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The Conference for Social
Entrepreneurship
Inspiring the next generation of socially-minded, innovative
business leaderswww.osezinnover.com
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Why Social Entrepreneurship?Guinea is a country of great need and limitless possibility. The current system of aid is not working to pull Guineans out of poverty fast enough, and Guinea’s development lags behind ot¬her countries in the region. Dare to Innovate believes in the power of social enterprise to create sustainable solutions to this problem.
Social enterprises measure profit in two ways—the financial gain of shareholders and the social gain for stakeholders—using profit as a tool for lasting social change. By leveraging social entrepreneurship, Guineans are empowered to start businesses and lift themselves and others out of poverty, creating employment, generating income, combating social issues and developing their country from the inside-out.
Imagine…A society where entrepreneurs have access to resources, where innovation is the norm and where the youth participate actively in the development of their country. This is the future envisioned by Dare to Innovate...
Our MissionThe mission of Dare to Innovate is to create a community of socially-minded individuals and entrepreneurs that fosters the exchange of ideas, knowledge and resources, catalyzing and promoting the social entrepreneurship movement in Guinea. By providing cutting-edge curriculum, collaboration with motivated thought-leaders and access to top-level training and mentoring, Dare to Innovate challenges youth to design and jump-start their own social enterprises, becoming actors in Guinea’s economy while combating social issues.
From Conference to CompetitionIn 2013 seven Peace Corps volunteers in the Community Econom-ic Development sector saw an opportunity to take their introduc-tory entrepreneurship curriculum to the next level. The result was Dare to Innovate, a movement for social entrepreneurship that selects and trains Guinean youth with the tools and frameworks necessary to create a social enterprise.
Comprised of four phases, the Dare to Innovate program begins with the Conference, which fosters an environment for idea gen-eration and brainstorming, leading participants through a week-long journey into critical thinking, creative activities, technology trainings and business plan conception. During the Research and Development Period, participants fine-tune and craft their busi-ness ideas into presentable and persuadable plans. The process cul-minates in the Competition, where participants pitch their plans to a panel of judges who select the most innovative and feasible
ideas to win seed-funding. Microfinance institutions are also invited to the competition so that all participants have the opportunity to access sustainable community funding. Throughout the process, participants collaborate with trained mentors in the field of so-cial entrepreneurship. These mentors guide the entrepreneurs’ development, leading to the final phase—the establishment of a Movement of change-agents within an ecosystem of collaborative, creative, entrepreneurial exchange.
In late 2013 the pilot phase of Dare to Innovate brought together 21 Guinean youth who each pitched their ideas to a jury of dis-tinguished judges. The jury awarded startup funds to seven partici-pants on the basis of creativity, innovation, quality of presentation, and caliber of business plan. Six of the seven winners have already launched their businesses and four have already begun turning a profit.
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Fatoumata is a young woman who should be an example for all young women looking to make a difference in their country. She overcame many challenges dur-ing the research and development period, and still came out of the competition victorious. She was awarded 18,250,000 GNF (≈$2,645) and with these winnings, she worked quickly to open a daycare center.
The women of Fatoumata’s neighborhood sell at the local market, which is located right on the edge of Conakry’s auto-route. It is very difficult for these women to manage their business while keeping a constant eye on their small children who are at risk of being hit by a passing car or truck, getting sick from playing in the
piles of trash that pollute the market, or falling into the deep gutters that line the road. At the same time, she realized that many children enter school not even knowing their letters, their numbers, or how to think creatively. They start their educational careers at a disadvantage, which is never overcome. In light of these social problems, she decided to launch her daycare promoting creativity and pro-viding security for children.
After less than a month of operations, she already cares for and educates 82 children. She employees two other young women and is looking to expand that number. With the help of AGUIDEP, she keeps organized management documents. In the course of a few months, she went from a young woman, returned from university, discouraged about the opportunities available for her, to a leader in her community and a social entrepreneur able to pro-vide for herself and others.
Implementing Partner: AGUIDEPAGUIDEP (l’Association Guinéenne pour le Développement de l’Entreprise Privée) is a local NGO that combats poverty by reinforcing the capacity and management of local entrepreneurs. AGUIDEP has been the primary collaborator since Dare to Innovate’s inception, monitoring and evaluating the project’s impact and participating in the Movement’s realization.
Our Mentorship ProgramDare to Innovate is graciously supported by a team of educators, entrepreneurs and experts in the field of social entrepreneurship. Each of our participants is assigned a mentor who guides and ad-vises during the enterprise planning and creation process. Amongst our mentors is the founder of Afrimarine, one of Guinea’s largest businesses devoted to maritime activities; a former World Bank official and husband to Guinea’s former Minister of Industry; and Madame Sylla Hadja M’Ballou Fofana, founder of the Organic Farm Fabik and winner of the 2011 prize for female investment in a rural setting. These relationships continue well beyond the Confer-ence, combining the energy and inventiveness of the youth with the business experience of our mentors and creating the synergy that drives the Dare to Innovate Movement.
Venturing ForwardThe success of the Dare to Innovate pilot inspired the founders to enlarge the project’s vision, expanding the conference and compe-tition and developing a spectrum of year-round activities devoted to innovation and social entrepreneurship. At the heart of this long-term vision is local capacity development, initially managed by an American Technical Adviser who will train local staff over time to manage and develop the program indigenously. This transformation will bring Guinea to the forefront of social innovation rather than simply bringing social entrepreneurship to Guinea.
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Information. Inspiration. Innovation.Information. Inspiration. Innovation.Contact UsAbraham ChenInterim Technical [email protected](224) 622 84 54 21
Elhadj Mamadou DialloProject [email protected](224) 622 84 51 97
Emma Schaberg O’BrienPublic Relations and [email protected]
Hilary BrasethDirector of [email protected](224) 622 84 54 14
Wiatta ThomasCoordinator of Mentor [email protected](224) 622 84 54 09
Amadou (Chico) CissokoMovement [email protected](224) 620 69 16 61
Meghan McCormick Founder and Chair of the [email protected]
Support the Community!Help Dare to Innovate continue to inspire innovation and social entrepreneurship by sponsoring a key component of this year’s program.
Technical Advisor and Staff $ 60,000The Dare to Innovate Technical Adviser is the most integral component to the program’s future. The Technical Adviser will integrate the knowledge and vision of the Dare to Innovate founders with the program’s future implementation, reinforcing the technical capacities of Dare to Innovate staff and keeping them up-to-date on the latest social entrepreneurial developments and training techniques. The rest of the Dare to Innovate staff will consist of a team of Guineans who will lead and manage the project’s execution and development.
Competition and Prize Fund $ 35,000The Dare to Innovate Competition gives our entrepreneurs the chance to present and defend their business plans testing their new skills and perspectives. A jury of experienced authorities and entrepreneurs evaluate each business idea for quality, feasibility and presentation, distributing seed-funding prizes to those of the highest caliber.
Conference $ 15,000The Dare to Innovate Conference is at the heart of the Dare to Innovate movement. Through this program our young entrepreneurs are transformed into critically thinking change-agents capable of producing promising social businesses.
Mentorship Program $ 5,000The mentorship team of successful Guinean businessmen and women provide our entrepreneurs with guidance and advice on the development of their business plans. This funding provides for mentors’ meals, lodging and transportation during the conference, competition, and pre-conference orientations.
USD 115 000 Grand Total
Connect With Our CommunityWe have developed a bilingual website where we discuss the global social entrepreneurship sector, post Dare to Innovate updates, and create a forum for ideas-exchange. Connect with us online and leave a comment at www.OsezInnover.com.
