Posts will be slow over the coming weeks due to internal training and development.
Our regular schedule will be dialed back to Monday posts
Kenya Sustainable Cities Post Schedule
Monday - Eco-Construction & Design
Tues - Industrial Health & Safety
Wed - Bioplastics
Thurs - Water quality
Fri - Biomass fuels
Last week's post promted numerous questions about how SMEs can align their activities, followed by: how do we get money?
https://www.csti.or.ke/single-post/2018/09/25/Kenya-Sustainable-Cities-Alignment-of-Constitutional-Design-and-Design-of-Local-Development-Activities
We start with the "easier" question: how do we get money?
Data from research on over 10,000 startups globally reveals some common elements of success:
1. Ideas don't get funded, successful teams and execution get funded.
2. Data is key - there are a millions of ideas and startups, investors require evidence your business model will deliver them profits over the life of their investment (what Key Performance Indicators are tracking the value you capture versus the value you generate?)
3. Focus on the solution and scaling impact - if you just focus on increasing money/sales/revenues, you will not build up your value proposition
You can read more in the Startup Genome report on Why Startups Succeed as well other insightful reports
https://startupgenome.com/thank-you-enjoy-reading/
Inspiration on KPI measurements can be found here
https://www.marsdd.com/mars-library/social-entrepreneurship-social-impact-metrics/
Now for the alignment question which started with a request for an example of what we mean when we say SMEs can build a business using environmental data
Watch "Breeze: Smart Use of Environmental Data - FIWARE Business Success Story" on YouTube
https://youtu.be/fQmTqXspU-Q
Things to take note:
1. High quality data on specific problems (by high quality we mean any University professor you know of would be excited to see your data/your data can pass a global review by subject matter experts)
2. Collect data that enables others to create solutions (eg when should you open or close your windows to reduce indoor air pollution)
3. Increase access to the solution while lowering costs (e.g. €599 on a Breeze desktop air quality monitor versus hundreds of thousands for a large stationary monitor and data quality is still high)
You may not be able to do what Breeze has done with its product. However, how can you use the same concepts to design a product that monitors respiratory problems due to air pollution or that shows urban residents the air quality improvement from using electric vehicles? What about using the Breeze concept to assess the impact of using clean cookstoves?
What ideas can you develop for construction, industrial health & safety, bioplastics, water quality, biofuels?
Some inspiration to get you started
http://geodata.grid.unep.ch/extras/posters.php
Tips on Creating Shared Value through Social Enterprise
What is the problem that needs to be solved in your community and what data will enable a more effective solution?
We are fielding SME questions through our partner:
The Kijiji (#SGSKENYA, #2030NOW)
http://www.thekijiji.co.ke/
