1/100th the cost

October 8, 2009October 7, 2009 ~ Sasha ~ 2 Comments

Faithful readers will recall that two months ago I gave in to years of craving and ditched my BlackBerry for an iPhone. What I’ve discovered since then is that the iPhone is a Trojan Horse, an uber-device pretending to be a phone. This is why the “there’s an app for that” campaign makes so much sense. With a big screen, a fast processor, and a 3G network, this device can perform some amazing tricks.

While I’m not a big app user, I can’t help but crow about an app I just found, called MotionX-GPS Drive. Quite simply, it delivers the full functionality of a portable GPS device – with turn-by-turn directions, a voice telling you when to make the turn, a map that updates your location in real time, etc. – and you can do all this while still listening to music on your iPod. For my needs, this does essentially the same thing as a $350 Tom Tom for $2.99. That’s right, two dollars and ninety nine cents. It costs 1/100th of the price of the product it aims to displace (plus $2.99/month subscription.).

Outside of being excited that I have an additional $347.01 in my pocket, this got me thinking about disruptive innovations in the nonprofit sector. CK Prahalad introduced the concept of radically lower costs structures as necessary for creating solutions for the poor that will have massive potential for scale and impact — citing among other things the Jaipur foot, an artificial limb which costs $40 and sets an amputee walking again. But is there really a world of “1/100th the cost” innovations out there, waiting to be discovered, or are the real gems the 1/2 or 1/3 or 1/6th the cost interventions that, if discovered across multiple sectors – healthcare, housing, water, energy, agriculture, even education – together hold the potential for a radical shift in the livelihoods of millions?

Put another way, is “1/100th” the cost just about the economics of Moore’s law and software development, or would we find many more of these if the right economic incentives were in place?

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Over a bowl yogurt and granola

October 6, 2009October 5, 2009 ~ Sasha ~ 1 Comment

Here’s a conversation I had this morning with my five-year old son over breakfast.

Him:     Daddy, we’re eating the same breakfast today.

Me:      Yes we are. It’s delicious, isn’t it? The yogurt is creamy and the granola is crunchy and a little sweet.

Him:     Yes. It’s delicious…..Daddy, do you like everything for breakfast?

Me:      Well, I like a lot of things for breakfast, but I’m not sure if I like everything

Him:     Does anybody like everything for breakfast?

Me:      I don’t know. I’m sure somebody does.

(Thoughtful pause)

Him:     Does God like everything for breakfast? Because God loves everything? He loves trees and flowers and he wants people to be happy?

(Side note for context: ours is neither an exceptionally religious nor exceptionally un-religious household.)

I couldn’t help but wonder – when in life do we lose our sense of the profound, our sense that every moment is just a turn of phrase away from beauty? Is it a natural progression, or something we’re taught in school or in life – the victory of logic and cleverness and cynicism over wonder and imagination?

And how do we get it back?

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Become an Acumen Fund Fellow

October 1, 2009 ~ Sasha ~ Leave a comment

Today, the application went live for the class of 2011 Acumen Fund Fellows. If you know exceptional individuals from around the world who should be part of the 2010-2011 class, please encourage them to apply.

Acumen Fund Fellows are young people (typically 25-40 years old, but anything goes) who want to get their hands dirty working alongside some of the most dedicated, visionary entrepreneurs who are fighting poverty in India, Pakistan and East Africa. In the first year of the program, more than 600 people from 59 people applied.

When I sit with these Fellows – past, present, future – I’m consistently humbled by their experiences, humility, passion, and practical skills in making change. These are people who could be doing anything with their lives, and who choose to do this. Jawad Aslam is one of the alumni of the Fellows Program, and he has now dedicated his life to building low-income housing in Pakistan. Here’s his story. And the class of 2009-2010 Fellows just arrived in New York to start their one-year Fellowship.

Applications for the class of 2011 will be accepted online until 11:59pm EST on Thursday, November 5, 2009. Detailed information about the program and application process can be found on the Acumen Fund website.

If you want to apply, or know someone who should apply, send them this link.

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