Fostering Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Leadership in Silicon Valley and Throughout the World

Many people have asked about my latest venture, Silicon Valley Forum. In explaining why I decided to launch a nonprofit organization, let me start my reply by providing some background information. During my time residing in Seattle, Wash., I served as a volunteer with various professional organizations that provided me with the opportunity to connect with others who shared a mutual interest in international business. With the tech sector having a prominent presence in the Pacific Northwest's economy, many of my volunteer activities focused on learning from people leading some of the world's most innovative companies.

Immediately after relocating to the San Francisco Bay Area in 2020, I started exploring local organizations where I could find a level of engagement similar to what I experienced in Seattle. The Silicon Valley Forum (SVF), a nonprofit organization whose mission is to connect people and organizations from around the world to the knowledge and networks of Silicon Valley, was among the organizations with a mission that aligned with my professional and personal interests.

In 2021, I learned about an event the SVF was organizing in Sunnyvale, Calif., which featured startup founders visiting from Austria. (I published a post about this event on this Forum.) This was a type of program that I had supported during my time in Seattle and was excited by the prospect of engaging with the nonprofit organization in my new home in northern California. My excitement, however, was tempered when I read a LinkedIn post noting SVF was ceasing operations. This came as a surprise since the organization had a history going back to 1992 and produced hundreds of events.

Silicon Valley Forum's Storied History

The Articles of Incorporation of The Center for Software Development were filed with the Office of the California Secretary of State on June 9, 1992 (File No. 1822829). Over the course of several years, the organization went through a merger and two name changes. As SVForum, the organization filed an Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation in 2012 listing the following purposes:

1. Engage the technology community by providing education and access to resources, creating connections and community, and facilitating the exchange of unbiased knowledge, insights, and best practices;
2. Conduct educational seminars and programs on subjects of interest to the technology community;
3. Undertake the creation, implementation, operation and maintenance of such other activities, programs, and facilities which are reasonably anticipated to assist in, or otherwise promote the development of the technology community; and
4. Do any acts which are necessary, proper, useful, incidental, or advantageous to the foregoing process.

After another renaming to Silicon Valley Forum in 2015, a Nonprofit Certificate of Dissolution was filed in 2020, effectively ending the organization's 28 years of operations.

The "New" Silicon Valley Forum

Still searching for an nonprofit organization in the Bay Area to engage with, I regularly thought about the aforementioned purposes of the now dissolved Silicon Valley Forum. Perhaps there was an opportunity to launch my own organization with a unique identity but building on the foundation of the previous organization. After performing some research with the Office of the California Secretary of State, I could not find evidence that "Silicon Valley Forum" was a name for an active corporation. I also inquired with the County Clerk-Recorder of each of the nine counties within the Bay Area as to "SVF" or "SVForum" being registered as a fictious business names (also known as doing business as). No results were found.

On March 15, 2024, I filed the Articles of Incorporation of Silicon Valley Forum, a Nonprofit Public Benefit Corporation, with the Office of the California Secretary of State (File No. 6145131). The incorporation document list the same four purposes outlined in the previous organization's 2012 filing. A Fictitious Business Name Statement was filed with the County Clerk-Recorder of Santa Clara County registering "SVF" and "SVForum" as fictitious business names. I also filed an Application for Employer Identification Number with the Internal Revenue Service, which issued an EIN (36-510146) that is unique from the previous organization, as well as the required form to be recognized as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, which was approved on May 31, 2024.

With Patricia Berdejo serving as Chief Executive Officer and myself as Board Chair, the mission of the "new" Silicon Valley Forum is to foster innovation, entrepreneurship and leadership in Silicon Valley and throughout the world. Through events, programs, and conferences, the relaunched Silicon Valley Forum functions as a center of knowledge and connections, covering everything from the latest tech trends to the startup and investment ecosystem. Building on 32 years of history, our organization is focused on educating, training, inspiring, and connecting technologists, entrepreneurs, corporates, and investors through high-impact events, programs and conferences.

We launched our website at SiliconValley.Forum (with much appreciation to Bloqs for donating their web hosting and development services). We also regularly post valuable and relevant information about the global tech sector on our LinkedIn page.

Our programs include the Silicon Valley Forum Fireside Chat series, Silicon Valley Forum Diplomat Series, and Silicon Valley Forum Executive Speaker Series. These events are held in-person and online. Our organization is also supporting environmental stewardship events as a way of giving back to our community.

We are planning to hold workshops focused on presenting best practices to startup founders on how to build a strong foundation to maximize success and minimize risk. Lessons will include delivering solid pitches to prospective investors, implementing effective sales and marketing strategies, and leadership development. These events will take place not only in the Silicon Valley, but in locations throughout the United States including Seattle, Denver, Washington, DC, St. Louis, Orlando, Miami, and New York City. Silicon Valley Forum's programs will also be held in countries outside the United States.

We will hold our "State of the Global Tech Sector Luncheon" in the Bay Area in December 2025, which will provide attendees the opportunity to hear from industry leaders who will share their insights about which trends will impact the global tech sector in 2026 and beyond. The intention is to hold this event on an annual basis.

I am proud that the "new" Silicon Valley Forum will leverage the history of the previous organization with a renewed mission. To produce our programs, as a nonprofit organization, we will require support from the public (and we thank you for your support).

You are invited to visit our website, follow us on LinkedIn, and engage with us on how you can support our mission of fostering innovation, entrepreneurship and leadership in Silicon Valley and throughout the world. We look forward to hearing from you.

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.

KOTRA Silicon Valley Forum Presents Benefits and Risks of the Metaverse

Under the theme of "The Metaverse is Yours," the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) in Silicon Valley, a non-profit agency operated by the South Korean government that serves as one of the 127 overseas KOTRA branches worldwide, held its annual convention, K-Global @ Silicon Valley 2022, from Nov. 7th-8th in Santa Clara, Calif. The event started with an information and communications technology (ICT) forum focused on innovation which included discussions about the metaverse and its four key aspects of content, platforms, networks, and devices. After welcoming remarks from Korean dignitaries, the event featured the following keynote speakers:

• Shilpa Kolhatkar, who serves as Global Head of AI Nations Business Development at NVIDIA, talked about how the metaverse is the next evolution of the internet, the home to connected virtual worlds and digital twins, and a place for real work as well as play. She said NVIDIA's platforms provide enterprises the ability to develop physically accurate, artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled, virtual simulations that are synchronized with the real world. Ms. Kolhatkar also noted that digital twins are transforming industries and scientific discovery, as well as enabling developers, researchers, and enterprises who use them to design, simulate, and optimize products, equipment, and processes in real-time, before ever going to production.
• Heesuk "Ricky" Kang, Head of Business at Naver Z, discussed how his company's ZEPETO Studio platform features 68 million Studio items sales created by over 2.3 million creators to 300 million users worldwide. Mr. Kang said ZEPETO, which is the fastest growing avatar platform in Asia, is popular among Gen Zs who express themselves while meeting, collaborating, and creating with others.
• Jason Mayes, Head of Business, Lead Web ML & AL Developer Advocate at Google, focused his presentation on TensorFlow.js, a library for machine learning (ML) in JavaScript. He explained how TensorFlow makes it easy for beginners and experts to create machine learning models for desktop, mobile, web, and cloud. Mr. Mayes added that data can be the most important factor in the success of a user's ML endeavors and TensorFlow offers multiple data tools to help consolidate, clean and preprocess data at scale. I appreciate his assertion that TensorFlow empowers "machine learning for everyone."

The next segment of the ICT Forum focused on a panel discussion. Shawn Flynn, Principal of Global Capital Markets and host of "The Silicon Valley Podcast," moderated an insightful discussion featuring Pouneh Kaufman, Group Project Manager at Microsoft, Ray Wu, Managing Partner at Alumni Ventures, and Sean Jun, Product Manager at XL8. Key points from the moderated session included:

• The metaverse is an evolution, not a revolution. And it is one that businesses should not ignore.
• The metaverse may profoundly change how businesses and consumers interact with products, services and each other (i.e., enriching the customer experience and introducing virtual products).
• The metaverse will help support sustainability efforts by saving both time and resources used to travel to attend meetings, lectures, and social gatherings (I expect the use of the metaverse will help companies achieve their environment, social, and governance goals).
• The metaverse allows the ability to collect new data on customers.
• The metaverse will have profound benefits in various sectors including education, healthcare, and e-commerce.

Image Credit: KOTRA Silicon Valley

The panel, however, presented a number of risks associated with the metaverse which will require new strategies and methods to build trust. What is more, as with Web 2.0 (the current internet), users of Web 3.0 will need to contend with cyberbullying and harassment issues, as well as identity theft, unauthorized data collection by corporations, and cybersecurity threats from malicious actors.

Lastly, the event featured an expo featuring metaverse and AI-related small- and medium-sized enterprises from Korea that showcased their products, services, and technology. While you can view a listing containing all of the exhibiting companies here, below are a few that I found of particular interest: 

• Corevalue Ltd. is developing a service that can help everyone manage their health conveniently and easily. Accordingly, a smart camera and telehealth app were developed and the Dr. Clobo brand was launched in August 2020. Its healthcare camera can take detailed pictures of the mouth, ears and nose, and based on this, non-face-to-face medical consultation and health management.
• Grebt developed a bloodless-based diabetes measurement sensor and diabetes measurement device that eliminates the fear of blood sampling and the pain of blood collection. Its urine glucose meter measures the concentration of glucose in urine and reacts blood glucose in urine. It consists of a strip, a disposable consumable that generates an electrochemical signal.
• NdotLight is the developer of NdotCAD, a 3D/AR/VR content design tool which allows any users including non-professionals to express and share their imagination in 3D with ease. The company has lowered the hurdle for 3D content creation by making intricate 3D design process easy with increased usability while maximizing output quality by applying advanced technologies. With their 3D engine, they serve enterprise clients also by providing customizable solution to meet any B2B needs.

As we transition into the post-pandemic era, the K-Global @ Silicon Valley event provided a good opportunity to explore the future of the metaverse, AI, and other ICTs. What benefits and risks do you think the metaverse will bring to consumers and businesses alike?

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.

Southeast Asia's Digital Economy Could Reach $1T GMV by 2030

Southeast Asia's (SEA) top digital economies grew faster than expected in 2022 and are set to reach $200 billion in total value of transactions made this year, according to a report by Google, Temasek and Bain & Company. And in the face of economic headwinds, the future looks bright for SEA as the report says investors remain confident in SEA's long-term prospects and the opportunities they bring in up-and-coming countries and sectors.

Among the ten countries that are members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which serves as a political and economic union of member states promoting intergovernmental cooperation and facilitates economic, political, security, military, educational, and sociocultural integration between its members and countries in the Asia-Pacific, the report focuses on ASEAN's six largest members: Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. The report's key findings include:

• Navigating macroeconomic headwinds: Just as countries in SEA embarked on a return to pre-pandemic normality, global headwinds started to blow, threatening to derail a full economic recovery. Rising interest rates and high inflationary pressure have also been impacting consumer demand, particularly the discretionary sectors that sit at the core of the digital economy.
• Approaching $200B in rough seas: Despite these macroeconomic headwinds, SEA's digital economy remains on course to reach ~$200B in gross merchandise value (GMV) in 2022. In fact, it is reaching this threshold three years earlier than expected in the e-Conomy SEA 2016 report. Digital adoption continues to rise even today, albeit at a slower pace than the steep acceleration seen at the height of the pandemic.
• Urban consumers still drive the economy: Across urban areas, affluent consumers and their young digital native counterparts continue to represent the largest portion of the digital economy. For these two segments, the opportunity for growth lies in deeper engagement, including more frequent and valuable orders, subscriptions, or cross-selling services such as consumer lending. Meanwhile, adoption and spend by urban consumers 'on a budget' and suburban consumers remain lower, leaving digital players to figure out more economically sustainable ways to serve them.
• Sectors encounter different growth trends: SEA's digital economy sectors are following three distinct trendlines. E-commerce follows an S-shaped growth curve, in which it continues on its growth trajectory, but from a higher starting point after the steep acceleration during the pandemic. Others, such as food delivery and online media, are returning to their trendlines after a two-year spike. And lastly, travel and transport are moving along a U-shaped recovery, with pre-pandemic levels still some miles away.
• Favorable conditions uplift financial services. The adoption and usage of digital financial services (DFS) have flourished across the board, propelled by a shift from offline to online and the positive financial market conditions of the last few years. With rising interest rates and a riskier lending environment, however, fintech players, platforms, and newly launched digibanks will see their business models stress-tested. Meanwhile, banks and insurance companies are rapidly digitalizing their services and maintaining a stronghold on affluent consumers.
• Prudence clouds tech investments. Tech investments in SEA remain robust this year. However, the funding landscape tells a tale of two ends: early-stage deals are continuing with strong momentum, while late-stage deals are seeing more pronounced dips and a pause in IPOs. Meanwhile, DFS has overtaken e-commerce in investment volume. Investors will be cautious in the short-term as most do not expect a return to 2021 deal activity and valuation peaks in the next couple of years. Nonetheless, most investors remain bullish in SEA's medium- to long-term potential, and have $15B dry powder on hand. The report notes that increasing interest in emerging markets, like the Philippines and Vietnam, and in nascent sectors, like SaaS and Web3.
• Towards a sustainable digital economy. The SEA digital economy is expected to produce 20MT of emissions by 2030—significant, albeit an order of magnitude lower than other environmental impact-intensive sectors. Digital players have been rolling out reducing and recycling initiatives, but more can be done to further lower impact by up to 30-40% over time. In the meantime, platforms can play a positive role in raising awareness among SEA consumers, and move towards closing the prevailing ‘say-do’ gap.
• Economic contribution meets social concerns. On the social front, the digital economy has created 160K high-skilled jobs and indirectly supports nearly 30M jobs, while platforms have enabled over 20M merchants and 6M restaurants to grow their businesses online. Concerns exist, nonetheless, around the welfare of worker-partners, necessitating dialogue between institutions and platforms.
• Charting the course for the digital decade. SEA's 'digital decade' has just begun. The course to exceed $300B by 2025 depends on the shape of recovery amid today's uncertainties, while the path to a $600B-1T digital economy in 2030 remains geared on SEA's economic fundamentals. A growing emphasis on sustainable growth means profits may become as relevant as GMV when it comes to measuring progress.

Existing enablers like payments and logistics have come into place, but the talent challenge is now shifting from quantity to quality. New enablers, like digital inclusion of consumers ‘on a budget’ and suburbanites, are key to unlocking SEA's full potential. Progress has been limited, however, with institutional support potentially the missing link to bridging the divide. All in all, SEA's digital economy is grounded on strong social and economic fundamentals, and offline to online trends, which provides much to be optimistic about especially as the region settles into its digital decade.'

Over the past 20 years, I have observed Southeast Asia's impressive economic rise. When my clients supporting the digital economy ask which global markets should they consider for corporate expansion, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam are almost always at the top of my list. Despite economic headwinds, I remain optimistic about the sustainable development of the region's digital economy which could reach $1 trillion GMV by 2033 provided such growth is pursued in a sustainable way.

What are your thoughts about SEA's future economic outlook?

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.

Korean Companies Demonstrate Their Innovative Tech Solutions at TechCrunch Disrupt 2022

TechCrunch Disrupt resumed its in-person event in San Francisco from Oct. 18th-20th, 2022. The conference's purpose is to bring together the global startup community to discover insights, collaborate, and celebrate achievements that have defined each founder's journey and for those yet to come in the future. At the invitation of the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), a state-funded trade and investment promotion agency operated by the South Korean government, I had the opportunity to visit the conference's Korea Pavilion and meet with startup founders and their colleagues. Among the 20 great companies that demonstrated their innovative products and services at the pavilion, which was co-hosted by the Korea International Trade Research Institute (KITRI), there are a few are worth mentioning based on my professional and personal interests (the program book containing a description of all 20 companies may be viewed here).

Cochl created an artificial intelligence (AI) platform specializing in ambient sound recognition. Use cases include public safety (faster response to shooting incidents, vandalism detection for buildings, and violence prevention by scream/yell monitoring), traffic monitoring (automatic car accident report and illegal car honking noise monitoring), and autonomous driving (ambulance and police car siren detection for giving right-of-way action and car window break monitoring). Another valuable use case is in the defense sector by using smart glasses with gunshot analysis, submarine and torpedo type analysis, and surrounding environment monitoring with unmanned ground vehicles.

Dabeeo provides global geospatial information based on AI/ML (machine learning) technology by reading and interpreting the earth to help customers build or modify digital maps. Its STUDIO for maps is a SaaS platform that makes creating, editing, and managing map data convenient and intuitive to use. This website provides several examples of how retailers, showrooms, factories, stadiums, and exhibition centers are using the cloud-based platform.

TheWaveTalk developed a technology that uses laser multi-scattering and deep learning to measure foreign substances in water with great precision. Through the technology, they developed a home water quality meter called the WaTalk, which scatters light inside the water using a laser and analyzes small signals of fine particles such as bacteria, virus, organic pollutants, and microplastics to determine the degree of contamination. The company says its product is 20-50 times cheaper than professional measuring equipment.

Image: Willog

Willog is simplifying the complex cold chain industry. (A cold chain is a low temperature-controlled supply chain network.) The company's patent-based monitoring device collects various data during the entire logistics process, and displays it on a QR code. Willog's data monitoring device, the One Time QR (OTQ), which can be placed on vehicles, shipping containers or pallets, allows instant confirmation of temperature records by scanning the QR code with a smartphone camera and does not require other training or equipment. Effective field operation response is possible without extra time or procedures spent between the driver and the personnel to check the temperature. Where the device cannot be physically retrieved, Willog's OTQ-N uses near-field communication (NFC) to facilitate logistics monitoring within a flexible environment.

While KOTRA provides a useful service in the promotion of trade and investment with 128 Korea Business Centers located in 84 countries, the agency also facilitates global people-to-people exchange and technological exchange. I appreciate having the opportunity to meet with ambitious startup leaders who are building companies that improve the way we live, work, and play.

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.

Global Innovation Index 2020 Focuses on Who Will Finance Innovation

According to the 13th edition of the Global Innovation Index (GII), "As long as innovation has existed, a central challenge facing innovators worldwide is the mobilization of stable and accessible financing mechanisms. Financing affects all stages of an innovation cycle, from ideation to commercialization, expansion, and, eventually, long-term business sustainability."

The Global Innovation Index 2020: Who Will Finance Innovation? is the result of a collaboration between Cornell University, INSEAD, and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) as co-publishers, and their Knowledge Partners including the Confederation of Indian Industry, Dassault Systèmes, The 3DEXPERIENCE Company, and the National Confederation of Industry Brazil.

The Global Innovation Index 2020 provides detailed metrics about the innovation performance of 131 countries and economies around the world. Its 80 indicators explore a broad vision of innovation, including political environment, education, infrastructure and business sophistication. The 2020 edition sheds light on the state of innovation financing by investigating the evolution of financing mechanisms for entrepreneurs and other innovators, and by pointing to progress and remaining challenges – including in the context of the economic slowdown induced by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crisis.

Below are the six key findings of the GII 2020:

1. The COVID-19 crisis will impact innovation—leaders need to act as they move from containment to recovery

"The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has triggered an unprecedented global economic shutdown," the report notes. "Now that global economic growth will fall deeply in 2020, the question becomes—will R&D, VC, IP, and the political determination to foster innovation also slump? As innovation is now central to corporate strategy and national economic growth strategies, there is hope ahead that innovation will not slump as deeply as foreshadowed."

2. Innovation finance declines in the current crisis, but there is hope too

"In the context of the GII 2020 theme 'Who Will Finance Innovation?', a key question is the impact of the current crisis on start-ups, VC, and other sources of innovation financing."

The report provide some home noting that in "key VC hot spots—Singapore, Israel, China, Hong Kong (China), Luxembourg, the United States of America (U.S.), India, and the United Kingdom (U.K.)—will continue to be magnets for VC. They are likely to bounce back quickly, in part due to the thirst for return on capital worldwide. Chinese VC deals, which halved earlier this year, are already rebounding strongly. Importantly, the direction of VC and innovation seems to have been redirected towards health, online education, big data, e-commerce, and robotics."

3. The global innovation landscape is shifting; China, Viet Nam, India, and the Philippines are consistently on the rise

"This year, the geography of innovation is continuing to shift, as evidenced by the GII rankings. Over the years, China, Viet Nam, India, and the Philippines are the economies with the most significant progress in their GII innovation ranking over time. All four are now in the top 50."

The report adds that "Switzerland, Sweden, and the U.S. lead the innovation rankings, followed by the U.K. and the Netherlands. This year marks the first time a second Asian economy—the Republic of Korea—cracks the top 10, next to Singapore."

What is more, "The top-performing economies in the GII are still almost exclusively from the high-income group. China is the only exception, ranking 14th for the 2nd time in a row and remaining the only middle-income economy in the GII top 30. Malaysia (33rd) is the second-most innovative middle-income economy. India (48th) and the Philippines (50th) make it to the top 50 for the first time. India now ranks 3rd among the lower middle-income group—a new milestone. The Philippines achieves its best rank ever—in 2014, it still ranked 100th. Viet Nam ranks 42nd for the second consecutive year—it ranked 71st in 2014. In the lower middle-income group, Indonesia (85th) joins the top 10.

"The United Republic of Tanzania tops the low-income group (88th)."

4. Stellar innovation performance found in developing economies

"Beyond GII top-level rankings, innovation performance reveals itself in a few other ways, highlighting that some top innovation performance takes place in emerging markets too."

The report "assesses which economies consistently hold the top global spots on particular GII innovation facets, such as VC, R&D, entrepreneurship, or high-tech production. Hong Kong (China) and the U.S. lead on this count; Israel, Luxembourg, and China tie for 3rd place; Cyprus ranks 4th; and Singapore, Denmark, Japan, and Switzerland tie for 5th place."

However, "Some top spots on selected innovation indicators are not held by high-income economies. In South East Asia, for example, Thailand is 1st in business R&D globally, and Malaysia is top in High-tech net exports globally. In Sub-Saharan Africa, Botswana ranks 1st in Education spending globally and Mozambique leads in Investment globally. In Latin America, Mexico is the largest creative goods exporter worldwide."

5. Regional divides persist, yet some economies harbor significant innovation potential

The report remarks that "Despite some innovation 'catch-up,' regional divides exist with respect to national innovation performance: Northern America and Europe lead, followed by South East Asia, East Asia and Oceania, and more distantly by Northern Africa and Western Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, Central and Southern Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa, respectively."

Moreover, "Latin America and the Caribbean continues to be a region with significant imbalances. The region is characterized by its low investments in R&D and innovation, its incipient use of IP systems, and a disconnect between the public and private sectors in the prioritization of R&D and innovation. With low innovation inputs, the region also struggles to translate these efficiently into outputs. Only Chile, Uruguay, and Brazil produce high levels of Scientific and technical articles, and only Brazil ranks high in Patents by origin."

With respect to the African continent, which the GII includes both Sub-Saharan Africa and Northern Africa, the continent "has one of the most heterogeneous innovation performances across continents. While some economies rank in the top 75 (e.g., South Africa, Tunisia, and Morocco), others rank much lower.

"Innovation systems in Africa are broadly characterized by having low levels of science and technology activities, high reliance on government or foreign donors as a source of R&D, limited science-industry linkages, low absorptive capacity of firms, limited use of IP, and a challenging business environment.

"But these are broad regional generalizations. Some economies within regions stand out because they harbor significant innovation potential.

"For example, the typical innovation leader in Africa usually has higher expenditure on education (Botswana, Tunisia) and R&D (South Africa, Kenya, Egypt), strong financial market indicators such as venture capital deals (South Africa), openness to technology adoption and inward knowledge flows, an improving research base (Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco), active use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) and organizational model creation (Kenya), as well as a stronger use of their IP systems (Tunisia and Morocco). Innovation is also more pervasive in Africa than what existing innovation data suggest."

6. Innovation is concentrated at the level of science and technology clusters in select high-income economies, plus mainly China

The report explains that "Divides also exist as to the ranking of the global science and technology (S&T) clusters. The top 100 clusters are located in 26 economies, of which 6—Brazil, China, India, Iran, Turkey, and the Russian Federation—are in middle-income economies. The U.S. continues to host the largest number of clusters (25), followed by China (17), Germany (10), and Japan (5).

Furthermore, "In 2020, Tokyo-Yokohama is the top-performing cluster again, followed by Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou, Seoul, Beijing, and San Jose-San Francisco."

Readers will appreciate how the GII 2020, for the first time, "presents the top 100 clusters ranked by their S&T intensity—that is, the sum of their patent and scientific publication shares divided by population. Through this fresh lens, many European and U.S. clusters show more intense S&T activity than their Asian counterparts. Cambridge and Oxford in the U.K. emerge as the most S&T-intensive clusters. These two clusters are followed by Eindhoven (the Netherlands) and San Jose-San Francisco (U.S.)."

My colleagues and I find reports like the GII useful in understanding how the world is changing and how that creates opportunities to be seized and risks to be managed. How does this report help you make strategic decisions for your business?

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.

Legacy Created by the 2020 Tokyo Olympics Will Launch 'Japan's Next Decade'

"Japan is back—and in the spotlight," proclaims the Economist Corporate Network (ECN) in a report entitled Japan's next decade: Opportunities for economy and society after the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. "Perceived as a laggard for decades, it is finally receiving attention, if not for staggering GDP growth, then as an example of how to deal with the population-related issues that many countries will face sooner or later."

Sponsored by Philip Morris Japan, the report notes that the "2020 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo are playing a central role in the narrative of Japan's revitalization. The direct economic benefits of this iconic event are forecast to range from ¥30trn (US$282bn) to ¥32trn or around 0.6% of real GDP. The Olympic Games are also viewed by business executives as a great opportunity to boost morale and visibility, to 'catapult the host city into the premier league of cities,'" according to a report that looks into the economic impact of the Olympics.

Moreover, "The cumulative effect of the Olympics brings more important results than simply faster GDP growth. Olympic euphoria has developed into a new national idea, driving the country and its economy forward. 'The Olympics will be a great catalyst, showcasing all of the great things about Japan and Japanese society. There will be a huge positive effect from an incoming tourism point of view, but there is also domestic excitement, that will be created as well,' says Randall G. Wada, CEO of JLT Holdings Japan."

The report encouragingly explains that "this positive trend does not have to stop when the lights go off after the closing ceremony. The legacy created by the Olympics should be enough for the country to start building what we call Japan's next decade" as opposed to the 'lost decades' of economic stagnation in the 1990s and 2000s.

There are challenges, however, such as a rapidly aging population that may adversely impact Japan's next decade. "The statistics are well known: by 2030, more than 30% of Japan’s population—nearly every third person—will be over 65. This is unprecedented in world history. The Japanese government and people are concerned as to whether their society is sustainable with such a demographic structure."

What is more, "The Economist’s Glass Ceiling Index consistently ranks Japan as one of the worst environments for working women among OECD countries." In a chapter on driving growth through diversity and inclusion, the report says "improving conditions for working women and promoting 'total diversity' are crucial for Japan's next decade and beyond. The economic potential is huge, and the socio-demographic implications could benefit society as a whole."

Based on desk research and consultation with experts in Tokyo, the report's key findings include:

• By 2030, more than 30% of Japan's population—nearly every third person—will be over 65, but the rate of aging peaked in the mid-2010s and is now beginning to plateau.
• An aging population presents a market opportunity for companies that can recognize the needs of potential new customers, especially in the technology sector and IT and software industry.
• The number of employees in Japan who are over 65 rose from 5.7m to 8.7m in 2008-18 and their share in workforce will amount to around 20% by 2030.
• Up to 80% of Japanese companies in hospitality, nursing and transportation experience severe lack of workers. However, due to the decline in population, Japan finds itself in the unique position where the labor shortage presents a chance for the development of new automating technologies, without the risk of creating huge unemployment.
• Eliminating the gender employment gap and promoting women to full-time positions can bring Japan a 15% increase in GDP.
• Added value driven by the 4th Industrial Revolution in Japan can be as high as ¥30trn—in terms of economic impact, essentially another Olympics.
• The manufacturing sector in Japan has a very high level of automation potential—at 71%, it is 11% higher than that of the US. By 2025, with the use of the internet of things (IoT) and automating technologies, industries such as construction can improve productivity by 20% and manufacturing productivity can grow by up to 2% per year.
• Japan is lagging in the adoption of digital technologies, but there are still considerable achievements in innovation in Japan, particularly in manufacturing sector.
• The number of international tourists in Japan increased more than six-fold in 2011-18, making Japan one of the top countries in the hospitality industry globally in just a few years.
• The size of Japan’s domestic tourism market still dwarfs the inbound at ¥20.5trn compared with ¥4.52trn. The government is aiming to increase annual revenue from international travelers to ¥15trn by 2030.
• If put together, the opportunities around the silver market, increased productivity, inbound tourism and diversity promotion could bring the national economy to a much larger size than the government's current target of ¥600trn.

Source: ECN

The report concludes that "[d]espite serious challenges, Japan has immense potential for the future. If put together, the opportunities around the silver market, increased productivity and diversity promotion could bring the national economy to a much larger size than the government's current target of ¥600trn. This would require more than new programs by the Cabinet Office new strategies by business, however; a shift in perspective and change of mindset are needed to see the risks as opportunities to be realized by society as a whole."

Is your business planning to establish or expand its operations in Japan in the next decade?

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.

The Mobile Industry Plays an Increasingly Important Role in Accelerating Social Progress in West Africa

West Africa's mobile ecosystem generated more than $50 billion in economic value last year – equivalent to 8.7 percent of the region's GDP, according to a GSMA study. Authored by GSMA Intelligence, the research arm of the GSMA, The Mobile Economy, West Africa 2019 further finds that rising mobile phone ownership and the ongoing migration to mobile broadband networks and services across the region will see the mobile ecosystem's economic contribution continue to increase over the coming years, forecast to reach almost $70 billion (9.5 percent of GDP) by 2023.

Available in both English and Français, the report reveals that:

• The number of unique mobile subscribers across West Africa reached 185 million at the end of 2018, equivalent to 48 percent of the region's population. This number is forecast to rise to 248 million by 2025, 54 percent of the population;
• Future subscriber growth will largely be driven by young consumers owning a mobile phone for the first time; more than 40 percent of the region's population are under 18 years old, according to the report;
• 3G will overtake 2G to become the leading mobile technology in West Africa this year, supporting about half of the region's mobile connections. 4G momentum is also building: ten new 4G networks have recently launched in West Africa, including the first ever 4G networks in Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone and Togo;
• Local mobile operators are increasing investment in their networks and are expected to spend $8.5 billion (capex) on network infrastructure and services over the next two years (2019/2020);
• West Africa's mobile ecosystem directly employs around 200,000 people, supports 800,000 jobs in the informal employment sector, and a further 600,000 jobs across the wider economy; and
• Mobile is the primary platform for accessing the internet in West Africa; at the end of 2018, there were around 100 million mobile internet users in the region, up almost 20 million year-on-year.

On the topic of mobile contribution to social progress, the report says "[t]he mobile industry plays an increasingly important role in accelerating social progress in West Africa. With a sizeable proportion of the sub-region's population excluded from many services, mobile-enabled digital platforms provide a vital opportunity to deliver solutions that can improve the livelihood of the most vulnerable people in the society and foster greater socioeconomic inclusion. Across West Africa, the activities of mobile operators and other ecosystem players are enhancing digital and financial inclusion, driving innovation and supporting efforts to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)."

Eleven years remain until the 2030 deadline to achieve the SGDs. The report notes: "Countries in the sub-region face an uphill task to attain these goals, mainly due to acute resource and infrastructure gaps. The mobile industry is, however, well positioned to support governments, the development community and other stakeholders in efforts to accelerate progress on key SDG targets. This is achieved in three main ways:

• Deployment of infrastructure and networks: The mobile industry drives impact through the provision of – and investment in – high-performing mobile networks, which provide the foundations for the digital economy and act as a catalyst for a diverse and innovative range of services.
• Access and connectivity: Mobile operators are continuing to connect the unconnected, with 30 million new mobile subscribers and 50 million new mobile internet subscribers across West Africa since 2015.
• Enabling services and relevant content: Mobile connectivity continues to transform the lives of millions of people across West Africa, by enabling the delivery of life-enhancing services, including education, health and financial inclusion. This is especially significant given the challenge of providing the services by conventional means amid considerable infrastructure and funding gaps."

The report encouragingly explains that "[t]he tech start-up ecosystem in West Africa is growing rapidly, with the emergence of a new generation of tech entrepreneurs and increasing funding from private investors. Tech innovators increasingly use mobile platforms, such as connectivity, mobile money and cellular IoT, to create and distribute innovative solutions that address a wide range of local challenges. This is helping bridge the digital content gap through the development of homegrown content and services with direct relevance to local consumers."

Infographic: GSMA Intelligence

What localized content or services do you think will provide value to West Africa's mobile ecosystem?

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.

A Tech-Driven Transformation in Africa is Making People Healthier, Wealthier, and Better Educated

Since my first trip to the African continent in the 1990s, I have appreciated the correlation between advances in technology and the rise of socioeconomic development. From obtaining a drove of information from the world wide web through a desktop computer using a dial-up modem to transferring cash through a service optimized for mobile phones, it is amazing to witness such transformations in the lives of those whom live in developing countries. Therefore, I read with great interest a special report entitled "Technology in Africa" in the Nov. 11, 2017 issue of The Economist.

The report's leading article, "The leapfrog model: What technology can do for Africa," notes that across "sub-Saharan Africa, countries are on the cusp of a tech-driven transformation that is already beginning to make people healthier, wealthier and better educated at a pace that only recently seemed unimaginable."

Providing some historical context of technological advances in Africa, the article explains:

The first taste of these new possibilities came when mobile phones swarmed across the continent a decade ago. Within just a few short years hundreds of millions of people were able to phone and text for the first time, bypassing monopolistic state-owned phone companies that kept customers waiting for landlines indefinitely. And leapfrogging over old technologies and business models with mobile phones quickly made other sorts of leaps possible. Thanks to M-Pesa, a service that lets people send money through their phones, everyone with a phone suddenly also had, in effect, a bank account in their pocket. As mobile money has lowered transaction costs, it has brought down barriers to innovation in all sorts of other areas, allowing lenders quickly to assess credit risks, insurers to sell life and medical cover in small chunks and new energy firms to sell electricity by the day or week.

What is more, "Some of these innovations are emerging from the thriving tech hubs that are popping up across Africa, but most of the technology transforming the continent comes from elsewhere. The $50 smartphones on which apps connect motorcycle taxis and customers in Rwanda are Chinese, for instance. However, these technologies are often being combined in new ways to solve uniquely African problems. If you want to book a truck to move your cow, or get an ambulance to go to hospital, you will probably turn to an African startup."

The article importantly mentions that "much of the money going into African technology comes not from philanthropists but from hard-nosed investors looking for attractive returns. In 2016 African tech firms raised a record $367m. Although paltry by the standards of Silicon Valley, this is helping to stimulate the setting up of firms such as Flutterwave, a Nigerian payments company, and Zipline, which uses drones to deliver blood to clinics in Rwanda."

Not all of the news, however, is so optimistic:

Technology is advancing far more slowly in Africa than it is in the rich world, so the gap has been widening in recent years. "The poverty gap is a technology gap," says Kwabena Frimpong Boateng, Ghana's science and technology minister. It is also a knowledge and education gap. Three-quarters of children in their third year of schooling in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania are unable to explain the meaning of the sentence "The name of the dog is Puppy" after reading it aloud. If the education system cannot prepare youngsters for jobs in a tech economy, Africa risks falling even further behind.

The do it yourself method of learning, which I have witnessed all so well during my travels to Africa, continues to thrive. The article explains that "given an opportunity to grasp that technology, many in Africa do so with both hands. In a tech hub in Lagos, Nigeria, enthusiastic youngsters tap away on laptop computers, practicing coding skills that many have picked up through online portals such as Udacity or by watching YouTube videos." Furthermore, "Jean-Claude Bastos, who sponsors an annual innovation prize in Africa as well as a tech hub in the slums of Luanda, Angola, recalls how alarmed he was when he first put a 3D printer into the center, only to find that the youngsters there immediately dismantled it. 'They took it apart, then put it back together, then did it again. Now if anything in it breaks they rebuild it on intuition, like it is a motorbike or car,' he says."

Lastly, the report says,

A cluster of new technologies promise to have a huge impact on Africa, not least because they can help solve some of Africa's biggest and longest-standing problems. These include weak state-run education systems, a high burden of disease, broken infrastructure and low productivity on farms and in factories. What made mobile phones so much more important in Africa than in the rich world was that for hundreds of millions of people they were the first and only form of telecommunication available. Equally, if a vaccine is developed for malaria, it will make little difference in the rich world but could save millions of lives in Africa. 'Investments in health R&D for HIV, tuberculosis, malaria and other diseases will be a massive boon for poor countries where the disease burden is highest,' says Bill Gates, whose foundation funds some of this research. 'The same is true for innovations like better seeds that enable poor farmers to increase crop yields.'

The Economist's special report is presented through the following articles:

• "Good night, gloom: Africa might leapfrog straight to cheap renewable electricity and minigrids"
• "The right connections: Beefing up mobile-phone and internet penetration in Africa"
• "Yes, we have no bananas: How technology can cure market failures in Africa"
• "Someone to watch over them: Electronic surveillance may save the rhino"
• "Doing more with less: Technology can make scarce medical resources go further"
• "Robots in the rainforest: Technology may help compensate for Africa's lack of manufacturing"
• "Four legs good, four wheels better: The sharing economy, African style"
• "Light in the tunnel: Technology cannot solve all of Africa's problems, but it can help with many"

How do you think technology will transform the lives of people living in Africa?

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.

Artificial Intelligence is the Epicenter of Web 3.0

A friend recently noted that the current version of internet, which is often referred as Web 2.0, has matured. Such maturity has led to a stagnation in the production of innovative products and services by startups and large corporations alike. Following his observation, which I happen to agree with, he asked, "What is next for the internet?"

In an article published by the New York Times in 2006, John Markoff wrote, "From the billions of documents that form the World Wide Web and the links that weave them together, computer scientists and a growing collection of start-up companies are finding new ways to mine human intelligence."

The goal of the computer scientists, says Mr. Markoff, "is to add a layer of meaning on top of the existing Web that would make it less of a catalog and more of a guide — and even provide the foundation for systems that can reason in a human fashion. That level of artificial intelligence, with machines doing the thinking instead of simply following commands, has eluded researchers for more than half a century."

"Referred to as Web 3.0," notes Mr. Markoff, "the effort is in its infancy, and the very idea has given rise to skeptics who have called it an unobtainable vision. But the underlying technologies are rapidly gaining adherents, at big companies like I.B.M. and Google as well as small ones. Their projects often center on simple, practical uses, from producing vacation recommendations to predicting the next hit song."

11 years later, The Economist published an article about the race to dominate artificial intelligence (AI). "An exponential increase in the availability of digital data, the force of computing power and the brilliance of algorithms has fueled excitement about this formerly obscure corner of computer science," the article explains. "The West's largest tech firms, including Alphabet (Google's parent), Amazon, Apple, Facebook, IBM and Microsoft are investing huge sums to develop their AI capabilities, as are their counterparts in China. Although it is difficult to separate tech firms' investments in AI from other kinds, so far in 2017 companies globally have completed around $21.3bn in mergers and acquisitions related to AI, according to PitchBook, a data provider, or around 26 times more than in 2015."

I agree with the assertion that "over the next several years, large tech firms are going to go head-to-head in three ways. They will continue to compete for talent to help train their corporate 'brains'; they will try to apply machine learning to their existing businesses more effectively than rivals; and they will try to create new profit centers with the help of AI."

The Dec. 7, 2017 article continues to explain how AI will be used in machine learning, autonomous driving, augmented reality (AR).

In addition, the article importantly notes:

Artificial intelligence is also being applied in the corporate world. David Kenny, the boss of Watson, IBM’s AI platform, predicts that there will be "two AIs": companies that profit from offering AI-infused services to consumers and others which offer them to businesses. In practice, the two worlds meet because of the tech giants' cloud-computing arms. Providers are competing to use AI as a way to differentiate their offerings and lock in customers. The three largest—Amazon Web Services, Microsoft’s Azure and Google Cloud—offer application-programming interfaces (APIs) that provide machine-learning capabilities to other companies. Microsoft's cloud offering, Azure, for example, helped Uber build a verification tool that asks drivers to take a selfie to confirm their identities when they work. Google Cloud offers a "jobs API," which helps companies match jobseekers with the best positions.

As for augmented reality, "Mobile apps like Snap, a messaging app, and the game Pokémon Go are early examples of AR. But AR could more radically transform people's relationship with the internet, so that they consume digital information not from a small screen but via an ambient, ever-present experience. AR devices will offer portable AI capabilities, such as simultaneous translation and facial recognition."

We have embarked upon the Web 3.0. What are your predictions for the application of artificial intelligence?

Aaron Rose is an advisor to talented entrepreneurs and co-founder of great companies. He also serves as the editor of Solutions for a Sustainable World.

Verified Credential Management for the Professional World

The previous post discussed my experience of attending the 9Mile Labs Demo Day or "Milestone9" where participating companies (cohort) present their idea to an audience of investors, mentors, executives, community partners, and the greater entrepreneurial community. 9Mile Labs is an Seattle, Wash.-based accelerator focused on enterprise or business-to-business (B2B) software and cloud technologies. In writing the previous post, I found the notes from my attendance of Milestone9 on May 14th, 2015.

The nine companies participating in Cohort IV include:

1. Camp Native -- Marketplace to list, discover, and reserve campsites;
2. Fasterbids -- Remodel pricing in seconds, saving time, saving money;
3. Kodu Care -- Kodu Care brings patient success management to mental health;
4. Mowdo -- On-demand app and pricing engine for the 74B lawn care industry;
5. Pingle -- Verified credential management for the professional world;
6. Qalendra -- Mine, fuse and structure data from multiple sources to generate predictions and insights for the travel industry;
7. SalesPrepper -- A salesperson's personal research analyst;
8. Unoceros -- We turn mobile phones into datacenter-like-instances; and
9. Variat -- Quality control solution optimized for medium-sized manufacturers with global aspirations.

While each company presented a unique solution to a particular problem, I enjoyed the presentation made by Pingle, Inc. Founded by Kristian Alcaide and RedWolf Pope, Pingle "uses a patent-pending machine learning verification engine to instantly provide credentials for professionals in maritime, construction, medical and other industries," according to an GeekWire article that includes an interview with Mr. Pope.

In his interview, Mr. Pope, who also serves as the company's chief executive officer, explained that "Pingle verifies peoples credentials, lets employers check compliance, and offers renewal options when they expire. So we facilitate communication with workers, employers and schools, but we also verify everyone and each credential, so that trust is added to the equation."

One of Pingle's value proposition is saving time as the current system of verifying credentials is a painstaking manual- and telephone-based process that may take weeks. Saving money is another value of Pingle's service as the "costs of a bad hire or expired credentials can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars," according to the company's website. Moreover, "Current tracking solutions are overly complex, costly and add more work to the HR department."

Given the challenges HR departments may have in maintaining compliance in managing and verifying the credentials of their current or prospective employees, or professionals needing to manage their credentials, there is certainly a market opportunity for a service like Pingle's.

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.

A Cloud-Based Storm Water Monitoring Platform Among the Innovative Solutions from the 9Mile Labs Startup Accelerator

9Mile Labs is a Seattle, Wash.-based accelerator focused on enterprise or business-to-business (B2B) software and cloud technologies. The startups accepted into the program receive a $35,000-$105,000 investment in exchange for 7-10% of the startup's equity, a diverse network of mentors who can help provide counsel and connections to the companies, workspace for the company, and networking and social events run by 9Mile Labs during the program. At the end of the 14-week program, the participating companies (cohort) attend a graduation ceremony, 9Mile Labs Demo Day or "Milestone9," where each company is provided with the opportunity to present their idea to an audience of investors, mentors, executives, community partners, and the greater entrepreneurial community. I had the pleasure of attending Milestone9 on March 3, 2016 in Seattle.

The 11 companies participating in Cohort V at MileStone9 include:

1. ClientLinkt -- Custom App for Realtors®, helping them add value & stay connected;
2. CPE Suite -- Continuing Professional Education (CPE) marketplace for licensed professionals;
3. Globatom -- Cloud-based platform that automates International trade;
4. IoTfy -- Enabling IoT in Enterprises;
5. Jodone -- Robotic/Human hybrid solution for Solid waste and Recycling, the mechanical Turk for robotics;
6. minima -- SaaS solution that helps Enterprise IT control data sprawl;
7. Muze -- Helping small businesses grow through entertainment and advertisements;
8. Namastream -- Namastream is a comprehensive, on-demand virtual wellness studio platform;
9. StormSensor -- StormSensor is the only cloud-based storm water monitoring platform;
10. trenzi -- Trenzi enables everyday influencers to promote products for brands;
11. Viato -- World's First Deal Escrow: Providing protection against channel conflict to indirect sales partners who register the deals early.

Photo of StormSensor's
Erin Rothman: GeekWire

Among the companies listed above, I am particularly impressed by StormSensor. During her presentation, Erin Rothman, StormSensor's co-founder and chief executive officer said, “We built StormSensor, the only solution that automates the entire data collection, monitoring, and reporting process for storm water data at test sites.” Ms. Rothman continued to say that "StormSensor notifies our users of rainfall at their sites so they know exactly when to sample…so they can focus on solving problems instead of wondering [if] they have one."

I appreciate the way Ms. Rothman presented the problem her company is solving and the solution she and her colleagues are creating. Specifically, I see value in the real-time analytics, data availability, and workflow notifications StormSensor is providing to their customers, which include government agencies and companies from the private sector. (For additional information about the company, I recommend reading this interview of StormSensor's co-founder, Anya Stettler, by Taylor Soper of GeekWire.)

This was the second Milestone9 event that I attended (the first being Cohort IV on May 14, 2015) and I enjoyed seeing the variety of creative ingenuity in the area of B2B software or cloud technology.

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.

The Peepoo: A Biogradable Single-Use Toilet for Urban Slums

The New York Times published an article written by Sindya N. Bhanoo about the Peepoo, “a biodegradable plastic bag that acts as a single-use toilet for urban slums in the developing world. Once used, the bag can be knotted and buried, and a layer of urea crystals breaks down the waste into fertilizer, killing off disease-producing pathogens found in feces.” (Photo: Peepoople)

Developed, produced, and distributed by Stockholm, Sweden-based Peepoople AB, “The Peepoo is in the form of a slim elongated bag size 14 x 38 cm,” explains the company’s website. “Within the bag there is a thinner gauze that measures 26 x 24 cm. The inside of the Peepoo bags is coated with a thin film of urea. Without sacrificing ergonomic function the bag’s design is adapted in every way so that it might be manufactured at as low a price as possible and sold to the groups with [the] weakest purchasing power in the world.” After successfully testing in Kenya and India, the Peepoo toilet is scheduled to be mass produced and available for delivery in summer 2010 with a price point of 2 or 3 cents each, which is comparable to the cost of an ordinary plastic bag.

One benefit of the Peepoo toilet is its portability and small size, weighing less than ten grams. Peepoo bags are odor free for at least 24 hours after use and can thus be stored in the immediate environment. Moreover, the Peepoo is one of few sanitation solutions which require no water and the only water required is to wash the hands after use. This means that the traditional link between water and sanitation has been cut. A used Peepoo bag is clean to handle. It has become a waste that neither smell nor is dirty to handle and collect.

The bag is made of a high performance degradable bioplastic which meets European Union standards. This means that the plastic not only disintegrates, but also that the molecules are broken down into carbon dioxide, water and bio-mass. 45 percent of the plastic used in the Peepoo is produced using renewable materials and through research and development, the company intends to find a solution that is 100 percent renewable. The bioplastic comprises a mixture of aromatic co-polyesters and polylactone acid (PLA), with small additives of wax and lime. PHB represent alternative bioplastics. (Photo: Peepoople)

This innovative product does not require infrastructural solutions for implementation (i.e., the construction of buildings or pipes), therefore reducing investment costs. The company explains that the “Peepoo can be simply distributed and can thus meet the enormous demand in a highly efficient manner.” Comparing investment costs for different sanitation solutions are listed below to illustrate the product’s financial value.

Local costs for installation (not including use, maintenance costs, water costs and emptying):

• Flush toilet connected to sewer or septic tank, 400-1,500 USD
• Urban dry or wet Eco San, 675-1,500 USD
• Condominal sewers, 75-600 USD
• Dry vault urine diversion, 35-400 USD
• Improved pit latrine or pour flush toilet, 40-260 USD
• Basic pit latrine, 10-50 USD
• Soil composting ecosan, 10-40 USD
• Communal toilet/latrine (50 persons per seat), 12-40 USD
• Peepoo bag, 0 USD

The need for proper sanitation is greatly needed in the developing world where, according to United Nations figures, an estimated 2.6 billion people, or about 40 percent of the earth’s population, do not have access to a toilet. This creates a public health crisis where open defecation contaminates drinking water, “and an estimated 1.5 million children worldwide die yearly from diarrhea, largely because of poor sanitation and hygiene,” explains The New York Times article. “To mitigate this, the United Nations has a goal to reduce by half the number of people without access to toilets by 2015.”

E-Waste: A Small Component of the 2010 Olympic Medals

Like many of you, I am enjoying watching the 2010 Olympic Winter Games that are taking place in Vancouver, British Columbia. There are reports about the unique design of the medals awarded at the 2010 Winter Games, but a sustainable component to these reports is worth discussing on this blog. Making Olympic and Paralympic history, the medals will be the first to contain metals recovered from end-of-life electronics (e-waste) otherwise destined for the landfill. The medals are comprised of metals provided by Teck Resources Limited (Teck). (Photo: VANOC)

In describing the process of making the metal into medals, Teck says, “Historically, metal for the medals has been sourced only from mineral deposits that are mined from the earth and refined for commercial use. Teck has created a recycling process to recover metal from end-of-life electronics (e-waste) such as TVs, computers and keyboards. This process provides a practical solution to the challenge of reducing the amount of e-waste material destined for landfills and is part of the company’s pursuit of sustainability—a core value that drives its approach to business.”

Furthermore, according to the Vancouver-based mining, mineral processing and metallurgical company, “Metal can be sourced from many manufactured metal products, including household appliances, electronics or cables. Teck’s process involves recovering metals contained in cathode ray tube glass, computer parts and circuit boards through smelting. The process involves shredding, separating, and heating of the various electronic components to recover a variety of metals.”

The gold, silver and copper used in the medals were recovered from e-waste and then combined with the metal from other sources for the medal production. The content of recovered metal from the e-waste material in the specific metals is: Gold: 1.52%; Silver: 0.122%; Copper: 1.11%. While the percentages of reused metals are minimal, manufacturing the medals with recycled metals creates an inspiring initiative to reducing the Olympic Games' carbon footprint.

In addition to providing the metals, Teck worked with Vancouver Olympic Committee (VANOC) and the Royal Canadian Mint in the development and production of the medals. Click here to watch a video, “The Making of the Vancouver 2010 Medals.”

People in Burkina Faso to Receive Food Vouchers via Text Message

On November 5, 2009, I wrote about United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) launching a pilot project that allows Iraqi refugees in Syria to receive food vouchers electronically via mobile phone text messages. Another example of using information and communications technology in delivering sustainable solutions to underserved populations may be found in a report by Voice of America’s Kate Thomas. Ms. Thomas writes about a joint project between the WFP and The Vodafone Foundation, which is the charitable division of the UK-based mobile telecommunications company “that will allow shopkeepers in” two towns “in Burkina Faso to manage food vouchers by text message.” (Photo: WFP/Eva Stoffels)

Approximately 30,000 people receive food vouchers in Burkina Faso. “Until now,” explains Ms. Thomas, “the hologram-imprinted vouchers were distributed to families who need them. They are then exchanged for goods in shops and shopkeepers are reimbursed in cash by the World Food Program once a month. If the pilot is successful,” she added, “shopkeepers will be able to validate the vouchers by cell phone on the spot. In theory the World Food Program would then be able to reimburse them the next day, either by bank transfer or by check.”

It would be useful to know how much money the WFP will save in using text messages for food vouchers rather than traditional paper vouchers. Shopkeepers having the ability to instantly validate vouchers via mobile phones will see a reduction of fraud and misuse of the vouchers. Furthermore, shopkeepers, getting reimbursed more quickly by the WFP, will be able to manage their inventory and control costs more effectively. Click here to listen to Ms. Thomas’ report.