Global Health Business Case Competition Focuses on Ending Malaria

In the middle of a three week trip to Uganda in 2004, a driver I hired to escort me from my hotel to various meetings said his young son had just died from malaria, an infectious disease transmitted by the bites of infected mosquitoes. While malaria has been eradicated in the developed countries, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says an estimated 445,000 people died of the infectious disease—most were young children in sub-Saharan Africa.

Having spent a large amount of my career working to strengthen the private sector in developing countries, I have come to appreciate the collaborative role entrepreneurship plays in combating infectious diseases such as malaria. Therefore, it was with great pleasure to participate as a volunteer judge at the fourth annual Global Health Business Case Competition on Jan. 26, 2019. The event was hosted by the Global Business Center (GBC) at the University of Washington Foster School of Business, in partnership with the Jackson School's Center for Global Studies and the UW Department of Global Health. As explained in a blog post, "This competition provides a unique opportunity for students to experience hands-on, cross-disciplinary teamwork while tackling a global health challenge."

Thirty-two teams (26 undergraduate and six graduate) were given The Mosquito Network: Collaborative Entrepreneurship in the Fight to Eliminate Malaria Deaths, a 2016 case written by Gaylen Williams Moore, and published by the Harvard Kennedy School. The case was supplemented with a 2018 article, "Countries must steer new response to turn the malaria tide," which highlighted how malaria reduction efforts had recently stalled in the last two years, especially in high burden countries.

The GBC blog post further explains:

The students were asked to take on the role of an Africa-based team of consultants hired by the RBM Partnership to End Malaria. The teams were tasked with recommending how to spend an extra $6 billion on malaria reduction in the context of a new "high burden to high impact" malaria program, an approach that supports countries most affected by malaria. Specifically, students addressed how much would be allocated to the ten high burden countries in Africa and explored why malaria control efforts have not been effective in curbing malaria in these countries. Next, they had to identify the right mix of malaria interventions and best practices for a country where previous efforts proved ineffective.

Students had just 48 hours to do their research and create the slide deck to accompany their presentation. On Saturday morning, January 26th, interdisciplinary UW teams presented their solutions and judges scored teams on their analysis, style, rational, and ability to handle the question and answer session.

I was grouped with three other volunteer judges who heard presentations from four teams of talented undergraduate students. Focusing initially in the Democratic Republic of Congo with future expansion to Nigeria, Niger, and Mozambique, a team presented "The Domino Country" whose mission calls for using individualized action as an adaptable model to stimulate awareness and the economy to create a domino effect throughout Africa's high burden countries. Its benchmarks were trifurcated by educate (provide knowledge of diseases and prevention, and train community leaders and civilians in diagnostics), enact (create incentives towards malaria fighting organizations and initiate national malaria programs), and evaluate (high rates of net usage of bed nets and malaria awareness and economic stability towards malaria initiatives).

The vision of team "IMPACT Consulting" is to transform health intelligence and save lives in the fight against malaria through improved data analytics and partnering with local officials. They identified Cameroon as their initial test country with a phase two expansion to Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali, and Uganda.

"Uniting to Combat Malaria in an Era of Industrialization and Globalization" aimed to achieve four goals: (1) Develop a strategy that will appeal both to politicians and large donors while at also promoting community-based solutions in order to endure a long-term solution, (2) delegate funds to high risk countries and international organizations so that the marginal product per dollar spent is equal among productive capital to maximize total utility, (3) demonstrate a comprehensive analysis of past policies both good and bad to ensure progress for the future, and (4) establish an exhaustive Global Guidance Policy which will ensure there is cohesion in communication between global and local settings and to keep the various efforts on track for success. This team chose Nigeria as its country of focus.

Also focusing on combating malaria in Nigeria, team "Tumaini" made a presentation outlining two goals: developing an effective malaria vaccine or treatment by funding an established research program and immediately reduce malaria impact and mortality by fighting malaria through specialized clinics.

Undergraduate Track 1st Place

While neither of the teams we heard presentations from made the top three among the 26 undergraduate teams, we were quite impressed with the way each team employed essential critical thinking tools to understand the problem they were charged with solving and their creativity to formulate a possible solution.

With a rising middle class among its 1.24 billion inhabitants, government officials representing African nations often approach me about expanding my investment and business holdings on the continent. While I am keen to do so, having a workforce in good health or not otherwise impacted by sick young family members by a preventable disease such as malaria is essential to achieving long-term success. Programs like the Global Health Business Case Competition are an important piece to the process of creating sustainable solutions.

What solutions would propose if you had the opportunity to participate in this year's Global Health Business Case Competition?

Aaron Rose is a board member, corporate advisor, and co-founder of great companies. He also serves as the editor of Solutions for a Sustainable World.

Build Stronger Relationships, Not a Larger Network

Members of SeattleU's CSSA and
invited speakers attending
"Class of 2017 Networking
Night" on May 24, 2017

As the 2016-17 academic year comes to a close, I reflect on my interactions with young adults attending one of the colleges or universities in the Seattle area. Receiving the honor of participating in Seattle University's Chinese Students and Scholars Association's (CSSA) "Class of 2017 Networking Night" on May 24, 2017, I was asked to speak about entrepreneurship and the opportunities and risks of owning your own business.

I informed the attendees the three reasons why people start their own business: (1) be your own boss, (2) be in creative control, and (3) make a lot of money. I cautioned the SeattleU students that successful entrepreneurs rarely consider the option of making a lot of money when taking on the risks and responsibilities of owning a business. While entrepreneurship provide the opportunity to generate substantial income, most successful entrepreneurs will attest that much personal sacrifice is the price to pay for achieving such success. An entrepreneur runs a high risk of failure if they are considering the financial gain that can be realized through owning a business. The freedom of being your own boss and maintaining creative control of the development of your product or service are the primary drivers for successful entrepreneurs.

For those considering taking the plunge into entrepreneurship, I recommend they do not:

1. Build a company with no revenue;
2. Follow shiny objects (opportunistic);
3. Lie to themselves or others about their traction;
4. Focus on too many things at once;
5. Use the word "I" (building a successful venture requires a talented, hard working team);
6. Ask investors to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA);
7. Think they are the only company in their space; and
8. Calculate the future value of their stock.

Conversely, entrepreneurs need to:

1. Fix a problem;
2. Tell a story that people will understand;
3. Hire for ambition;
4. Get to know their customers;
5. Make informed decisions;
6. Understand time has the same value as money (and manage both wisely);
7. Become a shameless self-promoter (without becoming obnoxious);
8. Project a positive image;
9. Be accessible;
10. Master the art of negotiations;
11. Get and stay organized;
12. Follow-up constantly;
13. Have a business plan; and
14. Focus.

Serving as a panelist at the Technology and Business Association at the University of Washington's "2017 International Biz-Tech Forum" on Feb. 27, 2017, I emphasized how assembling a strong team is essential to building a successful business venture. A mentor advised me early in my career to "surround yourself with people smarter than you."

Members of SeattleU's CSSA
visiting the Seattle office of
TR International and ROI3
on Mar. 10, 2017

My colleagues and I had the privilege of hosting members of SeattleU's CSSA at our office in Seattle, Wash. on Mar. 10, 2017. The conversation focused on our business operations, challenges and risks of doing international business, and career advice to those about to enter the workforce. During the discussion, I presented the following ten items that are essential in serving as an effective leader:

1. Good communicator;
2. Coachable;
3. Lead by example;
4. Know your strengths and weaknesses;
5. Always improve your skills;
6. Take responsibility for your actions (mistakes);
7. Do not micromanage: trust your colleagues;
8. Give credit where credit is due;
9. Avoid criticizing, condemning or complaining; and
10. Expect results.

In my conversation with students attending the University of Washington's chapter of the China Entrepreneur Network's "Dinner with Professionals" on Nov. 3, 2016, I recommended they build stronger relationships, not a larger network. My recommendation connects well with an article, Nick Corcodilos of Ask The Headhunter®, published that correctly notes:

Most jobs are found and filled through personal contacts, not through job postings, career centers, or employment agencies. College students' first job is to meet people — preferably people who work in companies and on products and services you think you’re interested in. Those people will educate you about work and about jobs and employers. The sooner you start developing these contacts and learning from them, the better.

I appreciate Mr. Corcodilos' additional insights on relationship building:

Smart managers tend to hire people they know, or people known to their employees. While this might bother you because it seems unfair, consider that it's prudent because it lowers the risk of getting a lousy worker. Would you loan money to a friend, or a total stranger? Would you trust your business to someone a friend vouched for, or someone you don't know anything about? This is just basic human nature – but it's not unfair. It's a good survival mechanism.

What advice do you have for those of whom are in the early stages of building their career?

Aaron Rose is a board member, corporate advisor, and co-founder of great companies. He also serves as the editor of GT Perspectives, an online forum focused on turning perspective into opportunity.

Symposium on Global Health in China

"Contribute to strengthening global health through supporting the collaboration of China in the global health arena" is one of four strategic priorities of the World Health Organization's (WHO) collaboration with China as outlined in the China—WHO Country Cooperation Strategy. I have witnessed a number of initiatives over the past few years focused on China's increasing role as a major contributor in the global health arena. Given my personal and professional interests on global health, I appreciated having the opportunity to attend the "Symposium on Global Health in China: Harnessing the Power of Universities" at the University of Washington in Seattle. This post addresses a few points made during the symposium that took place from April 5-6, 2016.

It their welcoming letter, Judy Wasserheit and Stephen Gloyd, co-chairs of the symposium, wrote: "The symposium goals is to create a forum to help define future directions for academic global health in China, and to discuss how best to facilitate university collaborations with institutions from both high and low income countries." Drs. Wasserheit and Gloyd continue to explain that "the symposium will provide our Chinese university colleagues with an opportunity to meet a wide, interdisciplinary array of faculty, students, and other stakeholders to strategically plan for future collaborations."

I was surprised to learn about China's long history of sending medical aid teams to over 60 countries and regions, with most teams being sent to Africa. In his keynote speech, "Emergence of Global Health in China: Prospects and Implications," Lincoln Chen, President of the China Medical Board, noted the first China Medical Team (CMT) was sent to Algeria in 1963.

Regarding its domestic market, Dr. Chen said, "China has increasingly equitable care that can provide a model for the developing world." However, while China is making progress in modernizing its domestic healthcare system, the speed of such progress is slow. "China is still evolving from a Soviet-style medical system to a Western-style system."

He also remarked that China "is intellectually engaged in global health issues" and as a global economic power, the world's most populous country "wants to contribute more, which shows it is taking up its responsibilities as a global power."

During the plenary panel titled "Global Health in the Chinese Context," panelists discussed how global health is defined, what global health means in the context of activities supported by China, and how Chinese universities contribute to this global effort. In remarks made by Yinou Li, Director of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's China office, Dr. Li noted that China has made progress in certain areas such as reducing tobacco use through restrictions on tobacco advertising and banning indoor smoking. Moreover, she provided some insights on collaborative efforts by the Chinese government, health organizations, and universities to create advocacy campaigns in support of tobacco control measures and social marketing campaigns that aim to educate people and change attitudes about tobacco use (namely, making smoking socially unacceptable and unappealing). Success in this area could serve as a model for other emerging or developing countries.

On the topic of eradicating infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, the Gates Foundation says, "According to the World Health Organization (WHO), nearly 1 million people develop tuberculosis (TB) in China each year—more than in any other country except India. In addition to a high burden of the disease, China has about one-fifth of the world's cases of multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB), which is especially difficult and costly to treat." Dr. Li noted that a majority of funding by the Gates Foundation in China is allocated to supporting the efforts of the Chinese government. For example, the Gates Foundation's website explains its support of a grant to the National Health and Family Planning Commission, which focused on "developing and demonstrating innovative TB-control models that can help China further reduce the number of patients who develop TB, and particularly MDR-TB."

The Gates Foundation is also helping China control its HIV epidemic by "reaching high-risk groups with prevention programs and accurate information, testing, and efficient and effective treatment programs." This has been done, according to the Seattle, Wash.-based organization's web page on combating HIV in China, through financially supporting "the Chinese government and community organizations on a program to expand HIV prevention (through testing and interventions) among those most at risk of infection and to provide care and treatment to those infected. In some program cities, more than half of all newly detected cases were identified through our collaboration with community organizations." Again, if done efficiently and effectively, China's efforts of reducing tobacco use, eliminating TB, and controlling HIV could serve as a model in other emerging or developing countries.

In the plenary panel, "Chinese University Partnerships with Low and Middle Income Countries," panelists talked about China's efforts in improving its bilateral health cooperation and greater participation in global health work and governance. Feng Cheng, Professor and Chief Physician, Research Center for Public Health and School of Medicine at Tsinghua University said expanding partnership opportunities will facilitate the development of health technologies and quality products to contribute to global health. Such partnerships will help transfer appropriate health technologies between Chinese universities and low and middle income countries with the aim to improve global health outcomes.

I want to express my appreciation to the symposium's co-chairs, planning committee members, and organizers. While I am not a member of the academic community, I found great value in attending this symposium to learn more the benefits through the collaboration among Chinese and American universities. I plan to learn from these lessons and apply them to the efforts my colleagues and I at ROI3, Inc. are developing to promote health and wellness in emerging and developing countries through localized mobile software solutions designed for smartphones and tablets.

Aaron Rose serves as President and CEO of ROI3, Inc., a Seattle, Wash.-based company that empowers people in emerging economies through innovative, technology-based solutions. He is also the editor of Solutions for a Sustainable World.

Advice to Entrepreneurs and Job Applicants

I served as a speaker and panelist at the International Biz-Tech Forum at the University of Washington on April 4, 2015. Organized by the Technology and Business Association at the University of Washington (TBAUW), the primary purpose of the event was to help students gain experience and knowledge in both academic and industrial fields in order to prepare themselves after they graduate and enter the job market. While my presentation covered a variety of topics including the risk and rewards of entrepreneurship, operational and financial strategies for early-stage companies, and recommendations for those planning to enter the job market, there are some aspects of my presentation that I wish to discuss in this post.

Photo: In-Between
Photography and TBAUW

It is important that would-be entrepreneurs understand the sacrifice involved in creating and building a business. I believe many people enter entrepreneurship for three reasons: (1) Be their own boss, (2) be in creative control of their service or product, and (3) the opportunity to make a lot of money. Whether I am advising entrepreneurs or investing in their dream to launch a business that will provide exceptional customer service, create a product or service of the highest quality, and build shareholder value, most entrepreneurs fail if making a lot of money is any part of their motivation to create a start-up. Being monetarily-motivated can lead to a grave consequence for an entrepreneur.

Quite simply, the passion and sacrifice required in building a business rarely corresponds to the monetary results entrepreneurs are seeking. Sure, most tech entrepreneurs desire to build the next billion dollar empire, but the reality is most businesses fail within the first few years of its existence.

Many new or would-be entrepreneurs seek my advice and/or financial support. While the individual thinks they are submitting their business (or concept thereof) for my advice or consideration, it is often difficult to determine if their idea is a hobby or a business that will generate sustainable revenue. During my presentation, I advised the attendees to contemplate the following questions if they are considering starting their own enterprise:

• Why you (and your idea) and why now?
• Who are your customers?
• How will people know about you?
• How will you make money?
• How will you retain customers, while at the same time, grow your business?
• How will you achieve and sustain profitability?

Photo: In-Between

Photography and TBAUW

This led me to another important point of my presentation: "HAVE A PLAN!!!" For reasons that I have yet to understand, many entrepreneurs whom I meet do not have a business plan nor do they plan to draft one. A business plan is not only necessary if the owners are seeking financial backing from investors, a business plan provides a greater value by serving as a road map for each and every individual involved with the company. For example, every one of my colleagues at ROI3, Inc., irrespective of their place on the company's organizational chart, is presented with a copy of the latest draft of our business plan and he or she is given the opportunity to provide critical feedback. I use the word 'draft' deliberately since a business plan is always evolving.

I subsequently explained to the attendees the requirement of forming a team to build a business that will produce revenue and achieve profitability. It is important to note that the team is not limited to employees only, but it consists of mentors and advisors, family members, and friends. In addition to emphasizing the requirement of forming a team to build a company of value, my slide titled "It Takes a Team" emphasized the need to "surround yourself with people smarter than you." The ability of every entrepreneur to lead their business effectively often lies in the awareness of their personal and professional strengths and weaknesses alike. I learned long ago that building a successful business requires building a team with people whom are smarter than me and provide the support (financial and/or emotional) when the company, or I as its leader, encounter obstacles that often appear unexpectedly.

"If you do not know your numbers, you do not know your business" was another important point of my presentation. While many businesses fail for a variety of reasons, the management team's inability to understand their financial plan is often a common cause of business failure. A company's operational plan is only as strong as its financial plan, the latter of which is required to implement the former. Business owners who do not understand the numbers, which should be expressed through a profit and loss (P&L) statement, cash flow statement, and balance sheet, will see the demise of their hopes and dreams of becoming a successful entrepreneur. Ideas alone will not build a business that will produce revenue and achieve profitability. Business success requires a sound operational strategy complemented by a realistic financial plan.

Photo: In-Between
Photography and TBAUW

As part of my discussion regarding a company having a financial plan, I emphasized the importance of a company providing a timeline for operational and financial milestones including its break-even point and plans for sustained profitability. In addition, a company building for successful future should convey its operating expenses segmented by (1) sales and marketing, (2) general and administrative, and (3) research and development, as well as knowing its cost of revenue (sales) and the percentage of its cost of revenue as it relates to the company's gross revenue.

For those attendees preparing to enter the job market, I provided some advice about looking for a job and writing a résumé that will stand-out from the dozens or hundreds of résumés submitted to hiring managers. It is important for job seekers to not just network with people affiliated with a specific sector, but building meaningful relationships. Utilizing social platforms like LinkedIn is important, but going the extra step to meet with sector or business leaders, and the applicant's willingness to learn from these leaders, is essential to building strong long-term relationships.

Citing an article from Entrepreneur magazine, I noted one in four and one in ten HR managers receive 50 résumés or one in ten résumé per job listing, respectively. The article also provided the following list of criteria HR managers are looking for from job applicants:

• 77% - relevant experience;
• 48% - specific accomplishments; and
• 41% - résumé was customized to the open position or not.

Again citing the article, I provided the percentage of HR managers who look for specific keywords in résumés:

• 56% - problem solving;
• 44% - leadership;
• 40% - oral and written communication;
• 33% - team building; and
• 31% - performance & productivity improvement.

Photo: In-Between

Photography and TBA

Speaking from my perspective as an employer, I explained that I will spend no more than 30 seconds looking at a résumé and the applicant's résumé is poorly-written if I have to "read" it. While each career services department provides useful guidelines about constructing an effective résumé, I think a two-page résumé is acceptable (and do not include an objective statement). More importantly, the content of the applicant's résumé should be consistent with their LinkedIn profile. And yes, I do look at the applicant's Facebook, Twitter, and Weibo pages.

I enjoyed the experience of presenting at the 2015 International Biz-Tech Forum at the University of Washington and I want to convey my sincerest appreciation to the members and leaders of TBAUW for providing me with the opportunity. The slides from my presentation may be found below.

Hack Housing: Empowering Smarter Decisions

I attended "Hack Housing: Empowering Smarter Decisions" from February 6-8, 2015 at Zillow's corporate headquarters in Seattle, Wash. Co-sponsored by the Computer Science & Engineering at the University of Washington with participation from the U.S. Department of Commerce and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the focus of the hackathon was to develop products and create solutions to aid home buyers and renters with particular needs. Specifically, teams were asked to develop creative solutions that will make it easier for first-time homebuyers, low-income renters and senior citizens to find a home that meets their needs.

Deep housing data is more accessible than ever thanks to companies like Zillow and federal open data efforts. This wealth of information, however, remains fragmented across a number of dense .gov websites and can be confusing even for the experts. Hackathon participants had access to newly released government data sets on topics like federal housing programs, apartment buildings with accessory dwelling units and transit information. In addition, Zillow made available its data on home values and rents.

GeekWire published an article about the hackathon, which over 200 individuals attended grouped into 30 teams, explaining that "ideas ranged from a social network that helps people find accommodating roommates, to software that calculates the return on investment for landlords interested in offering space to low-income renters, to a tool that lets senior citizens filter available housing based on specific accessibility requirements like ramped entryways, wide doorways, or supportive bars in the bathroom, for example."

Aaron Rose, Bernard Chester,

Mengqian Liu, Jiaming Liu, and

Eric Kang attend "Hack Housing:

Empowering Smarter Decisions" on

Feb. 6-8, 2015 in Seattle, Wash.

Over the course of the weekend, I collaborated with a group of talented individuals in creating an app that provided a list of housing options available based on specific search criteria such as purchase price, geographic location, and local services available (i.e., schools, health clinics, public transportation, etc.). While I am proud of the app our team developed, our app was not picked for one of the three top places by a panel of judges that included Zillow Chief Technology Officer David Beitel, UW Computer Science & Engineering professor Ed Lazowska, and the City of Seattle's Deputy Mayor of External Affairs, Hyeok Kim.

The $10,000 first-place prize was awarded to SmartMove, an app developed by Tim Lebell, Jake Grajewski, and David Puerto that determines the best place to live based on proximity to a person's most-visited locations, like a workplace, the grocery store, and other places critical to their daily lives.

The second place prize of $5,000 went to a team who created "Push to Rent," which, as explained in the GeekWire article, lets users upload rental application information once and easily use the data again for future listings. For those that may not have a smartphone or Internet access, the app has a text message feature that gives people a way to apply via text messaging."

The third place prize of $3,000 went to Team Cellophane who came up with "Zillow Wheeler," "which provides a better way for those with disabilities to search for accessible housing. Instead of one checkbox for 'accessible' that many sites feature today, the team's app would include filters for specific housing options like roll-in showers or kitchens with adequate counter heights."

Overall, the "Hack Housing: Empowering Smarter Decisions" was a great experience where I met talented people trying to create innovative solutions through mobile applications to help first-time homebuyers, low-income renters and senior citizens to locate a home that meets their particular needs.

2010 Global Social Entrepreneurship Competition Presents Innovative Solutions

I had the pleasure to serve as a judge in the 2010 Global Social Entrepreneurship Competition (GSEC) organized by the University of Washington's Global Business Center at the Michael G. Foster School of Business. The purpose of GSEC is to engage “creative minds around the world to encourage bolder and less conventional business solutions to global poverty.” US$18,000 in prize money was available for the sixth annual competition. (Photo: Nuru Light)

GSEC plans are judged on three criteria: (1) effect on the quality of life and poverty alleviation in the developing economies, (2) financial sustainability, and (3) feasibility of implementation. 161 applications were submitted from 36 countries and this year’s five finalist teams traveled from Bangladesh, Canada, China, India, Rwanda, and the United States. Unlike my role of judging the semi-final round in 2009, I participated in this year’s GSEC as a judge in the Investor’s Choice Award, evaluating each team’s brief elevator-pitch and trade show exhibit.

The Grand Prize of $10,000, sponsored by Microsoft, was awarded to Nuru Light, which provides a solution to the lighting crisis in Rwanda. Through the POWERCycle, the Nuru Light (Nuro means light in Swahili) provides an affordable, safe, and clean lighting solution to replace kerosene in households without electricity. Nuru lights can be recharged quickly via the world’s first pedal generator. In addition to the Grand Prize, Nuru Light was the winner of the Investor’s Choice Award of $500, People’s Choice Award, and the second place Global Health prize of $2,000 for the health benefits of POD lights including decreased exposure to particulate matter and lowering the risk of kerosene burning. Team Nuru was represented by Charles Ishimwe from Adventist University of Central Africa in Rwanda and Max Fraden of the University of Massachusetts Medical School. (Photo: University of Washington)

The University of Washington’s Department of Global Health sponsored the Global Health Prize of $5,000, which was awarded to TouchHb, an affordable, prick-less anemia scanner used by low-skilled village health workers in rural India that measures, helps diagnose, monitors and screens for anemia. Team TouchHb consists of two doctors, Yogesh Patil and Abhishek Sen, from the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences in India. (Photo: University of Washington)

For this year's GSEC, judges spontaneous created an award and personally donated a total of $3,000 for the Judges’ Choice Award, which Malo Traders received for their business plan that provides technological consultation that minimizes risks of post-harvest losses for small-scale rice farmers in the West Africa nation of Mali. Team Malo consists of two brothers who grew up in Africa and are now studying in the United States: Mohamed Ali Niang is a student at Temple University Fox School of Business in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Salif Romano Niang, a doctorate student in political science at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. (Photo: University of Washington)

Aaron Rose is a board member, corporate advisor, and co-founder of great companies. He also serves as the editor of GT Perspectives, an online forum focused on turning perspective into opportunity.

Microsoft Executive Talks about the Future of Computing

Prior to his retirement from Microsoft, Bill Gates traveled around the country speaking at college campuses about how Microsoft's innovative technologies are providing the tools to help people resolve the problems of today, and tomorrow. Since Mr. Gates' departure from the Redmond-Washington company, Craig Mundie, Microsoft’s chief research and strategy officer, has led the Microsoft College Tour speaking to faculties and students in the United States. From November 2-5, 2009, Mr. Mundie visited four college campuses, Cornell University, Harvard University, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and the University of Washington, discussing how the new capabilities in computing will help solve some of the planet’s toughest challenges, from environmental change, to growing the global economy, to improving healthcare and education. These visits provide an opportunity to show the leading-edge work taking place at Microsoft. (Photo of Craig Mundie courtesy of Patrick Riley/The Daily of the University of Washington)

I had the opportunity to attend Mr. Mundie's presentation, "Rethinking Computing," which was part of the University of Washington’s Computer Science and Engineering Distinguished Lecturer Series. He demonstrated future-looking technologies created by the Computational Science Group at the Microsoft Research Cambridge (U.K.) that show how computer science is changing scientific exploration and discovery. He also discussed the role of new science in solving the global energy crisis such as a state-of-the-art global carbon-climate model that allows scientists to study forests in ways not previously possible. With the carbon model, and another model created by Microsoft researchers showing how populations of trees actually grow, scientists can study how deforestation in the Amazon basin can affect forests worldwide.

Mr. Mundie talked about how machines will respond to gestures through new natural user interfaces, deploy the power of new microprocessors, migrate data to the cloud, and use live data to drive new simulations and visualizations. "We think computing is in its infancy," said Mr. Mundie, noting many people view computer technology has become passé and invisible. "It's going to be important to continue investing in computing. Without it, we'll have difficulty solving these problems." Explaining that the benefits of computing will have to scale as the planet's population increases, Mr. Mundie said, "we will need to move beyond the tradition point-and-click of the graphical-user interface."

The next big change we will see is in display technology, where "we will have a richer way to interact with the computers." The natural user interface (NUI) will create an interface enabling computers to work for you and search using human-like interaction technologies like ink, eye tracking, and voice. Mr. Mundie provided a demonstration of the latest NUI designed by Microsoft's Cambridge research group.

On the topic of cloud computing, Mr. Mundie "sees the cloud as a high scale, often data driven computing assets that are being built now and I think the next big thing will be to think the cloud and the intelligent clients as one big distributive system, not two heterogeneous things that we are forcing to talk to one another."

I enjoyed listening to the presentation and I feel that Microsoft is producing innovative computing technologies that will provide a great benefit and new experiences to users worldwide. One important area where we will see these benefits is in the policy making arena. As Mr. Mundie demonstrated, a new method of computing will become an essential tool for policy makers in making informed decisions. While I see the technical value in the natural user interface, cloud computing will revolutionize the way people access, store, and use information, which I will discuss in greater detail in this blog.

Apply Now for 2010 University of Washington Global Social Entrepreneurship Competition

I participated as a judge in the 2009 Global Social Entrepreneurship Competition (GSEC) organized by the University of Washington's Global Business Center at the Michael G. Foster School of Business. According to its website, GSEC "engages creative minds around the world to encourage bolder and less conventional business solutions to global poverty." I am pleased to announced that applications for the 2010 competition are being accepted until November 11, 2009. I encourage you to share this information to those who may be interested in applying for this innovative social entrepreneur competition. (Photo courtesy of the University of Washington)

GSEC explains, "Students from around the world—and across fields of study—are invited to find innovative, commercially-sustainable business solutions to problems of poverty in the developing world. GSEC plans are judged on the quality of life in the developing world, financial sustainability, and implementation feasibility." GSEC plans must clearly demonstrate the Social Return on Investment (SROI) in addition to the financial return on investment. In addition, GSEC plans must be for a low or lower-middle income country and need to address poverty alleviation in the developing world.

The application deadline consists of an executive summary and team registration. Executive summaries must conform to the executive summary format as detailed in the GSEC Submission Requirements. Applications go through two rounds of reviews to determine the semi-finalist GSEC teams. In mid-December, semi-finalist teams are selected from the applicant pool and are invited to attend GSEC Week, March 1-5, 2010 at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington. Once semi-finalist teams are confirmed, they are paired and work with mentors to develop the full business plan. GSEC teams are required to submit a full business plan draft by January 19, 2010 and the final full business plan by February 16, 2010.

During GSEC Week, teams attend exclusive company visits, receive feedback on their presentation and pitch their business ideas to judges as they compete for prize money totaling up to US$17,000. SROI includes the social good of improved health and, in addition to the GSEC grand prize, two prizes in global health will be offered. Please refer to the GSEC global health plan guidelines for more information.

In the 2009 competition, 14 teams from around the world presented their business ideas to judges and the UW community where they competed for US$20,000 in prize money. The 2009 GSEC team members came from nine countries and 15 different academic institutions. Their double-bottom line business plans seeked to create commercially sustainable solutions to issues of poverty in the developing world. The 2009 business ideas included water sanitation in Nepal, solar ovens in Africa, networks for NGO donors, microfinance in Ghana, healthcare and biofuel programs in India, education in Rwanda, and pedal-powered phones in Nicaragua.

Rewarding Social Entrepreneurship

Today, March 10, 2009, The Seattle Times published an editorial about the 2009 Global Social Entrepreneurship Competition (GSEC) organized by the University of Washington Michael G. Foster School of Business' Global Business Center. This blog post follows from my entry detailing my experience serving as a GSEC judge (see Supporting Social Entrepreneurs).

"UW Global Business Center rewards social entrepreneurship," an editorial by The Seattle Times:

A BUSINESS plan to sell meals for less than 10 cents each to the poor of Mumbai, the city shown in the Oscar-winning movie "Slumdog Millionaire" — that's worth a prize.

University of Washington's Foster School of Business has awarded a prize for just such a plan at a ceremony in Seattle last week. It was $10,000, donated by Microsoft.

The winners, four students from the Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies in India, designed an 800-calorie, ready-to-eat meal using rice, lentils, unrefined sugar and vegetables, including vegetable peels that food processors have been throwing away. The meal could be sold profitably for 5 rupees — 9.6 U.S. cents — a lifesaving bargain.

Another prizewinning plan aimed to defeat counterfeit pharmaceuticals — some of them worthless and even dangerous — through the use of code numbers on sealed pill bottles, cellphone texting and a central computer registry. The team, from Princeton University and Ghana, West Africa, calculated that the labels and verification service would cost 6 cents per bottle of pills — an investment in counterfeit suppression that would pay handsomely for the producers of legitimate drugs.

These and other business plans are examples of social entrepreneurship — business with a social goal. We salute the winners and the Foster School's Global Business Center for holding the annual competition, which has the potential of doing so much good.

Supporting Social Entrepreneurs

On February 27, 2009, I had the honor of serving as a judge at the Fifth Annual Global Social Entrepreneurship Competition (GSEC) is organized by the University of Washington’s (UW) Global Business Center at the Michael G. Foster School of Business, with the support of Microsoft (GSEC Grand Prize sponsor) and the UW Department of Global Health (Global Health Prizes sponsor). (Everyone involved is very appreciative of all GSEC 2009 contributors.) The "GSEC unites the business, non-profit and academic sectors in learning about and supporting innovative and financially feasible solutions to global poverty."

14 teams from around the world presented their business ideas to judges and the UW community where they competed for $20,000 in prize money. The 2009 GSEC team members came from 9 countries and 15 different academic institutions. Their double-bottom line business plans seek to create commercially sustainable solutions to issues of poverty in the developing world. The 2009 business ideas include water sanitation in Nepal, solar ovens in Africa, networks for NGO donors, microfinance in Ghana, healthcare and biofuel programs in India, education in Rwanda, and pedal-powered phones in Nicaragua.

GSEC plans must clearly demonstrate the Social Return on Investment (SROI) in addition to the financial return on investment. In addition, GSEC plans must be for a low or lower-middle income country and the plans are evaluated on three criteria:

1. Effect on the quality of life and poverty alleviation in the developing world;
2. Financial sustainability; and
3. Feasibility of implementation

GSEC plans may cover a broad range of subjects such as healthcare, education, the environment, energy, information and communication technology, social services, agriculture, and manufacturing, and plans may be entirely private or a public-private partnership.
For the preliminary round, judges were assigned to evaluate a number of grouped teams. My group judged the following entrants:

• Youth Education Farms for Swaziland (University of British Columbia; Face of Today Foundation, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) is a project that will develop farm land near schools in rural areas. Local students will work alongside full-time farm employees on a part-time basis throughout their elementary to high school tenure. Profits from the sales of farm produce will be used to fund the students' tuition fees and fund university tuition or local business initiatives created by the students. The plan's vision is to provide an environment for the sustainable development of idle orphans and communities in rural Swaziland through farming, while funding their future education and endeavors;
• Aahar: Meals for Poor at 10 Cents (Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies University, Mumbai, India) whose mission is to provide full nutritious meals to slum dwellers at 10 cents in a ready-to-eat packet consisting of rice, pulses, and vegetable peels. Each of these packets provide 800 calories. In addition, this business will empower local women by hiring them to compile these packets while providing a higher wage rate and food packets for their family at no cost;
• SolarCycle (Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA), whose mission is to respond to the need for alternative cooking technologies in Africa by manufacturing and distributing, at cost, simple and sustainable solar ovens made from locally available waste materials. A variety of solar ovens are already in use in a patchwork of locations across Africa; however, these ovens are too expensive and their distribution too localized to address the massive scope of the energy problem in rural Africa. Their ovens contain two principal innovations, one structural and one material, that will allow Solar Oven Systems to provide a sustainable and scalable solution to this challenge; and
• Bright Credit Bright Credit (University of Washington, Seattle, USA) is a Seattle-based non-profit organization that offers secondary education loans to the children of micro-finance beneficiaries in Ghana. Their mission is to leverage the microfinance industry to instill the value of secondary education to loan beneficiaries and their families. By utilizing advanced social networking tools, Bright Credit connects members of the developed world directly to Ghanaian children in need of funding for their education.

The five teams who emerged from the preliminary round and competed in the final round were Youth Education Farms for Swaziland, Text for Health, Aahar: Meals for Poor at 10 Cents, MiNGO, and SolarCycle. Here are the 2009 winners:

• GSEC Grand Prize ($10,000): Aahar: Meals for Poor at 10 Cents;
• GSEC Global Health Grand Prize ($5,000): SolarCycle;
• GSEC Global Health Second Prize ($2,500): WAPGrid; and
• GSEC Investor’s Choice Award ($2,500): WAPGrid.

This was my first experience participating in the University of Washington Global Social Entrepreneurship Competition. I found the experience very rewarding, personally and professionally. I enjoyed the experience of meeting my fellow judges who hold a myriad of experiences in sustainable global development. In addition, I greatly enjoyed interacting with many of the team members (social entrepreneurs) who have a vision to make a measured and sustainable difference in the world. I look forward to participating in future GSEC events.