Catalysing and Scaling Innovation In Tanzania

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CATALYSING AND SCALING Innovation in Tanzania: A review of approaches • Voices from the ecosystemcase studySPRING ACCELERATORSPRING was a five-year business accelerator programmeworking with growth-oriented companies on innovationsthat could transform the lives of adolescent girls livingacross East Africa and South Asia. The programme ranbetween 2014 and 2019, and was supported by theUK Department for International Development (DFID),Australia’s Department for Foreign Affairs (DFAT), andthe United States Agency for International Development(USAID). It also received funding from the Nike Foundationin the first four years, and advisory support from GirlEffect in the design phase. SPRING was managed by thePalladium Group in partnership with fuseproject, theAfrican Entrepreneur Collective, and GrowthAfrica.Businesses under the SPRING programme reachedover 2.5 million girls in nine countries with innovationsthat supported girls to ’keep safe, learn, earn, and savewithout harm’. Seventy-two per cent of the businessesexperienced first-year revenue growth, and 85 per centof the prototypes were still in the market after two years.The businesses raised an additional US$38.1 million ininvestment (US$28.7 million into 25 East Africa businessesand US$9.4 million into 23 South Asia businesses). viSPRING set out to prove that businesses could offerinnovative and commercially viable solutions that couldimprove the lives of adolescent girls. The programme didthis by:Developing business models for ‘girl impact’. SPRINGinvested in businesses that had a case for impactingadolescent girls. Over five years, SPRING worked with 75companies – from early stage to large corporates – in ninecountries across South Asia and East Africa to grow newbusiness models which demonstrated how to achieveimpact for girls via commercial products and services.Applying the core accelerator model. The modelcomprised of six notable phases:• Understanding the local context. At the outset, thepriority was to understand the business operatingenvironment and the specific issues and challengesthat girls face in the selected countries. Local expertswere contracted to carry out in-depth research as astarting point for market entry.• Business selection. Businesses were selectedthrough a competitive application process, andincluded for-profit companies, NGOs, and socialenterprises. They offered various physical productsand services that had the potential to create positiveimpact for girls (e.g. sanitary pads or solar lights),human services (e.g. tutoring or health-care services),and digital products (e.g. edutainment TV/radio/online programmes or digital wallets).• Introducing the ‘human-centred design’ (HCD)approach. The SPRING model and curriculumfocused on HCD to create a specific prototype. Eachbusiness cohort was convened for ‘bootcamps’ –immersive workshops that involved brainstormingsessions and customised one-to-one coaching.The participants learned how to gain a deeperunderstanding of their specific market by applyingthe HCD approach to the development of theirideas.• Business model research and prototyping.Participants had the opportunity to examine theirprototype innovation from an end user perspective,researching with and receiving feedback fromgirls. This was followed by a second bootcamp torefine prototypes, develop business models, andcreate brand and digital assets, to help bring theirinnovations to market.• Prototype funding. While most of SPRING’sresources went towards technical support, in somecases grants were provided for businesses to buildearly-stage prototypes. Grants were allocated basedon key criteria: business need, girl impact potential,and potential to leverage additional investment.Funding allocations ranged from £5,000 to £80,000depending on the scope and needs of the business.• Getting businesses ’investment ready’. SPRINGhelped businesses to become ’investment ready’ andconnected them with local and international investornetworks. Working with leading experts, SPRINGprovided vital training and mentoring in businessgrowth, investment readiness, HCD, innovation, andmarketing.26
CATALYSING AND SCALING Innovation in Tanzania: A review of approaches • Voices from the ecosystemSPRING/AURÉLIA RUSEKImpact, success, and strengthsIntegrating HCD-improved solutions. There is noshortage of free online resources on HCD, but SPRINGoffered a unique approach that provided participantswith access to HCD experts from fuseproject, pluscomprehensive hands-on opportunities to conductresearch and rapid prototyping. This was critical inhelping businesses to gain a deep understanding ofthe needs of both users and customers. Girls wereincluded throughout the process and this provedan effective way for businesses to develop inclusivesolutions. As a result, a number of businesseschanged their business strategy or design to createscalable, inclusive, and commercially viable solutions.Local knowledge and networks proved to becrucial in selection, business support, andfollow-on investment. SPRING was a globalprogramme implemented across nine countries. Thecore team was headquartered in the UK and focusedon running the accelerator, but it relied on a networkof Country Managers to support the delivery of theprogramme at country level. Recruited from thelocal business or development sector, the CountryManagers drew on their expertise and networksto deliver bespoke packages of support to thebusinesses. With their support, and that of impactinvesting advisors, the businesses were able toindividually attract a range of capital – grant, impact,and mainstream, from local, regional, or global actors.Sharing best practices strengthens the market forinvesting in girls. A key aim of SPRING was to drivefurther innovation and investment into the ecosystemfor adolescent girls. The programme created resourcesand tools to support other funders and investors toadopt elements of SPRING’s model. In its final year,SPRING worked with a number of accelerators tointegrate elements of the SPRING approach andcurriculum to create a legacy that would furtheramplify girl impact through other programmes.AboveSPRINGsupportedPan Ka Lay, anorganisationaiming toovercomemenstrualhealth stigmasin Myanmar andempower girlsand women tomanage theirmenstruationsafely andconfidently.27
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