The ASME Innovation Showcase (ISHOW), a hardware-led social innovation accelerator, seeks applicants to join its 2021 cohort.
ISHOW is open to individuals and organizations taking physical products to market that will have a positive social and environmental impact.
Applicants should have an existing prototype and be interested in receiving financing, technical support and access to industry networks to assist in taking their product to market.
Apply now through March 9, 2021 to win a share of $200K in grants, consultations, business development assets, and a design and engineering review led by industry experts.
Visit www.asmeishow.org to begin your application and follow @ASMEishow on Twitter.
COVID-19 has presented an opportunity for the whole world to accelerate innovation, ingenuity and entrepreneurship in life-saving health technologies. In Kenya, we have seen entrepreneurs and innovators develop homegrown solutions, including locally assembled ventilators, contact tracing apps and automated testing kits.
However, despite the policies, strategic frameworks and investments for innovation, the path to scale for Kenyan innovators is not always clear. That’s why Villgro and Bobab have teamed up to deliver the Innovators Forum; a virtual event series exploring the challenges and opportunities for biomedical and diagnostic innovation and manufacturing in Kenya.
Over the course of five online events, we will be bringing together diverse groups of experts from business, academia and policy. Together, and inline with Kenya Vision 2030, we will explore where and how innovation and knowledge-based development processes can support national development strategies as a source of sustainable growth and jobs.
In addition to public webinars, we will also be delivering three interactive roundtables. Each will focus on a different area, convening high-level stakeholders and enabling deep-dive exploration of challenges and opportunities. These will range from developing complex manufacturing processes to the role of social impact bonds and other innovative funding mechanisms.
We will be capturing insights and ideas generated throughout these sessions and compiling them in our Guide To Accelerating Biomedical and Diagnostic Innovation and Manufacturing. This will provide a practical toolkit that can be picked up and used by stakeholders from Kenya and across Africa, designed to educate and assist with the development and manufacturing of homegrown health technologies.
The first event of the series will take place on 30th March 2021 under the theme, Building Resilience Through Investment in Biomedical and Diagnostics Innovation and Manufacturing in Kenya.
COVID-19 is taking its toll on Africa, reemphasising persistent structural weaknesses that overexpose countries like Kenya to the social, health and economic impacts of the pandemic. These include a high dependency on imports in areas such as drugs, machinery and equipment,weak local production systems, limited digital connectivity and the prevalence of informal micro businesses.
However, as well as highlighting reasons for concern, Kenya’s response to COVID-19 also has the potential to accelerate innovation, improve the response of healthcare systems and ignite a growth recovery, unlocking industrialisation, modernisation and continental integration.
In this first event of the Innovators Forum, we will be convening a diverse group of experts to share their experiences and insights. Together, we will explore the channels through which trade and industrial policies can help launch a renewed, job-rich and sustainable development agenda in Kenya; one that leverages immense untapped national and regional potential, enables homegrown innovation to thrive and opens up new opportunities for local business to create new and better jobs.
It is with great joy that I send this seasonal greeting…a sigh of relief that 2020 is coming to an end, a year that saw lives being turned upside down and livelihoods being thwarted as many were robbed of loved ones and their daily bread by COVID-19. Almost everybody universally everywhere knows at least one person who lost a close family member or a friend. Our hearts go to these families during this Christmas. As we light up a candle at the dinner table or switch on the Christmas tree this festive season, perhaps we can take a moment to say a prayer and send along with our compassionate love to these families.
As the curtain draws on the year 2020 we can only hope for a better 2021. This is the year that will usher in a new decade (2021/2030). A decade that marks the home stretch towards the attainment of the SDGs in 2030. We all are hearing news of a COVID-19 vaccine rollout, which gives us some hope that the much needed “shot in the arm” is about to come our way (almost in the literal sense).
If you are lucky to meet with friends and family this season, I would urge you to take time to ponder, to linger at the dining table, to savor the moment, and enjoy good laughter. If there is one thing that COVID-19 has taught us, it is to never take any moment for granted. For those of us who won’t be able to travel due to COVID-19 restrictions, we can all load up some talk time on our phones and find ways of connecting to those who are dear to us and spread some good Christmas spirit. And, most importantly, remember to take some rest, for we shall need it in the new year. 2021 will be a year to get the momentum back on as we strive to reverse the negative social economic COVID-19 impact and get back on track. A luta continua.On behalf of the Villgro Africa family, I would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a momentous 2021.
Wilfred Njagi,Co-founder & CEO Villgro Africa
By Rob Beyer – Villgro Africa Executive Chairman & Co-founder, Villgro Africa
From the early days when I first met with the founder of Villgro Innovations Foundations, Paul Basil, I was drawn in by both the passion and the belief in how the practical application of business solutions can improve the lives of the poor and underserved. To many, this combination can be considered mutually exclusive, but the Villgro Kenya team is proving that it is not only possible, but also points us towards a future where more African entrepreneurs can bring more innovations to more people under a market-based philosophy.
When I reflect on the journey of the last five years, three things standout:
While having three co-founders can be considered many, it has proven to be key to the success of Villgro Kenya. Robert, Wilfred, and I bring different perspectives of looking at opportunities (and risks), enabling Villgro to see many blind spots that a sole founder may miss – and not to mention that we are good friends! As others have now joined the team, we are grateful for tremendous talent and continued growth. There is no doubt that we have a core team who are ready to embark on an expanded vision and journey.
When the journey of building Villgro Kenya started, we actively sought out the help and assistance of those who have travelled a similar path and sought their insights and wisdom. We are incredibly grateful for our board members and those mentors who believed in us enough to even place their name and networks behind it.
After being initially ‘bootstrapped’ by Grand Challenges Canada, the Lemelson Foundation was the first large funder who backed the dream of expanding Villgro to Kenya, followed by the Argidius Foundation and USAID. As a start-up, these partnerships and funding opportunities are incredibly invigorating to the team and it is the fuel that has enabled us to accomplish what we have done since our inception.
As Villgro Kenya expands its work to impact the entire continent, we are committed to continually reminding ourselves of the lessons from our first five years. We will continue to build a team that we want to journey with, seeking out guides who can provide us with expertise and resources, and surrounding ourselves with fellow believers of our mission and vision.
Villgro Africa, in collaboration with BioInnovate Africa, recently concluded a four-day bootcamp for 72 bioscience innovators drawn from across East Africa. Key experts from Villgro Africa facilitated the comprehensive program, with modules ranging from investment readiness, go-to-market strategies, the Business Model Canvas, storyboarding, value chain analysis and commercialization and regulatory pathways.
The program was designed to empower entrepreneurial scientists to develop innovative and commercially viable biological-based ideas. The bootcamp was structured with assignments for each session and included a series of lectures and discussions with breakout rooms facilitated by the instructors.
The practical interactive sessions helped the participants use the business development tools for their innovations. This gave them an opportunity to visualize the pathways to scale their innovations, a topic most participants mentioned they struggled with.
6 out of the 24 innovation teams will be provided with 3 months coaching through competitive selection based on their submissions. At the end of the 3 month coaching, participants will be invited to pitch to Villgro Africa for $20,000 ticket size funding towards their startups. This will be competitively awarded for up to 2 or 3 of the 6 teams coached.