

CNBC-TV18 spoke to Rohit Garg, CEO & Co-Founder of SmartCoin; Madhav Krishna, Founder & CEO of Vahan Inc; Ashish Korde, Co-Founder of Proeon; Nitin Jayakrishnan, Co-Founder & CEO of Pandocorp and Abhay Deshpande, Founder & CEO of Recykal to understand how they are blending entrepreneurship with technology to tackle global problems head on.

Watch video for more.