The San Franista » entrepreneurship

A Party to Fix the World

Emily Goligoski — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 02:44:53 +0000

…is no small hosting effort, but leave it to the good folks at social accelerator COMMON to make it fun to find innovative solutions to global problems. After a stop in NYC the large-scale pitch party for entrepreneurs will head to Cape Town to work with Design Indaba and renowned designer judges in awarding $25K+ (200K Rand) to people creating positive social change in Africa. I’m eagerly awaiting the applicant videos and, even more, seeing the local ideas in action.

Technovation Challenge Calls for Bay Area Speakers, Coaches, Mentors + Other Smarties

Emily Goligoski — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 18:35:17 +0000

At the Designer Fund’s well-attended Women in Design forum recently, I was glad to get to hear stories from teen girls who participated in Iridescent Learning’s mobile app creation program. I had previously written about the group’s hands on development work (the program also gets young gals to pitch their ideas and prototypes to investors), but hearing from the high schoolers themselves about their gains was nothing if not inspiring. In advance of the upcoming class this winter and spring, Iridescent is taking applications for mentors, teaching assistants and speakers–people passionate about technology who want to work with schools, companies, and smart kids. Consider it, won’t you?

On Data-Driven Wellness (& Other Things I Think about Too Much)

Emily Goligoski — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 00:56:03 +0000

It’s ironic to consider inefficiency in healthcare at UCSF, but less so when the focus is how data-tracking might improve our experiences–and wellbeing–as people and patients. Today GigaOm’s Roadmap conference featured analyst Jody Ranck describing the need for more connectedness in the sector. The web-based “socialization of disease” (that is, the idea that lots of people want to share their experiences and literal pain points) isn’t the only evidence I need to agree.

And it’s encouraging to see SF-based companies that are running with this concept. At Rock Health’s demo day this afternoon, incubator company Genomera described the large-scale transition from “n=they” (when people waited for others to be studied for treatment) to “n=we” and “n=me” (when there’s a bias towards participation to improve outcomes). It’s being realized with platforms like SuperBetter from Social Chocolate and Eatery from Massive Health, both of which I’ve just starting trying. What other related services have you excited? Looking forward to hearing.

Businesses Learning from Education Innovations >> Fast Co.

Emily Goligoski — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 13:22:07 +0000

Culture of Future founder Jody Turner asked me to guest post for Fast Company recently. With pleasure!

At the recent NewSchools Venture Fund Summit in the northern part of Silicon Valley, innovators and educators met to re-imagine what future learning technologies might be capable of. The gathering of 600 policy makers, instructors, entrepreneurs, and creators included now-notable philanthropist and Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg, who recently donated $100 million to Newark schools. (When asked why Zuckerberg did so, he said he’s thankful for the education he received and wants to help others have quality school experiences.) …While the Summit (#NSVSFSummit) continued with its goal of exploring the power of entrepreneurs to transform public education for underserved children, ideas for supercharging education also seemed to have benefits beyond the classroom. Any organization looking to grow sustainably in terms of financials and employee productivity could also benefit from the major ideas shared:

1. Know What You Stand For

The importance of having clarity around what you do can’t be overstated. John Deasy, the new superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District, demonstrated this with a few mock introductions of people and their mission statements: “Bonny and Clyde–we rob banks. Cleopatra–queen of the world,” he said. “At LAUSD, we improve instruction.”

Richard Barth, CEO of the KIPP Foundation, explained that getting the heads of his organization to understand and communicate its goals isn’t enough. It isn’t until all students and teachers are in step regarding that mission–getting kids to succeed in college and life–that it’s actually meaningful and actionable.

2. Perfect The Art of Hiring

It is a transparent time in which much-needed contribution and leadership are coming from all places and all categories. It is more important to bring on people you’d want to work with if the roles were reversed. Or, as Zuckerberg said, “I wouldn’t hire someone I wouldn’t work for myself.”

As design consultancy IDEO shared its ideas for making good hires, a key theme was the importance of hiring people who won’t just do well but who will inspire a team during tough projects and long nights. How does one find these positive beings? By interviewing unexpectedly. Sandy Speicher, who leads IDEO’s Design for Learning efforts, suggested helping people understand more about a candidate through questions of the imaginative variety. “If you were a lollipop, what kind of lollipop would you be?” may generate raised eyebrows, but it should help in understanding how a candidate reacts to uncertainty.

3. Create Inspirational Spaces for Team, Project, and Purpose

Rich Crandall, an instructor at Stanford’s Design School, or “d.school,” spoke to the impact that surroundings have on people. Being thoughtful in developing workspaces that people don’t want to leave can pay dividends in productivity and creativity–and getting away from them can also help goose the creative process.

Crandall shared the example of an MRI machine designer who had never seen his device in action away from the GE factory floor. When he saw a child crying because she was asked to get into the cold-looking capsule, he realized his design work hadn’t done right by her. A series of interviews with children, students, and designers helped him develop a more empathetic design–the machine itself didn’t change, but the room that housed it did. A “cozy camp” was developed with decals added to the machine to make it look like a rocket ship. The resulting bright space included a story about the importance of superheroes remaining still during their space mission (the MRI). Not only did patient reticence decease dramatically, one child asked to go back the following day.

4. Provide Content That Captures People

Sal Khan, the creator of Khan Academy, a collection of more than 2,000 educational videos, has drawn more than 50 million users (for a site that doesn’t sell sex, that’s a notable feat). Khan didn’t get hundreds of thousands of students and their parents hooked on the interactive lessons by telling them what they should know. There are standardized tests for that. What did he do instead?

Khan created a platform for practicing skills and knowledge-building, giving learners the confidence that they can master exercises.
He recognized that not all students/users learn at the same rate nor operate in the same time frames.
He thought broadly about the quantity and breadth of content being developed.

5. Communicate Progress Broadly

The importance of keeping participants and employees updated on overall performance can’t be overstated. Greg Gunn, co-founder of education software company Wireless Generation, said that while the organization’s product launch was good, the real benefit came months later when he was able to dig into user data to convey a strong story of use, value, and impact. Employees benefited, not just from the feeling that they were privy to information otherwise reserved for board members, but because they were able to hear how much they are valued. Each day that every one of them came to work, another child was able to learn to read. That transparency was a repeated sentiment throughout NewSchool’s summer gathering.

Midweek Ideas for Ed Tech Entrepreneurs

Emily Goligoski — Thu, 19 May 2011 01:09:52 +0000

Educational tech startups, take note: while your accomplishments in both social benefits and development breakthroughs may be massive, you have quite a few calls to make about financial and employee reward models on your way there. Such was the takeaway at “Inside the Entrepreneur’s Studio,” a breakout at the New School Venture Fund Summit this week. Words to the wise included:

Decide whether to operate for profit or not-for-profit (do note that these are different structures and don’t just refer to your first year performance). Greg Gunn, co-founder of education software company Wireless Generation, asked entrepreneurs to consider whether private or foundation capital will be more attainable based on their missions. Gunn had to consider which would allow his company to bring on the technical talent it needed when is started to build larger data systems. “Programmers are used to being compensated with equity packages and significant salaries,” he reminded participants. What to do? Figure out what else—including valuable industry introductions and merit-based rewards–to offer employees when cash isn’t as readily available as you might like.

And create employment packages accordingly. Kristin Richmond, CEO and co-founder of Revolution Foods, acknowledged that many people take a financial hit when they come to work for the healthy meal organization. In lieu of huge compensation packages, she looks for people who are committed to the idea of nutrition education and gives each employee partial ownership. The effect is a more focused team that is committed to providing more meals, and, as a result, more jobs.

The promises of job and market growth are just a few things that can encourage members of a new venture. Another, Gunn says, is being able to communicate the value they bring. After analyzing recent data, he was able to tell his employees that for every day that each of them came to work, one more kid learned to read because of the company’s tools.

KQED Mind Shift Story >> Mobile Payment Plans for Classrooms

Emily Goligoski — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 03:31:21 +0000

Over the past two weeks I’ve enjoyed working with education expert Tina Barseghian to consider the question of whether parents would pay for mobile data plans their kids use for classroom purposes. This was in response to a Speak Up report released earlier this month that suggests 67 percent of families would pay so that their children could use phones as learning tools. You can read the full story Parents Weigh In On Paying for Mobile Access in Schools, and thanks to Baat Enosh (National Center for Women & IT), Rashmi Sinha (SlideShare), Stacey Foreman (FM), and Jean Hagen (Institute for the Future) for sharing their thoughts on the topic.

Kreeya Brings Local Shopping

Emily Goligoski — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 02:57:23 +0000

I knew local developer Saroj Yadav would create great things following the startup Supercool School. Welcome Kreeya, a commerce site featuring the wares of independent creators. Fourteen designers are currently selling their clothing and accessories on the site, whose members celebrate the term “I choose to wear local” in addition to lines from Nooworks and SAAKO. It’s one of those properties I’d selfishly prefer to keep to myself but can’t resist sharing with y’all.

Stanford Screens The Entrepreneurs on Tuesday

Emily Goligoski — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 16:50:30 +0000

I’m hoping to zip (as in shared car rental) to Palo Alto today for a screening of and discussion about “The Entrepreneurs,” a new documentary that chronicles Zambia’s first large scale women’s leadership program. The film, which was created by Helen Cotton and Academy Award-winner Ross Kaufmann, is being presented by the San Francisco-based non-profit Camfed (which is no stranger to film now that it’s projects have been screened in 81 countries and more than 1,000 homes). Stanford’s Michelle R. Clayman Institute for Gender Research will host “The Entrepreneurs” and dialogue about young women who–despite coming from extreme rural poverty and sometimes being orphaned–launch furniture stores, preschools and other business through the 10,000 Women Program.

The Great Ones from Camfed on Vimeo.

Refreshing Work from Around the Online Social Sphere

Emily Goligoski — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 06:12:42 +0000

Thanks to Crystal Light for sponsoring this post. To learn more about how Crystal Light can flavor your day with 30 refreshing flavors, visit them on Facebook.

A great dinner with friends (you know, one of those I’ve had to go to the bathroom for the past half hour but don’t want to miss something meals) this week has me feeling grateful about being in SF and in the vicinity of smart folks. So that it didn’t just remain in scribbled ink on my hand, I’ve pulled together–wait for it–Em’s Current Inspiration Roundup.

Organizations that I’m thinking about at the moment for their forward-thinking work include:

Headstand, a group started by local educator Katherine Priore that partners with classrooms and studios to prevent childhood obesity. Lower stress and higher grades are the goals of @headstandyoga’s curriculum for kids, and I’m excited for their next local presentation of their work.
The Tenderloin-based Gray Area Foundation for the Arts is not only increasing awareness of and participation in digital art and culture–it’s also working to support a community of coders, hackers, designers, engineers, composers, and technologists. Among its civic projects are a set of workshops and “data revolution” discussions, and you can explore the current goings on through @gaffta.
TED Prize winner JR, a moving and innovative artist, shared a large scale participatory art project today that will feature black and white portraits to reveal personal stories. The InsideOutProject invites photo uploading, poster creation, and physical poster receipt by participants for work to be exhibited in their own communities.
Mission Street’s Catapult Design is expanding its workshop series for social entrepreneurs to include prototyping, quantifying community power, and the technological environment (when @catapult_design isn’t traveling to Tanzania and Kenya to field test its own collaborations with Trade Without Borders, of course).

Top black and white hand image by Vitaliy P.

Visit http://www.facebook.com/crystallight to learn more about how Crystal Light can flavor your day with 30 refreshing flavors. I was selected and paid for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

Hub Ventures v. I

Emily Goligoski — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 02:45:42 +0000

In a city of coworking spaces, The Hub is special to me. And not just because their sister organization in Berkeley helped bring the first Ignite Bay Area event to life, but because it’s partnering with the Mission Street social innovation space to offer more entrepreneurial resources. A new 12-week evening program, Hub Ventures, is intended to provide “funding and resources to a community of 16 entrepreneurs building for-profit solutions for a better world.”

Applications are open to those looking to participate in weekly peer review sessions, mentor office hours, speaker events, and the like. The curriculum (including courses in Design for Impact, Fundraising Methods, Customer Development, and Market Validation) will culminate in a peer selection process to give three ventures $75K in seed funding in the form of convertible debt. Get yourself involved, good doers.