Strategic Corporate Advisor | YGL, World Economic Forum | Entrepreneur | Keynote Speaker
I once employed a young graduate who had spent her summer internship with us. During her final year, she had a class project on a team with two other students. They had to solve a challenge in their village using technology. The problem they solved is not germane to the story, but suffice to say, it went went. Infact, they received so much positive feedback that they submitted the project for a technology pitch competition being hosted by a local hub. They won! The exciting thing about winning was that they received an office at the local hub ... air-conditioned at that, as well as support and advice from the hub. The idea was that whatever they needed to build and scale the solution, they would have. But, after weeks and weeks, the solution they had fashioned was no where closer to built, let alone scaled. In asking her what happened, she said something interesting that I have never forgotten. She said that when they noticed the challenge in the village they were beyond eager and hungry to solve it. But now that they had gotten a comfortable air-conditioned office in the city-based hub .... the cool air blowing on their faces from the air-conditioner had made them even forget the problem they were attempting to solve in the first place. "Necessity is the mother of invention." It think about that time and time again particularly when it comes to frugal innovation. There is something about not having the problem yourself. Not experiencing the constraint yourself distances the very challenge you seek to solve. One's nuanced memory of the environment and the resources required, fades. So even though highly-constrained environment can be difficult locations for frugal innovation projects to operate, there is a direct effect between the experiential awareness of the environment in which the frugal innovation product will be used in, and the product-market fit. It is an important factor to consider when scoping your next frugal project.
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6moThanks for sharing