#CiscoChat Recap: Leveraging Technology to Accelerate Social Entrepreneurship

Last week, Cisco Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) hosted a #CiscoChat on its Twitter page around social entrepreneurship; specifically, we looked at how organizations, companies, and individuals can leverage technology to accelerate social change.

As a strategist on CSR’s Strategy and Global Problem Solving, 1B team, I joined three featured participants during the hour-long discussion:

Heather Franzese (@LaborlinkTech ): Vice President, Worker Engagement, Laborlink

Mary Elizabeth McCulloch (@Project_Vive): Social Entrepreneur, Founder, Project Vive

Teresa Cauvel (@Neopenda_Health): Co-Founder and CTO, Neopenda

Mary Elizabeth’s team, Project Vive, was the grand prize winner of our first annual Cisco Global Problem Solver Challenge. Teresa, co-founder of Neopenda, was part of a team to take home the Cisco prize in the 2016 Rice Business Plan Competition. And as the founder of Good World Solutions, an organization to which Cisco CSR provided early stage funding, Heather’s experience in social entrepreneurship is extensive.

Our responses show how digitization and the Internet of Things (IoT) is connecting more devices and data than ever before, with good ideas now having the ability to make a difference more quickly than ever, leading to positive change and financial success.

Whether you’re a student with an idea for the “next big thing” or an organization looking to scale, technology is playing a huge part in making those innovations possible.

Here are a few of my favorite responses from last week’s #CiscoChat:

Q1: In the age of digitization, what role can technology play in impacting pressing social issues?

A1.1: Digital tech today enables us to think way outside the box when we’re trying to solve important challenges facing society #CiscoChat

— Neopenda (@Neopenda_Health) November 2, 2017

Making individual empowerment scalable by providing factory workers an active voice, and through that, visibility #CiscoChat

— Laborlink by ELEVATE (@LaborlinkTech) November 2, 2017

Q2: Tell us more about the need you are trying to address through a technology solution.

A2: Neopenda is tackling high newborn mortality- 98% of newborn deaths are in the developing world, and ~80% are preventable. #CiscoChat

— Neopenda (@Neopenda_Health) November 2, 2017

A2.1 Give every worker a voice so we can better understand the complexities of our global supply chain #CiscoChat.

— Laborlink by ELEVATE (@LaborlinkTech) November 2, 2017

A2.3 Between 12% and 20% of the populations of developing countries are thought to be non-productive due to disability #CiscoChat

— Project Vive (@projectvive) November 2, 2017

Q3: How did you leverage technology to bring your solution to life?

A3.1 We have taken advantage of the trend of rapidly improving tech to bring lower cost speech devices to people w/ disabilities.#CiscoChat

— Project Vive (@projectvive) November 2, 2017

A3.1 We experimented using #leanimpact principles to develop worker-centric mobile tools that are accessible to all workers #CiscoChat

— Laborlink by ELEVATE (@LaborlinkTech) November 2, 2017

A3.1: Our soln is a wearable vital signs monitor for newborns; it makes care more efficient&effective in under-resourced units. #CiscoChat

— Neopenda (@Neopenda_Health) November 2, 2017

Q4: What was the biggest challenge you faced as you developed your solution and how did you solve it?

A4.1 Figuring out if people would care about the #VozBox and use it. We solved by getting out of the building, and doing the #CiscoChat

— Project Vive (@projectvive) November 2, 2017

Q4.1 Our biggest challenge is adapting technology to meet the distinct needs of workers from different countries and cultures #CiscoChat

— Laborlink by ELEVATE (@LaborlinkTech) November 2, 2017

A4: Fragmentation. Used simple communication tech to get better connected, share more ideas, engage Sports fans as #volunteers. #CiscoChat

— Sports&SocialChange (@sportsandchange) November 2, 2017

A4.2: Strong partnerships with experienced organizations and experts on the ground has been key to working through it. #CiscoChat

— Neopenda (@Neopenda_Health) November 2, 2017

Q5: What advice would you give social entrepreneurs who are trying to get their solutions off of the ground?

A5.1 Understand the challenges and needs of the people you are trying to help. Work with them. Live with them for a month. #CiscoChat

— Project Vive (@projectvive) November 2, 2017

A5: Bring your users to the center of your design process. Engage with stakeholders, & immerse yourself in the community ASAP. #CiscoChat

— Neopenda (@Neopenda_Health) November 2, 2017

A5.1 Focus on one problem at a time. We saw that factory workers were invisible, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation #CiscoChat

— Laborlink by ELEVATE (@LaborlinkTech) November 2, 2017

Q6: Why is supporting social entrepreneurs important as we move forward in an era of digitization?

A6.1: Social entrepreneurs are creating incredibly creative & innovative solutions and companies… #CiscoChat

— Neopenda (@Neopenda_Health) November 2, 2017

A6.1 Social entrepreneurs develop bottom-up solutions that can disrupt existing systems for positive impact #GlobalProblemSolvers #CiscoChat

— Laborlink by ELEVATE (@LaborlinkTech) November 2, 2017

A6. By supporting social #entrepreneurs, you are helping to provide sustainable, effective—and cheaper—solutions #CiscoChat

— Project Vive (@projectvive) November 2, 2017

Q7: Give an example of a technology solution with a social purpose that has inspired you?

A7: Many global health innovators inspire us. One great solution we’ve seen saving lives in the field is the Embrace Warmer. #CiscoChat

— Neopenda (@Neopenda_Health) November 2, 2017

A7.1 QuickSee by @PlenOptika is a tech solution in response to low vision suffered by more than a billion people worldwide #CiscoChat

— Project Vive (@projectvive) November 2, 2017

A7.1 We are inspired by organizations like @FTUSA that are integrating tech into their social mission to scale their impact #CiscoChat

— Laborlink by ELEVATE (@LaborlinkTech) November 2, 2017

Q8: How can others use technology solutions in their everyday lives to make a social impact?

A8.1: Even if you’re not developing something yourself, tech makes it easier&easier engage w others, get involved, make impact. #CiscoChat

— Neopenda (@Neopenda_Health) November 2, 2017

A8.1 Use your computer to learn more about the world and your impact! Continue exploring and be your own #globalproblemsolver #CiscoChat

— Laborlink by ELEVATE (@LaborlinkTech) November 2, 2017

A8.2: You can donate to disaster relief with a text message, contribute to a stranger’s medical care with Watsi #CiscoChat

— Neopenda (@Neopenda_Health) November 2, 2017

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Follow @CiscoCSR on Twitter for future #CiscoChats and updates on accelerating global problem solving.

If you have solutions that solve societal problems, apply for Cisco’s Global Problem Solver Challenge!