S02E04: Power of Entrepreneurship

The Oblique Life Global Goals

To start with the obvious, entrepreneurship means thinking out of the box and presenting commercially viable solutions. In the 21st century, urban entrepreneurship must be about relocating the planet’s resources to where they are needed, and keeping them in the system for as long as possible.

Secondly, policy is mandatory to enable and scale up innovation and entrepreneurship, but where there are gaps, as Beatrice Hati said, don't wait. Kick-start your idea and choose the moment to bring in policymakers.

Next, cities are often the most diverse parts of any country - and entrepreneurship must reflect that. If policies, individuals and investments are not intentionally inclusive, as Rafia Qureshi stressed, we are not going to get different types of support reaching the right people. We are also never going to get the right products designed.

Finally, solutions need to be scalable, and urban disruptors need to keep one step ahead if they are to remain relevant. While entrepreneurship can appear to be lonely, some of our big ticket problems can only be tackled through collaboration, as Damarys Zampini and Beatrice said. Our cities are fast changing, as are people’s needs and aspirations - from access to public spaces to the best healthcare and beyond.

Speakers:

• Beatrice Hati, Urban Coordinator, International Center for Frugal Innovation (ICFI)
• Damarys Zampini, CEO, Sustrategy
• Rafia Qureshi, Chief Strategy Officer, Lebec Consulting