Technology that really makes a difference
Esoko is a text messaging platform that helps farmers in Africa. Photo by Esoko.
It’s common in Silicon Valley to hear about an app or device that going to “change the world,” but in the case of the entrepreneurs who were on the stage for an event sponsored by SAP at HanaHaus in Palo Alto on July 22, this overused phrase is refreshingly accurate. The reason? These leaders are part of the SAP Social Entrepreneur Fellowship Program and funded by Acumen, a 501(c)3 nonprofit funds people and companies that are forging for profit solutions to social and economic problems in the developing world.
Acumen: a nonprofit fund investing in for profit solutions
Acumen, which is based in New York City, has invested $88 million in India, Pakistan, East Africa, West Africa and Latin America in ideas that are impacting 100 million people. Accumen’s Advisory Board includes Arianna Huffington, Fareed Zakaria of CNN and Senator Bill Bradley.
Acumen and SAP team to create a Silicon Valley experience
Nine business leaders whose companies are funded by Acumen were chosen to participate in the SAP Social Entrepreneur Fellowship Program in Silicon Valley that took place in Palo Alto for the first time this year. The Fellowship is part of SAP’s $500 million investment in Africa, which is helping local workers gain new skills to drive local innovation and growth in the region by 2020.
Expertise, networking and education for far-flung business leaders
Photo by Rohit Kapoor, SAP
The SAP Social Entrepreneur Fellows are all running successful for-profit businesses that are working to solve social problems in Africa and India, but need an infusion of expert advice and support in order to scale their efforts and reach maximum impact. The SAP Fellows were flown to Palo Alto for ten days of intensive education, including design thinking workshops, strategic planning, training from SAP staff and networking with successful startups such as Yelp and Airbnb.
A new lens on how to scale business…but not all lessons apply
Based on the conversations at HanaHaus, the experience was enlightening, exhausting and energizing for the Fellows, whose headquarters in places like Nairobi and Karachi are very different from life in Silicon Valley.
Ashifi Gogo, CEO of Sproxil. Photo by Rohit Kapoor, SAP
Ashifi Gogo, the founder and CEO of Sproxil, a company that helps people in India identify counterfeit pharmaceuticals, gave the opening talk about his experience as an SAP Social Entrepreneur Fellow. This video explains more about Sproxil’s impact and need.
To knowing laughs from his Acumen Fellow peers, Ashifi described the mixture of inspiration and disconnect that he experienced while immersed in Silicon Valley. But he was also buoyed by the realization that many of the startups he met share the same goal as Sproxil- to level the playing field by providing access to information.
“Aha” moments
Mark Davies of Esoko at the HanaHaus event. Photo by Rohit Kapoor, SAP
Mark Davies, the CEO and founder of Esoko, a company that helping small farmers maximize yields by sending text alerts, described his ‘aha’ moment when he learned how Airbnb uses virtual storyboards to improve user experience. “Seeing our customer experience as a story is something I can share with my team,” he explained. Check out this video about Esoko to learn more about this innovative company.
A unique chance to be with other social entrepreneurs
Ajaita Shah, the founder of Frontier Markets, which is providing families in India with access, training and servicing for clean-energy products, loved the opportunity to meet her fellow SAP Social Entrepreneurs, who are spread around the globe and rarely have a chance to interact in person.
Ajaita Shah of Frontier Markets. Photo by Rohit Kapoor, SAP
“It’s amazing to be with such similar minds,” she said. “I’m energized to go back to India and put all this learning into action.” In a panel discussion, Ajaita wowed the crowd with her demonstration of a solar-powered lantern that is being used to herd cows away from crops at night, saving valuable food sources with a low cost, easy to make tool.
So many cool ideas that are making a difference…
Other inspiring leaders at the event included:
- Peter Scott, CEO of Burn Technology, which is producing a low-cost cookstove called the jikokoa that uses less charcoal, saving precious money for poor families, improving health and decreasing pollution. Check out this great video to learn more about Burn Technology.
- David Auerbach, co-founder of Sanergy, which and manufacturing low-cost, high-quality sanitation facilities that not only allow people in poverty to access clean bathrooms, but also convert waste into fertilizer for farms in East Africa. Watch moving video to see Sanergy’s impact and potential.
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Peter Scott of Burn Technology. Photo by Rohit Kapoor, SAP.
(For a full list of the SAP Social Entrepreneur Fellows, click here.)
Technology + people can change the world…
The HanaHaus event showcased the energy, smarts and entrepreneurial drive are being harnessed to tackle the world’s problems, and the ways that a large corporation like SAP can support small companies to expand and thrive.
As Sachindra Rudra, the Chief Investment Officer of Acumen said in closing,”capital moves the world but capital is not enough to move the world. We need technology, connection to people and skills- all of this is important to bring ideas to scale.”
To learn more about Acumen and its unique model for addressing poverty, visit the website.
To learn more about the Acumen Global Fellowship Program and how to apply, click here.
To learn more about the SAP Entrepreneurial Fellowship, check out this info from SAP.
Like this story? Then you might want to read about Wovin, a Palo Alto-based company that is working to improve the way that textiles are used and sold around the world.
