Innovating The Process Of Getting Technology To People Who Need It

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Lots of technologies that didn’t exist a few years ago now seem indispensable, especially in the developing world. LED lights help children study in the evening hours, better cooking stoves don’t pollute the indoor environment, and water filters make water safe. Those products are on the market, but they often don’t reach the people who need them–and even if they do, they may get thrown out if they need repair.

At the same time, millions of small, family-owned local retail shops in low-income areas around the world sell fast-moving consumable goods, such as soaps and candy. But you can’t find essential technologies at these retail stores because the local shops don’t know about them, how to get them, or how to service them.

Those are the problems addressed by Essmart Global, founded by Diana Jue and Jackie Stenson. The company won the grand prize in Dell’s Social Innovation Competition this month. “Without a solid distribution channel, those essential technologies don’t go very far,” says Stenson. “Distribution is not something that people wanted to improve in the past, but we both find it exciting.”

The company is starting to work in India, where they did a pilot project in January and will be starting up full-time operations in August. Instead of focusing on really rural areas, they are starting to distribute products on the outskirts of cities. They choose products–say, LED lights or water filters–that are cheap enough to be purchased but still an investment, costing between $10 and $30. Then they demonstrate the products to local shop owners, and work out an arrangement with schoolteachers and local children to spread the word about the technologies.

Source: Fast Company (link opens in a new window)

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Technology