Over the past decade, a growing segment of social entrepreneurs and small and growing businesses(SGBs) has emerged that seeks to utilize the power of invention to create products and companies that improve the lives of people living in poverty around the world. We call this class of entrepreneur – looking to develop and disseminate tangible products that will be manufactured and sold at high volumes via market mechanisms – an invention-based entrepreneur. The Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE) believes that invention-based entrepreneurs are supported or impeded by a number of environmental factors, or the entrepreneurial ecosystem in which they work. While ANDE and our members have made significant progress toward strengthening these entrepreneurial ecosystems in emerging markets, invention-based entrepreneurs have a unique set of needs that differentiates them from typical SGBs.
This webinar focuses on what differentiates an invention-based entrepreneur from traditional entrepreneurs and highlights what support invention-based entrepreneurs require, what resources are available, what ecosystem level gaps remain, and what tangible actions can be taken to fill these gaps. It is based primarily on a series of roundtable discussions held in Brazil, India, Kenya, and South Africa, and is supplemented by both one-on-one expert interviews and quantitative survey data. Recommendations for this research include;
Presenters:
Alex Pan is a program coordinator at the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE). In this position, Alex helps to manage ANDE’s global network of regional chapters and facilitates collaboration and knowledge sharing among ANDE’s 200+ members. He also manages ANDE’s initiatives to systemically address the talent gap for small and growing businesses and leads ANDE’s efforts to create a more supportive ecosystem for science, technology and invention based entrepreneurship in the developing world. Before joining ANDE, Alex worked for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Alex is an M.A Candidate in International Science and Technology Policy at George Washington University and earned his B.A. from Colby College.
Mike Hahn is the Product Development Manager at Sanergy (Nairobi, Kenya) where he is developing the next generation of Fresh Life Toilet system and other products to enhance the Fresh Life brand. He is also a founding consortium member of Gearbox, Kenya’s first open space for design and rapid prototyping. He is especially hands-on, spending most of his time in the workshop producing prototypes and tooling for Sanergy’s needs. Hahn has a long history of fabrication experience in a wide range of manufacturing processes. Before Sanergy, he led sanitation product development processes for iDE, WSP, and UNICEF. He was a recent Fulbright Fellow in Cambodia and has focused on product design in developing countries throughout his career. Hahn holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Industrial Design from the Rhode Island School of Design.
Moderator:
Paul Scott is working within ASME’s “Engineering for Global Development” group to establish a social innovation program focused on providing hardware led social ventures with access to the financial, human and physical capital needed for innovators to navigate their “engineering journey”. Paul is a sustainability & global development specialist with experience in strategy, public private partnerships, global supply chains (ESG) and social entrepreneurship. Paul has worked across sectors and industries, holds an MPA from Columbia University and started life as a geographer (so knows every capital city and can color maps really well)!
Sign In to comment.
E4C Membership is a curated experience! When you become a member, we will tailor a unique user profile for you based on the way you engage with our content over time. Your actions and preferences will allow us to serve you content that is most relevant to you. In addition, becoming an E4C member grants you access to exclusive engagement opportunities and the E4C newsletter.
Join E4C and become a part of a global community that believes engineering can change the world!
Become a MemberDid you know you can customize your E4C experience? Find more of your favorite articles, webinars, events and courses when you sign up for a FREE membership. Once a member, the more content you engage with, the more relevant we can make it for you!
As a member you have access to exclusive, curated content that changes on your homepage based on what you read the most.
Membership gives you access to over a million practitioners working in global development, many of whom are looking for talent like you!
Post or peruse Job, Training & Volunteer Opportunities
Discuss & share projects in our Community Space
Members are in the know! You’ll be invited to our webinars and special events and receive access to our monthly newsletter.
14-05-2020 12:19:20 PM
rakesh says: