15 Social Entrepreneurs and Their Crazy Ideas (Rainer Höll, Ashoka DE) | DLDsummer 16

Summary

The speaker, an Ashoka representative, discusses the qualities of social entrepreneurs who impress them, highlighting vision and action as key traits. They introduce 15 social entrepreneurs whose innovative ideas address global issues like healthcare, poverty, and accessibility. Examples include Simon Berry's medication delivery system, Miguel Luengo's crowdsourced malaria diagnosis, and Jimmy Wales' Wikipedia. The speaker emphasizes the importance of collaboration and Ashoka's role in supporting these changemakers to create a better future.

Takeaways

• 😀 The speaker admires entrepreneurial heroes who shape the world with vision and action.
• 🌟 Visionaries like the founder of the International Red Cross impress the speaker for their groundbreaking ideas and impact on society.
• 💡 The speaker highlights social entrepreneurs who ask 'what if' questions to address pressing social issues.
• 🌍 Simon Berry's innovation to deliver medication globally using Coca-Cola's logistics network is a prime example of entrepreneurial thinking.
• 🔬 Miguel Luengo's crowdsourcing approach to malaria diagnosis leverages mobile gaming for social good.
• 🛌 The concept of Couchsurfing by Casey Fenton aimed to foster global understanding and trust.
• 👦 Arno Raskin's work with street children turns them from victims to valuable assets through education and corporate training.
• 👩‍⚕️ Frank Hoffman's initiative trains blind women to detect breast cancer, challenging stereotypes and providing employment.
• 🧩 Tokyo's owner's company, Special E, employs individuals with autism for their unique skills in software quality testing.
• 🗺️ Will Murray's Wheelmap is an online platform that rates places for accessibility, promoting inclusion for wheelchair users.
• 🏭 Albina Ruiz's project in Lima turns garbage collection into a profitable micro-business, improving living conditions in slums.
• 🚌 In India, a social entrepreneur enabled rickshaw pullers to own their vehicles, improving their livelihoods.
• 🏦 Muhammad Yunus's Grameen Bank pioneered microfinance, aiming to eradicate poverty through small loans.
• 🌐 Kiva, co-founded by Matt Flannery and Jessica Jackley, brought microlending to the web, democratizing access to financial support for small businesses globally.
• 📚 Jimmy Wales' Wikipedia is a crowdsourced encyclopedia, showcasing the power of collective knowledge and volunteer efforts.

Q & A

What are the two key characteristics that impress us the most about entrepreneurial heroes?

The two key characteristics that impress us the most about entrepreneurial heroes are vision and action. They have the ability to see transformations and ask big questions about what could be possible, and they take action by creating organizations, revolutionizing industries, and taking personal risks to realize their visions.

Who is the businessman mentioned in the script that created an organization with a radically new idea around 150 years ago?

The businessman mentioned is the founder of the International Red Cross, who had the idea to help everybody in need, regardless of their background or affiliation, during the battle fields of Solferino.

What was the radically new idea that the founder of the International Red Cross came up with?

The founder of the International Red Cross came up with the idea of providing unconditional help to everyone, regardless of which uniform they wore or which side of a conflict they stood on, leading to the creation of a private neutral organization.

What is the connection between the International Red Cross and the concept of social entrepreneurship?

The connection between the International Red Cross and social entrepreneurship is the founder's vision to address a pressing social issue through the creation of a new organization. This mirrors the actions of social entrepreneurs who identify social problems and develop innovative solutions to tackle them.

What is the main difference between traditional entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurs as described in the script?

The main difference between traditional entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurs is that social entrepreneurs focus on creating a social impact rather than financial gain. Their vision is directly related to solving pressing social issues, and their success is often measured by the positive change they bring to society rather than financial returns.

Can you explain the idea behind Simon Barry's project that aims to deliver medication to remote areas?

Simon Barry's project involves creating small containers that fit in the space between Coke bottles in a crate, allowing for the transportation of medication to remote areas where logistics for consumer goods like Coke already exist. This innovative approach addresses the issue of medication accessibility in hard-to-reach places.

How does Miguel Luengo's project aim to speed up malaria diagnosis?

Miguel Luengo's project aims to speed up malaria diagnosis by crowdsourcing the identification of malaria parasites in blood samples. It turns the detection process into a mobile game, allowing players to identify parasites while playing, thus accelerating the diagnostic process and involving a larger number of people in the task.

What was the innovative idea behind Couchsurfing that the speaker mentioned in the script?

The innovative idea behind Couchsurfing is to enable people to stay overnight at other people's places, fostering tolerance, understanding, and trust between individuals from different backgrounds. This idea was later mirrored in the business model of Airbnb.

How does Arno Raskin's approach to street children transform their lives and perceptions?

Arno Raskin's approach to street children involves treating them not as victims but as individuals with potential. He created mobile schools for education and a company called Streetwise, which provides corporate trainings using the skills of street children, thus turning their situation into a respectable profession and showcasing their resilience and other critical business skills.

What is the concept behind Frank Hoffman's project that involves blind individuals detecting breast cancer?

Frank Hoffman's project trains blind women to become medical tactile examiners, using their sense of touch to detect breast cancer. This not only provides employment for the blind but also challenges the stigma of blindness by demonstrating their capabilities in a medical context.

How does the Wheelmap project contribute to making the world more accessible for wheelchair users?

The Wheelmap project contributes to making the world more accessible for wheelchair users by creating an online map where anyone can rate the accessibility of places like cafes, pharmacies, and public institutions. This crowdsourced information helps wheelchair users find accessible locations and promotes the improvement of accessibility standards.