Schwab Foundation Solutions SummitScaling What Works

Durban, South Africa 30 April - 3 May 2017

2 Schwab Foundation

Hilde SchwabChairperson and Co-Founder, Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship

Precious Moloi-MotsepeExecutive Chairperson, Motsepe Foundation

Summit Highlights

More than 200 Social Entrepreneurs, Young Global Leaders and Global Shapers convened in Durban, South Africa, for the Solutions Summit hosted by the Schwab Foundation with support from the Motsepe Foundation. Hailing from more than 40 countries around the world, including 25 African countries, the Solutions Summit represented the largest gathering of Schwab Foundation social entrepreneurs in a decade.

Under the theme ‘Scaling What Works,’ community members mentored each other on common challenges, explored key leadership skills necessary to have greater impact, and engaged in sector-focused workshops to identify opportunities for collaboration and establish formal partnerships.

Participant feedback:

– 100% of Schwab Foundation Social Entrepreneurs would recommend the Solutions Summit to another community member.

– 94% of Social Entrepreneurs developed new insights or ideas about their organizational strategy or business model as a result of their participation in the Solutions Summit.

– 81% of Social Entrepreneurs identified an opportunity for collaboration.

– 79% of Social Entrepreneurs left the Solutions Summit with new skills and peer mentors to sustain their personal wellbeing.

In this report, learn about replicable solutions in healthcare, education, livelihoods, and human rights showcased at the Solutions Summit, and discover the concrete collaborations that emerged from the gathering.

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“It’s not just who’s in the room, it’s also how we’re in the room. There is an authenticity and a graciousness of spirit in the Schwab Foundation network that is remarkable.”Frank BeadleCEO, mothers2mothers

The journey of an entrepreneur can be exhilarating, but it can also be lonely and stressful. Although the myth of the “heropreneur” has been debunked, it still persists. Many social entrepreneurs feel intense pressure to project a show of confidence and success at all times – especially to board members, staff, and investors, for example. But the business of social change is messy, frustrating, and non-linear. There are incredible achievements to celebrate, but the pressures and setbacks can take a toll, particularly on an entrepreneur’s private life and personal relationships.

The Schwab Foundation’s unique community spirit provided a safe space for community members to have intimate, off-the-record conversations in leadership circles, where they were encouraged to reflect on their personal wellbeing, share their personal leadership challenges, and be coached by a group of like-minded changemakers. Many participants found the leadership circles so valuable they committed to continuing them through monthly virtual mentoring sessions, and 79% of participants reported leaving the Solutions Summit with stronger support mechanisms to sustain their wellbeing.

Building Community Bonds

“I have grown and learnt so much during my time at the Solutions Summit.”Tracey GilmoreCo-Founder and CEO, The Clothing Bank

“The learnings we are taking with us will have enormous ripple effects through our organisations, and that is incredibly powerful.”Janet Longmore Founder and CEO, Digital Opportunity Trust (DOT)

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“I came here looking for ideas, and many of you gave me insights that will improve my work. It’s not just the emotional connections, it’s also the specific organizational strategies that I am taking home with me.”Sonkita ContehCo-Founder, Namati

“We could talk about problems and actually hear each other – which is a requisite for learning. I was struck by the sense of shared mission we all have, which led us to a default mode of: How can we help each other?”Keller RinadoCEO, Zipline

Schwab Foundation Social Entrepreneurs built friendships and community bonds through nature walks at Kenneth Stainbank Nature Reserve outside of Durban South Africa and learned about The Wilderness Foundation’s innovative efforts to stop illegal trade of endangered species.

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“Our model created 250 women entrepreneurs across Turkey operating fitness and activity clubs serving 600,000 women. At the Solutions Summit, I found like-minded partners to replicate our model in Tunisia, Morocco, Bangladesh and Palestine.”Bedriye HulyaFounder, B-fit Sport and Health Living Centres for Women

81% of Social Entrepreneurs identified a concrete opportunity for collaboration with another Solutions Summit participant.

Supporting Collaborations

“I provide education technologies so people with disabilities can communicate and learn. I met three other entrepreneurs at the Solutions Summit who create affordable products for disabled people. They’re expanding Livox into France and I’m bringing their work to Brazil.”Carlos Pereira Founder and CEO, Livox

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“PlanetRead and Worldreader are going to work together to improve literacy in India. It’s a very tangible collaboration that stems directly out of the Summit.”Colin McElweeCo-Founder, Worldreader

“Mothers2mothers, Fondation Occident Orient, Worldreader and Solar Sister are making a commitment to combine our individual efforts on entrepreneurship, women’s empowerment and literacy to come together in service of refugees.” Katherine Lucey Founder and CEO, Solar Sister

“The Wilderness Foundation and Thundafund are launching a global crowdfunding movement to stop the legalisation of trading rhino horns in South Africa.” Andrew Muir Founder and CEO, The Wilderness Foundation

“At the Solutions Summit, I found potential partners, board development and self-management ideas, as well as training strategies for my team.”Eleanor Allen CEO, Water For People

“I will work with Medical Technology and Transfer Service to bring their medical devices to Hong Kong, and perhaps even the poorest areas of China.”Timothy Kam Wah Ma Member of the Board; Member, Service Development Subcommittee, Senior Citizen Home Safety Association Hong Kong SAR

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Scaling Solutions

Delivering Superior Health Outcomes at a Lower CostEfficiently managing the increased spending on healthcare costs needed to radically improve patient outcomes will require innovations in technologies, delivery, and business models. The following entrepreneurs shared their ideas:

CEO of Zipline on delivering blood and medical supplies by drone to remote areas

Keller Rinaudo >CEO of Crisis Text Line on delivering mental health services by text

Nancy Lublin >Co-Founder of Broad Reach Healthcare on access to timely information in the health sector

Ernest Darkoh >CEO of BHVIF on eliminating blindness through joint ventures

Kovin Naidoo >

Social Entrepreneurs presented their scalable models in five-minute presentations and brainstormed concrete expansion strategies with Global Shapers, Young Global Leaders, public figures and members of the press.

Achieving Quality Education for AllWhile significant progress has been made towards improving literacy rates and access to education, bolder efforts are needed to improve student learning outcomes. The following pioneers shared ways to deliver access and quality at scale:

Founder of PlanetRead on the most cost-effective literacy tool with global reach

Brij Kothari >Co-Founder of Bridge International Academies on scaling quality education through teacher accountability

Shannon May >Co-Founder of Worldreader on global access to digital books for education

Colin McElwee >President of Ashesi University on building coalitions to improve university curriculum

Patrick Awuah >

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Innovative Approaches to Decent WorkPromoting sustained economic growth and reducing inequality requires new methods and approaches to move all segments of society, particularly the most vulnerable, into gainful employment. The following entrepreneurs showed us how:

CEO of Friends International on rehabilitating marginalized youth into productive members of society

Sebastien Marot >Founder of Sidai Africa on changing the status-quo for East-African pastoralists

Christie Peacock >President of Youth for Technology Foundation on equipping youth with digital skills for employment

Njideka Harry >

“When social entrepreneurs collaborate with each other, we multiply our efforts. I’ve been struck by the

fact that we really are moving the needle forward.”Patrick Awuah

Founder and President, Ashesi University College

Towards a Just, Rights-Based SocietyEffective, accountable and inclusive institutions are at the core of sustainable development. Entrepreneurs showcased their scalable solutions to empower people to access their rights for greater security, productivity and economic citizenship.

Co-Founder of Namati on reducing inequality through grassroots legal rights networks

Sonkita Conteh >Founder of Groupe AMH on scaling access to rehabilitative services for those with disabilities

Amina Slaoui >Senior Advisor to Landesa on securing land rights in partnership with government

Tim Hanstad >CEO of Water for People on closing the gap between access to safe water and sanitation

Eleanor Allen >

“I was thrilled that four Global Shapers offered to help our ‘Same Language Subtitling’ solution for mass literacy. When a

solution resonates with young people, it’s a good sign. They will actually develop and execute a social media strategy for us.”

Brij Kothari Founder, PlanetRead

For a sector that has long been obsessed with the holy grail of organizational scale, the social entrepreneurship sector is now coming to terms with the limits of organizational growth. The needs are just too large and urgent; the models for scaling we have developed thus far remain too narrow and simply take too long. Perhaps not surprisingly, then, many highly successful social entrepreneurs who have achieved scale, along with the intermediary organizations and funders that support them, are starting to coalesce around the concept of “systems change.”

The objective of this research report is to help practitioners understand what systems change means in the context of social entrepreneurship, how it is distinct from direct service or “business-in-a-box” models and, most importantly, what it looks like in practice – not as lofty exhortations and abstract concepts, but as a set of concrete activities, processes, and leadership lessons.

Launch ofSystems Change Report

“We hope this report enables social entrepreneurs,

funders, and policy-makers to begin

sharing a common language around systems change

and sparks greater interest in systems

change strategies and approaches.”

Katherine MilliganHead of the Schwab Foundation

for Social Entrepreneurship

Download the report here >

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Live from the Solutions Summit, Katherine Milligan, Head of the Schwab Foundation asked influential social entrepreneurs Tim Hanstad, Co-Founder and Senior Advisor of Landesa, and Kovin Naidoo, CEO of Brien Holden Vision Institute, how they create systems change.

“So much more can be accomplished when the actors who are working together to accomplish it are not focused on who’s getting credit.”Tim HanstadCo-Founder and Senior Advisor of Landesa

“It’s partner or perish. There are limited resources in the world and if we want to make a change we need to come together.”Kovin NaidooCEO, Brien Holden Vision Institute

5 Lessons for Systems

Change

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Skills Building

How to ensure strong senior management Best practices in recruitment, training, mentoring and retaining strong leadership teams in Africa and beyond

Ann Cotton and Euvin Naidoo

How to replicate your model: size does matterAn interactive diagnostic exercise to help entrepreneurs to evaluate the “replicable” elements of their models

Dan Berelowitz

How to build a high performance board What defines best in-class boards? Owning your strategy, matching risks with return, and building the top team

Frank Beadle de Palomo, Landry Signe, Patrick Gyimah Awuah, and Zukie Siyotula

Finding courage in being vulnerable A conversation on ‘managed ego’ leadership and wellbeing in the twenty-first century

Amina Laraki Slaoui and Victor Ochen

Drawing on the expertise and experiences of the Schwab Foundation network, during the Solutions Summit Social Entrepreneurs also explored the leadership skills necessary to have greater impact at the systems level. From assembling strong management teams, board governance and replication strategies to debating how technology will fundamentally disrupt the future of work – participants explored the skills to make systems change happen.

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How to build coalitions and social movements Trailblazers explain how to create, convene and coordinate a coalition of systems actors for greater impact

Andrew Muir, Katherine Lucey, and Muntaqa Umar-Sadiq

How to tell a great story: hook, line and sinker An intimate coaching session to develop your evidence base and the powerful narrative you want to tell

Alex Okosi, Garth C. Japhet, Marie Lora-Mungai, Naif Al Mutawa and Salim Amin

How to engage funders in an honest conversation A role play exercise to communicate what it really takes to generate large scale social change

Nancy Lublin

How to prepare for technological disruption What organizational leaders can do to take advantage of emerging technologies to achieve more at lower cost

José Vicente Aguerrevere, Ernest Darkoh, Shannon May, and April Rinne

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All 2017 Social Entrepreneur of the Year Awardees were recognized at a special dinner celebration on 2 May 2017 in front of more than 200 dignitaries, public figures, business leaders, members of the media, and fellow community members. On 4 May 2017, the three African awardees were recognized on stage during the opening plenary session of the World Economic Forum on Africa, where they were presented with their award certificates by Hilde Schwab in front of an audience of over 1,000 African leaders and broadcast live.

Awardees

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Media Coverage

Reports – Schwab Foundation and Bertha Centre for Social Innovation and

Entrepreneurship, University of Cape Town: Beyond Organizational Scale: How Social Entrepreneurs Create Systems Change

– World Economic Forum, World Economic Forum on Africa: Achieving Inclusive Growth through Responsive and Responsible Leadership

Press Release – World Economic Forum, Maxwell Hall: Meet the Social Entrepreneurs Leading Africa’s Transformation

– World Economic Forum, Maxwell Hall: Advice for Social Entrepreneurs: Scale Your Concept, Not Your Organization

– World Economic Forum, Maxwell Hall: Africans Rising: The Time for Action Is Now

– World Economic Forum, Hilde Schwab: Meet the 2017 Social Entrepreneurs

Agenda Articles – World Economic Forum, Joe Myers on REFUNITE:

25 years and half a world apart: this is how mother and daughter were united

– 'Gbenga Sesan, Executive Director, Paradigm Initiative Nigeria:Forget internet scams, young Nigerians now use digital tech for good

– Shannon May, Co-Founder and CDO, Bridge International Academies: There’s an education revolution taking place in Liberia. How can we make sure it benefits everyone?

– Lesego Otlhabanye, Citizen Entrepreneurial Development Agency: Blogging – a new frontier for African millennials

– Ola Orekunrin, Managing Director, The Flying Doctors: Meet the flying doctor delivering emergency healthcare to Africa

Videos

– Schwab Foundation, Solutions Summit Overview: How social entrepreneurs are leading positive change across Africa

– Schwab Foundation, Facebook Live with Christie Peacock and Patrick Awuah: How social entrepreneurs are solving socio-economic challenges in Africa

– Deutsche Welle, Social Entrepreneurs of the Year 2017: How our awardees are working for greater good in Africa, not just for profit

– World Economic Forum, Innovation Labs Playlist: Scalable solutions that can accelerate the achievements of the SDGs

– World Economic Forum, Issue Briefing on Scaling Social Entrepreneurship: How the benefits of social entrepreneurship are going to have a much greater impact on Africa’s story

– World Economic Forum on Paradigm Initiative: How 'Gbenga Sesan is turning Nigerian hackers into tech entrepreneurs

– World Economic Forum on Solarsisters: How Katherine Lucey is bringing clean energy to remote communities

– World Economic Forum on Zipline: How Keller Rinaudo is using drones to deliver vaccines, medicines and blood

– World Economic Forum on Simprints: How Toby Norman is helping the 1.5 billion people that don’t officially exist

– World Economic Forum on COMACO: How Dale Lewis is saving Zambia’s rhinos with peanut butter

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