Understanding the Botswana startup ecosystem

Editor's Notes

• #6: But here’s the most amazing part of the story: Hardly anyone paid attention at the time. Wilbur and Orville Wright conquered flight on December 17th, 1903. Few inventions were as transformational over the next century. It took four days to travel from New York to Los Angeles in 1900, by train. By the 1930s it could be done in 17 hours, by air. By 1950, six hours. Unlike, say, mapping the genome, a lay person could instantly grasp the marvel of human flight. A guy sat in a box and turned into a bird. But days, months, even years after the Wright’s first flight, hardly anyone noticed. Here’s the front page of The New York Times the day after the first flight. Not a word about the Wrights: Several years went by before the public grasped what the Wrights were doing; people were so convinced that flying was impossible that most of those who saw them flying about Dayton [Ohio] in 1905 decided that what they had seen must be some trick without significance – somewhat as most people today would regard a demonstration of, say, telepathy. It was not until May, 1908 – nearly four and a half years after the Wright’s first flight – that experienced reporters were sent to observe what they were doing, experienced editors gave full credence to these reporters’ excited dispatches, and the world at last woke up to the fact that human flight had been successfully accomplished. The Wrights’ story shows something more common than we realize: There’s often a big gap between changing the world and convincing people that you changed the world. Jeff Bezos once said: Invention/innovation requires a long-term willingness to be misunderstood. You do something that you genuinely believe in, that you have conviction about, but for a long period of time, well-meaning people may criticize that effort … if you really have conviction that they’re not right, you need to have that long-term willingness to be misunderstood. It’s a key part of invention. However, it is also imperative that when there are local efforts towards “changing the world” we as the general public appreciate and play our part in bringing these to fruition, because only then will the world notice. It’s such an important message. Things that are instantly adored are usually just slight variations over existing products. We love them because they’re familiar. The most innovative products – the ones that truly change the world – are almost never understood at first, even by really smart people. It happened with the telephone. Alexander Graham Bell tried to sell his invention to Western Union, which quickly replied: This `telephone' has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a practical form of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us. What use could this company make of an electrical toy? It happened with the car. Twenty years before Henry Ford convinced the world he was onto something, Congress published a memo, warning: Horseless carriages propelled by gasoline might attain speeds of 14 or even 20 miles per hour. The menace to our people of vehicles of this type hurtling through our streets and along our roads and poisoning the atmosphere would call for prompt legislative action. The cost of producing gasoline is far beyond the financial capacity of private industry… In addition the development of this new power may displace the use of horses, which would wreck our agriculture.
• #7: Global Competitiveness Index has 12 pillars Focusing on 2 that relate to the BIH mandate Botswana is in the transition stage of development from Factor Driven to Innovation Driven (Knowledge Economy)
• #8: Various enabling policies and frameworks existing which support Competitiveness The key to success is that they are coordinated and work together to ensure Competitiveness Explain each policy and framework – One liners Diagnostic study on economy and employment identified key sectors for cluster development
• #9: Sector Description Information and Communications Technology The objective of the Information and Communications Technology aspect of BIH is to enable the development of local applications, products and services that help Batswana using ICT. BIH has prioritised utilizing ICT to develop applications for Health, Education, Commerce and Transport. Biotechnology This sector is focused on catalyzing more commercial business in the areas of, testing and manufacturing, with special emphasis on addressing cross cutting issues of food security, Health and exploitation of a wide range of indigenous natural products. Mining Technologies The mining technologies sector focuses on facilitating joint commercial activities in mining and related technologies with a focus on technology providers as well as business development in exploration, geology, mining, ore processing and mineral beneficiation technologies. Clean Technologies This sector focuses mainly on catalyzing activities related to clean technologies, energy and environmental development and commercial activities within those areas. Its emphasis is on environmental protection in renewable energy, cleaner coal, water conservation and waste management. Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) The sector explores creative ways in which IKS can be transformed into innovative products in partnership with key stakeholders.  
• #13: This two dimensional space places emphasis on the positioning of Botswana Innovation Hub as a Science and technology Park in the national system of Innovation of Botswana which is at a nascent stage. BIH in this case represents a networked environment of private companies, researchers, entrepreneurs, innovators, incubates/start-ups and the rest of the STP Community if services providers. Complimentary and core to the STP business model are Universities (e.g. BIUST, UB, and other international Universities under an agreed partnership model), Research Institutes (e.g. BITRI), Funding bodies and Industry linkages with a specific mandates that are related to BIH A strategic lever of BIH to these organizations is the National Technology Transfer Office which was developed in partnership with University of Botswana. The NTTO has an underlying policy framework that prescribes the commercialization of R&D and innovations in a STP . The Policy was developed with support from the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). The enablers of Commercialization of R&D, Innovation and inventions are gap-funding instruments like Innovation Fund and Research funds (HRDC) Furthermore there is need to develop Venture capital and angel funding structures locally. The same goes for Investments on Infrastructure in the Park to promote R&D commercialization through commercial banks and related financing organizations. All IP including incoming or generated through the NTTO will have potential of being exploited or even exported through the STP in the form of licensing of technologies, patents, joint ventures SPV, spin-offs etc.… The exploitation of local IP (under the NTTO) has the potential to grow industry, empower start ups to create employment and produce new products and services going forward.
• #15: According to the BIH register
• #16: Graduate unemployment is a challenge that we have as a country
• #17: There are opportunities for employment creation, looking at the demographics
• #18: Employment landscape has changed over the years and continues to change Gone are the years when one had one job for the rest of their lives
• #24: Develop partnerships that will see new innovations being fully localized
• #30: A technology entrepreneurship development programme, to support an entrepreneurial and innovation culture through technology transfer. FSVC identifies, develops and nurtures viable technology oriented start-up businesses with a potential to grow locally and into international markets. To promote the development of technology & innovation at micro level. To promote technology entrepreneurship To provide a platform for commercialization of technology To close the innovation gap To expose local technology businesses to international markets and network