The beacon of development often conjures up images of radical innovations, disruptive models, and leapfrog technologies. And yet, as nations attempt to embrace the promises of development, there is often a disconnect between imagination and execution in providing for even the most basic of human needs. Measurable social change, ensuring a degree
Alloysius Attah started Farmerline, a social enterprise in Ghana that connects small scale farmers with information, services, and markets, with just $600 in prize money from a mobile app competition.
Since then, he has found that he needs to travel outside of Ghana to attract the capital he needs to scale up his operations.
When Attah was
Necessity may be the mother of invention, but new research examines what spawns the inventor.
To spur innovation, it helps to have the right environment. And according to a comprehensive analysis by SIEPR Senior Fellow Raj Chetty and his colleagues, key factors that determine who becomes an inventor are coming up short for
Roberta Lindal’s start-up began with a ‘happily ever after’.
Lindal, BA’14, credits an early mentor for sparking her idea to create clothing that inspires girls to pursue their education, and help others who face incredible obstacles in their learning.
“This amazing boss of mine used to tell her 5-year-old daughter fairy tales, but would change the ending
Steven Rogers, M.B.A. ’85, believes that those who are blessed have a responsibility to find solutions to problems, to create something that benefits society.
The way to do that, he believes, can be found in entrepreneurship.
“Those who have success at entrepreneurship, it not only provides them the freedom to be whoever they want to be,
Women entrepreneurs in developing countries are creating jobs, advancing gender equality, and helping build economies that work for everyone. Despite the vital role they play, women entrepreneurs often face major obstacles to financing and growing their businesses. These obstacles include limited options for loans and capital, financial services not tailored to their specific needs, and
Great ideas are a dime a dozen. The question is: How do you get ’em to stick?
That’s the theme of this year’s Tech Awards. The annual program, hosted by The Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose, Calif., shines a spotlight on startups that use technology to make lives better in poor countries.
But this year,
In the heart of India however, two brothers are working on making sustainable energy affordable to the common man.
Arun and Anoop George are the founders of the Avant Garde Innovations start-up.
Their most recent creation is a small-scale wind turbine that will be priced at Rs 50,000 (around £600) – about the same price as the
IBM Smartcamp for Healthtech was a nationwide challenge organised by IBM Global Entrepreneur program organised in association with Manipal Hospitals and THub. The Finale had some game changing Startups of India focusing on health tech and leveraging innovative technologies coming in as finalists.
A brief about them is below.
Bodhi Health Education
The visible scarcity of qualified paramedics,
Decentralized sustainable energy technologies—both at the individual systems level, such as solar home systems, and at the mini-grid level servicing 50 to100 households—are the cheapest solutions for energy access in an increasing number of locations. That’s the finding of a new report by the International Energy Agency. The recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report
A data-driven crime prevention program, cyberbullying early warning and response system and a microfluidic drug-microbiota interaction platform are all in the running for $1 million in total funding from the Illinois Institute of Technology.
The three projects are finalists for Illinois Tech’s Nayar Prize, a social impact innovation competition that challenges Illinois Tech students,
Fernando Rojo walks in nobody else’s footsteps, nor their shoes for that matter.
The would-be College junior is taking a semester off to work full-time on the launch of his shoe company, PATOS Shoes, a brand that offers high quality footwear with a positive social impact.
The design of the shoe combines a modern, minimalist sneaker with
Fifty Years (Facebook, Twitter) wants to tackle a few issues that seem to plague the relationship between entrepreneur, investor and the demands of capitalism.
While working as entrepreneurs themselves, the two had found it hard to find savvy investors that could both help them scale their businesses, but would also
When entrepreneurs in Africa need advice on scaling their companies, they can turn to a source both far away and close at hand – Stanford Seed, the Stanford Institute for Innovation in Developing Economies.
Since 2011, Seed, an initiative led by Stanford Graduate School of Business, has helped more than 150 African businesspeople grow their firms
Traffic jams have become a part of Gurgaon’s identity. Anything from a slight drizzle to an auto strike can bring the city to a standstill. During a jam, while most Gurgaonwallahs are venting their frustration on social media, there is a certain section that is quite happy – the home chefs. The reason is that
In 1991, Julie Drake started Title Wave Books with her husband, Steve, who was born in Alaska. A couple years ago, they had to drop their group insurance through the business and go to the Affordable Care Act online marketplace for individual coverage. But those premiums also rose until, planning retirement in their 50s, they
