 My name is Deborah Alferone. I'm a TV anchor, on-camera coach, and keynote speaker, and today I am thrilled to be your host for this Just Tech Connect program. So over the next hour, we're going to talk about how to tackle and solve problems for new businesses when you have limited resources to work with. This is a key question faced by every new enterprise. How do you build innovative, cost-effective solutions to problems when you have limited time, money, or expertise? Today, we're going to address that question, and you're going to be hearing from two experts who have extensive experience building and supporting startups with limited resources from emerging markets. We really want to know your thoughts and take your questions during the program. So please ask your questions in the chat space next to the video player, or you can do it on Twitter using the hashtag Just Tech Connect. And to all of the viewing groups joining us, we're sending you an extra special welcome. Please send us your picks by email or Twitter using the Just Tech Connect hashtag. All right, you ready? Okay, I know I am. Let me begin by welcoming our panel of experts. Brie Lesoya Evora is the Learning and Impact Manager at the Center for Entrepreneurship and Executive Development, which provides growth, capital, and business assistance to small and medium-sized enterprises in emerging markets. And also joining us is Natasha Ramanujam. She is the head of Growth and Strategy with BEMPU Health, a public health organization providing innovative life-saving technologies to children in low-resource settings. So I want to thank you both for joining me today. This is going to be great. I'd like to start off the discussion by asking, so what are some of the resources that innovators in limited resource settings should be aware of? Let's start with you, Brie. What do you think? Yeah, sure. I'd like to say that there are a ton of open source, basically meaning that somebody's already done the legwork to create a technology or a tool to make your life easier. And they've been generous enough to share that with the world that are out there in terms of really anything you need, in terms of if you're looking for a website, if you're looking for tech tools. But then there is also a lot of resources out there related to research and background, right? So before you enter a market, of course, you want to know what you're getting yourself into. So there are a lot of people out there that do ecosystem maps, what we call, basically mapping out all of the support that there is out there for entrepreneurship. So I think that's a great place to start based on wherever you're located. The Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs has a really great one. What is that again? The Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs. I need to write that down somewhere. They're basically a membership organization and they do a lot of research in emerging markets. I used to work for them. So you know. So I know a little bit about them. In addition, the Global Accelerator Learning Initiative, GALI, has a bunch of data on not only accelerators, but on ventures globally. And so if you're looking to benchmark yourself, for example, against another tech company in Ghana, that's a great place to start. So and that is GALIdata.org. Very important stuff. That is so, again, I do need to take notes on this for sure. And Natasha, are you with us? How about you? Of course, you know, I'm actually learning a lot myself. Breathe. Thank you for sharing those resources. But I wanted to echo that because I really believe that there's so much data that exists online. And, you know, that's really the first step of any innovative solution is truly understanding your problem. And so we're so fortunate to live in a day and age where we have access to this. I can think of countless times at BEMBU where we have been able to leverage open source data sets. We've taken a lot from the World Bank that to kind of help us think through how to enter new markets specifically with the products that we already have, but even in terms of just understanding the landscape better, these data sets are really, really helpful and can kind of put in perspective the problem that you're dealing with. And can you tell us a little bit also, Natasha, about BEMBU and what were some of the challenges that you faced when you were building the organization? Yeah, sure. So I think you gave a pretty nice introduction to it. BEMBU is a public health organization based out of India. And we create technology that's aimed at reducing newborn mortality in India as well as other low and middle income countries. And so we started our organization with a system to monitor for hypothermia in home-based settings. And the reason we led with hypothermia was because we noticed that there were 20 million low-birthday babies born every year and 8 million of these babies were in India. And so hypothermia had the potential to reduce nearly 18 to 42 percent of all newborn deaths. And so we thought this would be a great place to start. Some of the challenges, though, initially were can we actually measure hypothermia the way we wanted to? So we wanted to create a solution that would be very, very simple for parents to use in home-based settings. And this meant that it needed to last full, we wanted the device to last full month because that's the time we thought if we could monitor for we could prevent any further health complications. So we needed to design for that. But we also needed to show that we could accurately detect hypothermia at the wrist. So usually when you think of temperature management, the peripheries are not where you automatically think of. So it took a lot of development in terms of an algorithm that could really correlate this core temperature to the peripheries. But also significant testing, clinical testing, once we did have a solution to generate the evidence required to kind of present to our different government stakeholders to start scaling the innovation. Thank you so much. And thank you so much for the work that you do. Brie, I want to also talk to you about basically entrepreneurs. You've worked with so many entrepreneurs in emerging markets. And so what are the strategies that they have used to test and validate their business ideas? Yeah, I think that's really critical, right? Because if you do everything else perfectly, you talk the right way, you do the research. If you don't have a product that people want to buy or a service that people want to use, ultimately it's not going to be very effective, right? So I think the first place to start is with friends and family, because they're going to be the most critical. And that's really what you need when you're in that ideation stage. They're going to let you know. Oh, exactly. And know in certain terms. I wouldn't buy that. Yes. And I think a good rule of thumb is if everyone tells you they love your idea, if you haven't heard a single negative review, then you still need to do a lot of research. I like that. I like that. Yeah, and then I would just say there's actually a lot of research out there now that one of the most effective tools for entrepreneurs is peer networks, right? So learning from other entrepreneurs and as opposed to, I think a lot of people jump to, oh, I need a mentor who's someone who can guide me, who's out there. And that can be very effective. But actually, the research shows that peer networks are incredibly effective. And there's a recent report from the Argetius Foundation that found that they're actually very cost-effective too, because it doesn't take much to get together and learn and share and be vulnerable. So not only in finding business partners, but it's kind of lonely being an entrepreneur. It's hard being an entrepreneur. So getting that sort of emotional validation as well, I would say. And then, of course, validating your concept, your design, your idea. I've definitely found that I'm a new entrepreneur six months in. And my friends who are entrepreneurs are the ones who help me with little things that you don't even think about from email signatures to emails that you send out through MailChimp. Things that I'm learning from other people have been wonderful and really cost-effective too. Exactly. Yeah. So for those of you who are just joining us, we're talking today about innovative problem solving with limited resources. Oh, we know a lot about that. And I know there are questions coming in from our online viewers. But before we take the questions, I just want to ask our experts, how can an innovator effectively network and partner with other organizations with similar goals? So, Brie, let's start with you. Yeah. I mean, I'd say go to events. It's the easiest way to meet people, right? Especially free events. Love that. Exactly. And if you don't have a great organizing body where you work, be the driving force. Get people together. I think there really is a hunger among entrepreneurs. It's sort of the foundation of SEED and the core of our business model is that people want to get together. They want to learn from each other. And they want to help each other grow. So if you can't join on to a pre-existing community, create your own. Build it. Yeah, exactly. Build yourself. I like that. And Natasha, do you have anything to add to that? Yeah, I love that. That's been a key strategy for us here in Bangalore. We're very fortunate to be a part of a robust ecosystem of other maternal newborn health startups, tech startups. And so I think having that network with us, not only for us to, as Brie said, validate ideas and to get feedback, but also when we think about how to pitch to different organizations, whether it's donor organizations or governments, we really think about how we can kind of, if there's any potential to collaborate, can we create a package out of our service offerings? Is there an opportunity to tie up in any way? And so I think these ecosystems and these networks, they go a long way. Excellent. That was very insightful. Thank you both. Appreciate that. OK, we're going to take some questions now. We're coming in from our online viewers. OK, here's the first one. What funding resources are available to innovators hoping to launch a nonprofit and a limited resource setting? You want to take that one, Brie? That's a tough one. We don't always know everything. Exactly. But we can crowdsource these answers for people. Yeah, definitely. I mean, I think just do your research. As I mentioned, there are a lot of organizations and included that are mapping ecosystems that are really making it very easy to go online, and say, I'm in this sector, I work in this geography, and I need philanthropy or grant funding. And you can pull up a list of organizations that might be a good fit for you. I'd say things to avoid would be blindly reaching out to anybody who you think might have money. I think, as you mentioned, these people are limited resources, and time is a resource. So really make sure that you're targeting the right types of organizations and then rely on pre-existing data and organizations that are out there that provide that service. And sometimes just making a mistake is a really wonderful learning experience. Exactly. There are no mistakes. You just learn. That's it. Yes, yeah, exactly. And Natasha, do you have anything that you might want to add to that, or should we have so many more questions? Yeah, I mean, I think, for us at BEMPU, we've been really fortunate to receive funding support from a variety of different organizations. We're completely grant funded currently. And as you can see on the screen, here are a couple of them. I think the Saving Live is a birth program through USAID and Grand Challenges Canada has been monumental. For us, we were able to receive seed funding from BEM, as well as our transition to scale funding. And so it's all around. And as Brie said, it's really about finding the right people to work with or to request funding from. I think they're call for proposals all over the place, but it's really about identifying the right organization that can kind of help you get to where you need to go. It's not just about funding, but it's a little bit about, can they guide you? Can they put you in touch with the right networks for you to, if they give you this money, what can you actually achieve with it after that? Great, thank you. A viewing group from Windhoek Namibia, I hope I'm saying that correctly, they're asking, how can entrepreneurs effectively use marketing campaigns with limited financial resources? I think that you're both going to tell me a little bit about social media. So let me ask you, am I taking the words out of your mouth? Yeah, basically, I think leveraging social media, right? Often it's free or very cheap. So it's a great way to get your name out there. Again, there are a bunch of listserv, mail services. So just being really smart about the type of package you pick and who you want to communicate to. I think creating a marketing campaign, just because you think you need to create a marketing campaign is effective, right? So really making sure you think through your strategy and then leverage free or low-cost resources too. Absolutely. Natasha, do you have something to add to that? Yeah, so when we think about marketing campaigns at BEMPU, we really try to segment our markets. So for example, when it comes to an online campaign, the messaging that we send across to our public health partners is very different than what we would communicate to a private hospital doctor, for example, or directly to a parent. And so we try to be very conscious of that. In terms of on-the-ground marketing, we don't really think it's really for us to put up billboards and things like that, especially if you can imagine low-resourced settings, affordable technologies don't really go hand-in-hand with big advertisement statements like that. So we do a lot of in-hospital type advertisements. And that comes through to just doctor trainings or nurse trainings, things like that, where we can talk about a problem, talk about how we're addressing it as a company, but make sure it's focused around the actual public health concern. But that for us is a form of marketing. Here's our next question. How can I effectively network with other organizations or companies trying to solve a similar issue? That's a great question, because sometimes you think, well, wait, you're in this space already, so what do I have to offer? How can we work together? What would you tell someone who asks that question? Yeah, I mean, I think it's about being vulnerable. Honestly, I think that's one of the keys to seed success is that you're really proactively creating that trust so that entrepreneurs feel comfortable sharing their success and their failure and being very open and honest about it so that other people don't have to repeat their mistakes. So I think, yeah, finding the right network, first of all, and then being vulnerable yourself, and then helping out other people along the way, because often people are a little more inclined to return the favor if they feel that down the line, they can turn to you for help as well. Reciprocity is a wonderful way to get things done. And you're right. Every time and time again, any research I do just always points back to vulnerability. And we're so scared of it. We've got to wall up. I need to know everything. But really, that's how we connect to people. If I tell you a little bit about me and what I'm going through, you're going to go, oh, wait a second. I can kind of understand a little bit because I'm going through that. So everyone out there, try it. Just try being a little vulnerable. All right, this one is for Brie. You've worked with a variety of innovators. So I like this. What were some inspiring companies or organizations you worked with? And why did they inspire you? Maybe it was vulnerability, I don't know, tell us. Yeah, I mean, I think, so I work in sort of what we call the impact measurement space, impact management space, which is a little bit of a buzzword, but basically meaning that there are entrepreneurs out there that can achieve a financial return and also create some positive social benefit as well, or at the very least, prevent negative social impact. So I think the most inspiring companies that I've been around are those that have been able to not only decide that they're mission focused to decide, I really want to create jobs in my community and this is important to me. So I'm going to measure that, I'm going to manage that, but beyond that, you know, sort of there's a stereotype that you either make money or you're a social entrepreneur and I don't think that's true at all, actually. I think the two can go hand in hand. So I think the most inspiring organizations that I've been around have been those that are able to sort of reconcile the impact in the business and then communicate that effectively because it's tough to do, but there is a business value in impact data, right? I would much prefer to shop at, you know, a boutique that I know is doing good things in my community. You know, that's another form of marketing, that's another form of, you know, positive income generation activities and it's good for the world and, you know, sort of a win-win. Yeah, we have to support companies that are kind of aligned with our values personally, absolutely. Yeah, I'm with you on that. And Natasha, here's a question for you. What was one of the main challenges you face when trying to build trust with the communities that you're trying to work in? I mean, you're really changing the world over there. That's a, it's a good question. I mean, in terms of building trust, it's tough because you have to compete against existing priorities. And this is, you know, true when we think about our end line users, the parents, offering them solutions that actually require a little bit of effort on their part and telling them, hey, like we have something that might actually really make a big impact in your life, but you have to be willing to make slight behavior changes. It's really difficult. It requires a lot of evidence, but because of the nature of our work, you know, we're working with very, very at risk newborns. The situation is pretty dire. And for a lot of our moms and dads that we get to serve, not only through the bracelet that we give them, the hypothermia temp watch, but through the training that we give around how to use it, what corrective action can be taken if there's an issue. I think all of that, once they realize how the bracelet is working on their baby, they become very, very receptive to it. You know, we've had parents when we were first launching say, hey, my baby doesn't need this. Like there's no way there could be hypothermia. It's, you know, we live in India, it's a tropical country. And even doctors would give us this pushback, but it's a lot of, you know, showing the data in a way that whoever that end line user is, whether they can read these numbers or not, they need to, that information needs to be communicated to them in a way that makes sense. So I think through that, we've been able to kind of build trust with our communities, build trust with our stakeholders and just further the vision of the work. Thank you so much, Natasha. Now this question comes from Luisa from Brazil and she's asking what resources are available to help entrepreneurs create a strategic plan for their startups growth when they have limited resources. Great question, yeah, because you want to build this thing out and you want to really impact people. So what do you think? Yeah, I mean, I think honestly, like I can't emphasize enough the idea of research and validating your concept. There actually are resources online that sort of take you from point A to point B, but I would also say it's important to make sure that you are thinking through your process, right? So it's easy to take sort of a template for this is what a strategic plan looks like, but you need to make sure that it's in line with your plan and what you're able to achieve as an entrepreneur. And then again, just relying on people you trust to help validate that and whether that's an employee that you've hired or whether that's a friend who's an entrepreneur who can be honest with you and saying this plan looks great or needs some work. Yeah, exactly, research. I think I'm gonna walk away from this conversation doing some more research when I get home, for sure. And it is important. Viewer at the US Embassy in La Paz, Bolivia is asking us, what are the best practices for identifying cost-effective resources for your startups? Let's give this one first to Natasha. What do you think, Natasha? Cost-effective resources. So I think we've both been saying there's so many free resources online that exist. So I think that's obviously a great starting point, but being able to measure I think what is cost-effective is really challenging and you need to know what indicators you're measuring up against. So for us, we need to show that we're creating cost-effective technology. And so we show that what we're developing, the price that we're selling it for is actually much cheaper than the standard of the current standard of care. And so how you measure that is, it can be up for debate, but you need to kind of draw the right indicators, I think, to show that, you know, compared to what's currently being done, like we can do this for a slightly lower price. I hope the answer is a question, but I think in terms of what the resources you're using to develop that, it's all about I think being kind of a MacGyver in that sense, like being scrappy. If that makes sense, just pulling together things, pulling together resources for existing technology to see if that can come together to make a solution that otherwise would be much, much more expensive. So happy to answer any more pointed questions on that if it needs clarifying. Okay, maybe we'll get some more questions after that about that. So here's another thing that I've learned also, Natasha, is, hey, everything you wanna learn, just Google it. Seriously, there's so much out there that I have learned from marketing strategies for my business that I just really Googled it. And then I would ask someone else and do some, did you use this, did you use this and talk to people? But yeah, you could go down a Google rabbit hole, but it is there for you. All right, we got a question from Christina from Brazil asking, what are some strategies to identify and validate customer segments? And Brie, I'm again, wanna take notes. Whatever you say, I'm writing down. That's a really great question. I mean, I think, obviously it's easy to start with friends and family and sort of work your way out there, but there's actually, and again, back to sort of open source resources, a lot of tools online about how to do your own marketing research, right? So, I mean, any chance you get really, you've met a new person, why not throw out the idea, but then also collecting that data in a rigorous way too, right? So whether it's a survey, which you might have to pay a little bit of money to get people to fill out a survey or offer a gift card prize or something. But yeah, just really thinking about aligning incentives so that maybe, if you fill out my survey, you get this or being able to collect that data in a way that is more than just anecdotal, I think can be really helpful, improving your case, not only to you and the people that you're working with, but to a potential investor. I think definitely that market data is gonna be invaluable. And I've used SurveyMonkey and I've used Typeform, and I use both the free versions of those. I mean, there are some great benefits to the paid versions, but you can get, put together a survey and get some good info. That's not bad. Exactly, exactly. Absolutely. So we have a viewer asking, would you mind explaining what you mean by exposing your vulnerability? I'm so glad you asked that question. And so the person goes on to say, I have trouble understanding how this could help me while I am networking. So here, let's just do a little play here. So if I talk to you about my business and I tell you, and we're both in the same space, we're talking about it, and I say, the reason why I do this and why I have my business coaching people to have a voice on camera is because I know what it's like to not have a voice. Because, and my backstory is, that I was a high school dropout at one point, and I worked my way up to becoming a news anchor. And so, when you hear that, that's my vulnerability that I'm telling you, and we're just playing a role playing here, but I really want people to get this. How does that affect you in wanting to talk to me? Yeah, exactly. It makes you much more approachable. And then I'm gonna be a lot more inclined to share my story with you. And that sort of creates a closer bond. And maybe there isn't an immediate benefit to that bond. Other than, you know, I really vibe with that person. They're great. But who knows down the line that could be a potential business partner, that could be a client. You know, you never know. So I think as you're meeting people, just, you know, it's, I think as entrepreneurs, you're sort of taught to promote yourself, right? To put your best foot forward. Big wall around you. Exactly. You know exactly. That's what I'm doing. We all wanna look like we're the best in our sector, the best in our field, you need to invest in me. But also bringing that personal side is a part of being vulnerable. And then, you know, to be honest about what you're struggling with, I think I've been most impressed by entrepreneurs who say, you know what, I know impact measurements important, but I don't know how to do it. And I don't know if it's worth, you know, the time and money that it's gonna take to learn. And that to me is vulnerability. And you know, if I'm in a position to help you, maybe I will, you know? Absolutely. And Natasha, what do you think about that? Because I really do want to make sure people understand, that was a great question. Thank you so much for asking it. And we do think we need to be perfect, right? But vulnerability does connect us. And so I bet you have a wonderful story about everything that you do because you're really out there saving lives. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I think as an entrepreneur and an innovator, there's a certain level of pressure that we all feel to show results and to show impact, especially in this space. You know, we have money that's coming into our organization from our funders and we need to show return on that investment that they're giving us. But it's difficult. I mean, sometimes things just don't turn out the way you want them to. And I think for us, especially at BEMPU, like we've been very committed to pursuing the government cycles in India as well as other countries because that is how we think we'll reach the most number of babies. But it takes a long time. It's taking us maybe a lot longer than we thought it would. But I think in a lot of ways, we've been able to speak about that openly as an organization, speak about it with other companies within this ecosystem that I mentioned and celebrate each other's successes, but also kind of think through each other's failures in a lot of ways. And that's allowed us to pivot in new ways that perhaps we wouldn't have thought about had we not had that kind of setback. So we're still working on our government strategy. It's going in a pretty positive direction right now. And we're seeing it for our ecosystem as well, for our other entrepreneurs that we routinely interact with. So that's been very exciting for all of us. Thank you so much. And one other thing about vulnerability, there is actually a silly but funny beer garden here in DC that has an entrepreneurship night where people are sharing their biggest mistake that they made. It's an interesting like storytelling series. So we have a viewer at the Salvadoran American Cultural Center who's asking, can you provide any advice on how to make a product appealing while being eco-friendly? What do you think, Bray? Yeah, that's a good point. I mean, I think a lot of times that eco-friendly is the appealing part, but that's not true in every market. I lived in Senegal for a while and I think a lot of people are like, okay, eco-friendly. So yeah, I think knowing who your audience is, right? Knowing if you wanna really market, this is gonna save a ton of energy, this is good for the environment or finding other ways to make it accessible to people and to make it attractive to people. So not relying on the fact that it's great for the environment, depending on the sort of context that you're operating in. So yeah, I guess it would depend on what the product is specifically, but I would just say knowing your audience and what they're interested in. And that's good for anything. Right. Yeah, absolutely. So we have a viewing group from the American Center and One Hook Namibia. How can entrepreneurs leverage data from their small business to enhance their revenue? Let's start with Natasha on this one. Yeah, that's a great question. I mean, we get a lot of data in from the customers that we serve. And I think that actually has allowed us to continue to innovate. So I've been speaking a lot about our bamboo temp watch, which is used to measure or monitor for hypothermia. But through the field research that we've done, the clinical studies that we've done on this specific device, we've gotten a ton of data back and that has allowed us to continue to innovate. So for example, we're getting ready to launch one of our newest products called the Apneboot, which is going to be used to monitor for central apneas in premature and low-birthday babies. We also have a home monitoring telemedicine service called Baby On Track. And both of these insights were drawn from data that we were receiving in real time from the field work we were doing on the bamboo bracelet. So I think the point is, no matter what data you're getting, collect it, analyze it when you have a chance and see if there's anything you can do to build on that. It's great consumer insights, I think, that are constantly coming in. Excellent. Another question from a viewer at the Salvadoran American Cultural Center. What is your experience in generating content for your target audience with a small budget? Brie. That's a really good question. I mean, I think knowing your strengths, right? So if you're the only person on your team and writing is not your forte, like maybe you need to take a writing class or do some research online or if you have a team member that you can rely on, that's great at communicating with people, and perfect, that person's person, you might wanna sort of delegate that task too. But I mean, I think at the core of any type of communication, you have to create a story, right? So, you know, I think it's very tempting to be like, look what we did, like numbers, numbers, numbers, look how great we are. But the reality is the story is a much more powerful tool in connecting with any audience and then knowing what your target audience wants to hear and what they're interested in and why they would read an email, I think is really key. And video is important too. If you're a great talker, you're really passionate, there's just no way you can't jump out of the screen if you're really passionate about what you're doing. So that's another way, you know what? You get your phone, there you go. But make sure it looks good because, you know, we want it all to look good, we don't want like a light switch in the background and we want you to be lit nicely, but certainly video, hey, that's pretty cheap. Exactly. So what are the benefits and risks of creating a partnership with another company also solving a similar issue? Natasha, have you had any experience with that? Yeah, to some extent. I mean, we don't have any formal partnerships with other companies that are working in similar spaces, but we have been able to partner with organizations to do distribution style work. For example, we work very closely with the Massachusetts General Hospital, David Harvard team that develops saving innovations geared towards mothers and newborns as well. And we distribute one of their products called their Every Second Matters, uterine balloon tamponade. And so it's a partnership that, you know, their goal is to distribute this to the best of their ability and to reach as many mothers as they can. And so for us, it was a partnership or it was a attempt that we really believed in and it was a mission that we thought we could further with our own work. But we've been very careful to align with organizations that have similar goals in mind and are working towards the same outcome. We don't necessarily look for partnerships if they're not mutually beneficial and it's never kind of our goal to just kind of benefit exclusively. And so I think in that regards, we're pretty careful with it as everyone should be, but I think there's a lot of value when you find the right partner. If there's any synergies between two organizations to definitely leverage them. And then there's no substitute for just trusting your gut too. Right, yeah. So the next question is, are there grant programs that you're aware of for science and tech entrepreneurs in emerging markets? Do you know of any brief? It's okay if you don't. I know off the top of my head, maybe I'll follow up after the webinar with some ideas, but yes, there are. I think there are a lot of pitch competitions that specifically focus on science and technology. I think it really just depends on where you are. So I, again, going back to Google it, but then also, exactly, then go back to some of these ecosystem maps and see if you can filter by that level of detail. I'm a tech entrepreneur in Ecuador. What can I leverage here? Gotcha. Murali asks, I'm quite interested to hear if consulting slash advisory services shall attract seed funding capital from angel investors and VCs. Great question. Who wants this one? Hands in the air? Well, I can't see you, Natasha. So Brie, do you want this one or am I going to hand it to Natasha? Maybe Natasha can take this one. Let's see what Natasha has to say about that. That's a good question. And to be quite honest, at BEMPU at least, we don't have too much expertise in that because we're not doing too much consulting work. It's mostly like we, as a product and services company, we're getting our grant funding or seed funding rather. We were very careful to evaluate whether it should be coming through grants or if we want to raise any equity funding. But to date, because of the nature of the work and the mission that we have, grant funding has done quite well for us. Brie, do you have anything to add to this? You might have a little bit more. Yeah, I mean, I say yes, because I can know of companies in emerging markets that do consulting that have attracted angel investment or VC funding. So clearly it is possible. I think it really depends on the market. And I think it depends on what stage your business is in. I think for the consulting field, you might need to have a little bit more evidence that this is a sustainable business model that you're really bringing something that can last to the table to raise that level of investment. But again, I think it really just depends from one market to the next. Absolutely. Our next question is from a viewing group from ICE Alex in Alexandria, Egypt. And I actually think I have something to add to this question here. So they're asking, what advice do you have in choosing co-founders and hiring early employees? So yesterday I was at this event where a very prestigious law firm, Guy came in and was talking about it. And one thing he did say about it is, make sure you have everything written down. And it's all legal. And you have the whole agreement down, because that's important. So what do you think about choosing co-founders and hiring early employees? If you've not done that before, which how many people have, then that's going to be a little bit daunting. Yeah, definitely. I mean, I think, especially at the early stage of a company, how you get along with that person is going to be critical. So maybe someone looks great on paper, but in person, there isn't that connection. Trust your instincts. You want someone who's hopefully going to stick around for the long haul. And then once you're able to attract those superstars that you want in your company, focus on keeping them there. Make sure that they're happy. Make sure you're paying for their professional development. Yeah, I think we talk about the talent problem a lot. It's not a lack of talent. It's that I think it can be a little challenging to retain talent in a startup, especially. So what you can't give someone in money. Maybe you give them flexibility of work hours or just thinking of ways to keep them there once you do hire those superstars. Yeah, and managing people is a different skill set than running a company or knowing about your specific product. So that's important stuff. And you might want to put some time into that. Again, Google it. Google is not sponsoring this, mind you. But I always just do a search online. We have a viewer from the San Pedro Cultural Center in Honduras asking, how do I do advertising and marketing to find potential small-size retailers with a limited budget? Interesting. What do you think, Brie? Yeah, so I guess you're trying to advertise to these retailers, or are you trying to bring them in? I guess, OK, if you're advertising for these sort of small boutique retailers, I think, unfortunately, in a lot of markets, it's about sort of the door-to-door. Depending on where you are, obviously, the internet's a great tool. But not every market's there yet. So I'm recognizing the type of consumer that you want to bring in. And then, again, just doing your research, doing that market research, to maybe you do have to pay someone who lives in an area that you're not from, that you're looking to expand to do some research on what are my demographics there? Is there a market here or not? And sometimes, if you have a product you're trying to get it into a small-sized retailer, you just really can walk in and connect with your local. Like you were talking about, you want to work with maybe a boutique rather than a larger department store, you have these affinities that you might have for, you want to support your local economy there. Yeah, exactly. And I own so many people that sell things, different types of items, and they just sell them right from their website. Or they use Shopify and different types of platforms and things like that. People connect with your mess, not your success, a very, very smart speaking coach told me once. And I think that when you do say, hey, I've got this wonderful product, but I'm not sure about this. That's not my expertise. What do you think? You're asking someone for help. You're actually kind of complimenting them that you would come to them in the first place. And how would you feel when someone talks about their product and their business? And they really have it all together, but they just don't know this one piece. What's your take on them? What do you think about them? Yeah, exactly. I mean, I think, again, I think this goes for any human connection. I think there are actually studies out there that show that the best way to be likable isn't actually to be impressive. It's to be impressed, to really communicate that you're listening to somebody and that you respect who they are and you respect their expertise. So yeah, it all comes back to the human element, right? Ultimately, when you're networking, like we use this term for it, but you're talking to someone, you know? You're trying to get to know them. You're just talking to someone. And we call it this word networking. It feels kind of icky sometimes, but it's really just people talking. Yeah, exactly. So again, vulnerability, if I can get that word right, is a really key aspect, I think, to the success of an entrepreneur is knowing when to show off, knowing when to brag about what you've been able to achieve and knowing when to be honest about your failures. And I think people really responded to that. So a viewing group from American Center in Windhoek, Namibia, is asking, as an entrepreneur, how often should you engage with your online audience? I think all the time is kind of the answer. And there we are, yay, love that. Yeah, I feel like we really need to always engage with your audience, but you know what? That really does become cumbersome. What do you think, Bray? Yeah, I mean, I think it's hard. I think if it's the type of thing where someone can opt in, like Twitter, like Facebook, you know, where maybe you're not sending an email every day, like people might start to feel a little bit resentful, but we all know business is a do. So as long as your content's good and you know where your audience is interested in, I think it just really depends. And I think making sure that your online content is in fact content, I think it's sort of easy sometimes to say, oh, we need to send an email just because we need to send an email. But if you're not saying anything in that email, it's not ultimately great marketing, right? So just making sure the content is there and that the frequency fits your user and one great way to test that is through surveys, right? So maybe once in a while you say, you know, how are we doing? How do you feel about the level of communication and being responsive to that feedback? Absolutely. And what do you think, Natasha? Online is very important. I mean, but for us, it really depends. Like we have different business channels that are targeted towards different customers that, you know, we won't be able to reach online in some cases, but in others, frequent communication that's not overwhelming, I think really goes a long way. Like we've had success stories of working with different countries really that, you know, responded positively to messages we had sent and at that point perhaps did not have the funding or the infrastructure resources to, you know, work with us formally. But over time, because we were in constant communication with them at least, you know, every few months or so, at a certain point when they did have the resources in place, we were able to start working together and I think that has gone a really long way for our international strategy, you know, especially because we can't be on the ground everywhere. So online communication is definitely important. Knowing your audience and knowing what type of information they need to hear from you, I think that goes a really long way. Thank you, Natasha. And also on social media, if someone is gonna take the time to write a comment, I get back to everybody. Whether it's a small thank you or an emoji, I want to thank you for spending some time with me. So those are great questions. Gosh, so many questions. It's awesome. And I wanna ask our experts, okay. What are some funding options that innovators in emerging markets should be aware of to help build their ventures, Brie? Yeah, I mean, again, I think it's hard to list specifics depending on the country, but yeah, making sure that you do your research to find the right types of organizations that you wanna work with. And then I think one thing that C tries to emphasize with this entrepreneurs is you don't have to take everything that's offered to you. A lot of funding comes with strings attached that you may not be comfortable with or that you may not, that may not align with your long-term goals as a business. So I think there's sort of this impulse, like, yes, of course, why wouldn't I take $30,000 to build my business? But and then if you're gonna have to give up more than what you're comfortable with, then maybe it's not the right opportunity for you. So identify the right resources. And I think Natasha said this earlier, work with organizations that are gonna build you up and that are gonna provide whether it's networks or advice or technology that can help your business. Make sure that it's a good fit. Absolutely. And Natasha, can you add on to that? Yeah, so specifically for BEMPU, we've been really fortunate in terms of funding all along the way and with our different products, everything from seed funding to scaling funding, we've been able to secure and that's really allowed us to grow at the rate that we've been able to and to continue to innovate, to name a few specific resources that we've been able to take advantage of. Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has offered seed funding for a few of our products, the Saving Lives at Birth Program or through USAID, Grand Challenges Canada. We're able to really align around some of the programs that they've offered and I think that's really helped us with the funding that we have. So I think as long as your product or your business venture is aligned with what some of these other funding bodies are looking to accomplish, then you have a pretty good shot at receiving it, but it's identifying which opportunity, as Brie mentioned, which opportunity works for you as an organization that you don't wanna take funding just because it's there. There should be some alignment and there should be some due diligence around that. Great, thank you so much, Natasha. This is wonderful. You guys have so many great questions out there and a lot of them are surrounding funding. So we've got another question about funding options. So what are some specific funding options you're aware of? Everyone wants to know this stuff. We need money out there. We need money to make sure that our businesses thrive and we change the world. What do you think, Brie? Exactly, I wouldn't believe that there were entrepreneurs asking questions if we weren't asked about funding a lot. Exactly. So I mean, if you are a socially-minded enterprise like Natasha's, I think DFI's and donor organizations are usually a pretty good place to start. So looking, obviously, USAID has programs around the world, Global Affairs Canada, sort of the usual suspects of donors that want to support entrepreneurship. If you're not socially-minded, I think there are. There is this big rise in impact investing. It's sort of the new trendy thing. So really, looking at what's out there, there are a lot of organizations. So for example, Andy's one of them, but the GIN, the Global Impact Investing Network, is they have a directory. You can see who is operating in your country, who might be interested in investing, and do your research to see, as Natasha said, is it a good fit? So I mean, I think if you have a social focus, it's really easy to start with the foundations and the donor countries. If you don't have a social focus, then you know you're gonna need some sort of private sector investment, then see who's working in your country and connect with those people. That's awesome. People are getting so much out of this. I know it. So great points, and let's get back to some more questions. You guys are awesome. Thank you so much for writing in. What free resources are available to entrepreneurs for strategic business planning? Yeah, that's a good question, strategic business planning. I need the answer to this. What do you think, Natasha? So there are some good resources out there. I think there are a number of social impact courses that exist. I know that the Miller Center at Santa Clara University, they have some resources available. USAID also has a really nice pathway to scaling document that exists. Perhaps we can share that later at the end of the program. But those are documents that we've used and benefited from in terms of building out our strategies, especially in terms of our growth. Last year, we led a project that was looking to develop a strategy around international scaling, where we were trying to identify which were the top countries that we should start to think about in terms of bringing our products to. And when you think about 190 plus countries, the options are endless. So we really needed to come up with a formula that we could use to apply to these different countries and to surface the right ones for us. And so I would say we took some insights from both of these resources and we kind of build a plan around that. And a lot of it started with looking at data sets, seeing what criteria we needed to start with, and then from there, filtering down. And then once we had countries in mind, building specific strategies or operating plans around them, because each country is different and what you do in one country just may not be the same. Thank you so much. A viewing group from the American Center in Windhoek Namibia asks, how should entrepreneurs protect their intellectual property? That's critical, isn't it, Brie? Yeah, it really is the galley, the Global Accelerator Learning Initiative, actually found that entrepreneurs with a patent were much more likely to have higher revenue, higher, be able to raise equity a little bit easier. So yeah, having a patent is really critical, particularly if you're dealing with specific technologies. So I mean, obviously going through the legal process of the country you operate in isn't always easy, but I think it's a clear first step, just even mapping out what that would look like. And then if you live in a country where maybe it isn't super clear how you do that or maybe the laws protecting you aren't super well enforced, thinking of other innovative ways that you might protect that intellectual property. I know a lot of businesses that we work with in Eastern Europe, for example, won't put specific information about the services they offer or about their product online because they worry that someone's gonna come copy it and take it. So being strategic about what you communicate and who you trust with this information, I think a lot of businesses use things like non-disclosure agreements with employees or whatever the case might be. But yeah, I think that's a great question because if you have intellectual property to protect, you should absolutely take every step to do that. Absolutely, and I've gotten some great free legal advice too from just networking and going to events because someone will come in and I've made some notes thinking, okay, I really need to take care of this and that's what I've done in the past. Awesome. I can't believe it. We're at our final question already. So where did the time go? The question from the Andrew Young Center in Abidjan Kottdivore. And I hope I said that correctly. How can you undertake a valid project when you do not have reliable and sustainable sources of energy or internet access? Natasha, what do you think? It's very relevant for tonight. That's really tough. I mean, I can empathize with that, especially right now. And I think for us, especially when we're in the field, I only think about how we need to move our work forward. I mean, it's a lot of trying to see what can be done offline in terms of, I think if you're asking about power sources, making sure you have ways of backing things up in terms of if you have access to hard drives and things like that, it's vital or even having a system such as like a cloud server that if you can update to periodically even, that can be really helpful. But I know it's really difficult when you're on the ground and all of a sudden the power is out and you can't make it to a commitment that you had. But there are other ways to get around it. I think as long as you're conscious of that being a problem and then having a backup plan. I mean, really, it's about that. So I hope that helps. Yeah, absolutely. And we're so happy to have you here because guess what? It looks like we're out of time. This is crazy. I wish we could talk all day. But I wanna thank you, Natasha and Brie for joining us and sharing your so, so, so, so valuable expertise and your experiences. And I also wanna thank everyone viewing today, especially the viewing groups around the globe for bringing entrepreneurs together to be a part of this vital conversation. So we've had audiences at American Cultural Center in Winhuck, Namibia, American Corner in Walvis Bay, Namibia, Martin Luther King Jr., American Corner in Namibia, American Space in Brazzaville, Congo, American Space in Ponte Noir, Congo, Youth Network for Reform in Monrovia, Liberia, U.S. Embassy in La Paz, Bolivia, Walt Whitman, American Center in Guatemala, Impact Hub in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Centro Venezuelano Americano in Caracas, Venezuela, Benjamin Franklin Public Library and Cultural Center in San Pedro Sula Honduras. Thanks for joining us in American Corner in Pristina, Kosovo, Ice Alex in Alexandria, Egypt and L Space in Tunis, Tunisia. Thank you all. And even though today's program is over, we don't want this conversation about entrepreneurship to ever stop. So please continue the conversation on Twitter at hashtag GIST Tech Connect and check back here on gistnetwork.org for information about other upcoming GIST events, including programs as awesome as this. I hope you enjoyed our discussion today and thank you so much again for joining us. Have a great day.