An Argument for Startup Universities

An Argument for Startup Universities

Africa Unchained

Matt Welsh writing in Volatile and Decentralized:

What I'd like to see is a university with a startup incubator attached to it, taking all of the best ideas and turning them into companies, with a large chunk of the money from successful companies feeding back into the university to fund the next round of great ideas. This could be a perpetual motion machine to drive research. Some universities have experimented with an incubator model, but I'm not aware of any cases where this resulted in a string of successful startups that funded the next round of research projects at that university.

Typically, when a startup spins off, the university gets a tiny slice of the pie, and the venture capitalists -- who fill the much-needed funding gap -- reap most of the benefits. But why not close the air gap between the research lab and the startup? Allow the faculty to stay involved in their offspring companies while keeping their research day job? Leverage the tremendous resources of a university to streamline the commercialization process -- e.g., use of space, equipment, IT infrastructure, etc.? Allow students to work at the startups for course credit or work-study without having to quit school? Maintain a regular staff of "serial entrepreneurs" who help get new startups off the ground? Connect the course curriculum to the fledgling startups, rather than teaching based on artificial problems? One might joke that some universities, like Stanford, effectively already operate in this way, but this is the exception rather than the rule.

More here

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'Deze groei is niet vol te houden'

'Deze groei is niet vol te houden'

Home - Africa Journalist

Nairobi, de op één na snelst groeiende stad van Afrika, kan de bevolkingsaanwas nauwelijks aan. Meer dan de helft van de mensen hokt samen op slechts tien procent van het stadsoppervlak. 'Wij kijken naar onze ouders en denken: jullie gokten verkeerd.' (Bijdrage aan zomerserie 'de megastad' in De Groene, over verstedelijking)
MARK SCHENKEL
Aan een smalle steeg met blubber ligt het krot van Joyce Mumbua (36). Twee bij twee meter huurt Mumbua, tussen wanden van hout, golfplaat en gedroogde modder. Ze bezit een bed, twee houten krukjes en wat kleren, een bijbel, een poster van Arsenal en een oude televisie. 'Mijn kostbaarste bezit', aldus Mumbua.
Joyce Mumbua leeft in Kibera in de Keniaanse hoofdstad Nairobi. Kibera is een van de grootste sloppenwijken van Afrika. Een paar honderdduizend mensen – niemand weet precies hoeveel – in een aan elkaar gelapt doolhof van ellende. Veertien jaar woont Mumbua nu in Kibera. Ze kwam ooit naar Nairobi op zoek naar werk. Haar verweerde handen zijn een paar tinten lichter dan de rest van haar huid. Littekens van jarenlang wassen, schrobben en boenen. Een brandmerk van de armoede.
Per dag verdient Mumbua gemiddeld honderd Keniaanse shilling, één euro. 'Hier in Kibera delen we met een hele buurt een wc, daar moet je voor betalen', vertelt ze. 'Wat zou jij doen als je tien shilling hebt verdiend, naar een smerig toilet gaan of eten kopen zodat je overleeft?' Het antwoord: jezelf ontlasten in een plastic zak, deze dichtknopen en over de daken slingeren. 'Make it fly', aldus Mumbua, besmuikt over haar openhartigheid. Achter het witte wanddoek met blauwe hartjes piept een rat.

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Not about the death of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi

Not about the death of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi

Owen abroad

Following today's announcement of the death of Meles Zenawi, and in response to the many requests I have received to comment about what might happen in Ethiopia, this is a good time to repost an article I wrote a few years ago:

Why do you want your analysis of Ethiopian politics to be intermediated by a European? Isn't that a little bit, well, racist?

Ethiopians have a sophisticated political culture.   They are justly proud of their long and deep social and religious traditions. Here in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia gather in coffee shops or bars and talk endlessly about politics, culture and society.  They consume a vast array of newspapers, some of which are openly critical of the government, with their machiatos.  There is a lively debate online, both among resident Ethiopians and the diaspora. …

People who want to know what western observers think are not giving enough weight to the views of Ethiopians themselves. I think that is  unconscious racism. Just because I'm a white guy with a laptop should not privilege my opinion over that of Ethiopians themselves.

Read the full post here.

In the meantime, we are thinking of all our friends in Ethiopia, and the beautiful country which I have been privileged to visit often since I first went there thirty years ago.

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EdSurge

EdSurge

PHILANTHROPY 2173

EdSurge is a commercial news source focused on education technology.

Investors include the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Washington Post Company,  New Schools Venture Fund, and Paul Allen & Company (among others).

It's a good example of philanthropists providing investment capital right alongside business investors in a commercial venture. It happens to be focused on the intersection of commercial technology and public education - one of those public goods that enjoys at least rhetorical non-partisan support. Private, independent, commercial, public - it's a truly blended venture. It's long term revenue model is still being created (journalism in general is looking for the answers here) - but I think this is an example of something to watch.

It's also a really good looking, easy-to-use, and engaging site - complete with wiki to invite participation.



Note: I have no affiliation with EdSurge, I found out about it through a tweet.

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Smartphones and Mobile Payments

Smartphones and Mobile Payments

SSIR Opinion & Analysis

When European mobile operators launched their first (GPRS-based) data services in the early 2000s, they targeted payments as a major opportunity. A spate of early innovations left a trail littered with failures (for example, Simpay and Mobipay). The mood shifted quickly: They came to understand that payments worked within ecosystems that were just too complex to move. Focus in the mid-2000s then shifted to East Asia, and in particular Japan and South Korea, where operators continued to push on mobile payments, with reasonable success.
By the later part of the 2000s, the main action in mobile payments was occurring in developing countries. The epicenter of innovation was Kenya, where M-PESA showed how simple mobile phones could be used to catch up with and in some ways to leapfrog over slower payment mechanisms and costlier infrastructures prevalent in Western countries.