India’s hidden hotbeds of invention
- Anil Gupta
Anil Gupta is on the hunt for the developing world's unsung inventors — indigenous entrepreneurs whose ingenuity, hidden by poverty, could change many people's lives. He shows how the Honey Bee Network helps them build the connections they need — and gain the recognition they deserve
Invest in Africa’s
own solutions
- Jacqueline Novogratz
Applauds the world's heightened interest in Africa and poverty, but argues persuasively for a new approach.
Jacqueline Novogratz founded and leads Acumen, a nonprofit that takes a businesslike approach to improving the lives of the poor. In her book "The Blue Sweater" she tells stories from the philanthropy, which emphasises sustainable bottom-up solutions over traditional top-down aid.
Problem-solving in the face of extreme limits
- Navi Radjou
He spent years studying "jugaad," also known as frugal innovation. Pioneered by entrepreneurs in emerging markets who figured out how to get spectacular value from limited resources, the practice has now caught on globally. Peppering his talk with a wealth of examples of human ingenuity at work, Radjou also shares three principles for how we can all do more with less
frugal innovation
strategy + mindset
Navi Radjo
author of
Jugaad Innovation
thinking in a frugal way and being flexible, which, in turn, challenges the thinker to adapt quickly to often unforeseen situations and uncertain circumstances in an intelligent way
Definition of Jugaad innovation
Jugaad (a word taken from Hindi which captures the meaning of finding a low-cost solution to any problem in an intelligent way) is a new way to think constructively and differently about innovation and strategy.
Jugaad innovation has a long-lasting tradition in India but is also widespread in the rest of the so-called Brica countries (Brazil, Russia, India, Africa and China) and numerous other emerging economies.
Jugaad is about extending our developed world understanding of entrepreneurial spirit in the traditional Schumpeterian style (Joseph Schumpeter was the Austrian economist known as the prophet of innovation).
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Jugaad means thinking in a frugal way and being flexible, which, in turn, requires the innovator or entrepreneur to adapt quickly to often unforeseen situations and uncertain circumstances in an intelligent way.
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Intelligence in this context "isn’t about seeking sophistication or perfection by over-engineering products, but rather about developing a ‘good-enough’ solution that gets the job done".
A third way to think about aid
- Jacqueline Novogratz
The debate over foreign aid often pits those who mistrust "charity" against those who mistrust reliance on the markets. Jacqueline Novogratz proposes a middle way she calls patient capital, with promising examples of entrepreneurial innovation driving social change
Patient
Capitalism
- Jacqueline Novogratz
Jacqueline Novogratz shares stories of how "patient capital" can bring sustainable jobs, goods, services — and dignity — to the world's poorest.
Inspiring a life of immersion
- Jacqueline Novogratz
We each want to live a life of purpose, but where to start? In this luminous, wide-ranging talk, Jacqueline Novogratz introduces us to people she's met in her work in "patient capital" — people who have immersed themselves in a cause, a community, a passion for justice. These human stories carry powerful moments of inspiration