5 Smart, Sustainable Innovations Ready to Take Over the Developing World
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
A few creative, tenacious souls who have been tinkering away at monumental global challenges—clean water, sanitation, access to toilets, energy—are getting their moment in the spotlight.
This August, they flew from around the globe to California to see if their innovations can scale. Since 2003, Santa Clara University’s Center for Science, Technology, and Society has invited about 20 social enterprises to its campus every year. The companies and nonprofits don’t receive money; instead, they get 10 months of mentoring from venture capitalists and entrepreneurs on how to scale their innovations.
It’s fruitful not just for the fellows selected but also for the mentors, says Brian Haas, vice president of semiconductor company KLA-Tencor.
“It’s both exhilarating and humbling to work side by side with these entrepreneurs,” he tells TakePart. “We look forward immensely every year to meeting these amazing and talented social entrepreneurs, whose businesses face challenges unheard of in Silicon Valley.”
Companies must be in operation for more than three years to qualify and the focus is on scaling an existing idea to make it more impactful. To date, the center has worked with more than 400 social entrepreneurs from more than 60 countries.
Below, five noteworthy innovations from this year’s cohort:
Source: Take Part (link opens in a new window)
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- Impact Assessment, Investing
