Social Entrepreneurship On The High Seas

Sailing some of the most promising socially and environmentally-focused technology companies around the world to meet local business leaders, investors and fellow entrepreneurs may not be the most conventional way of helping scale and grow their ventures, but that’s precisely what Unreasonable at Sea are attempting in a bold experiment in global entrepreneurship.

Last month, eleven technology startups joined world class mentors on a voyage which will see them pitch their business ideas and innovations in thirteen countries over one hundred days. Between ports representatives from the likes of Google, SAP, Mozilla, IBM, Microsoft and Stanford’s d.school will help them refine their pitches, engage in rapid prototyping and help tighten the business, branding and marketing plans for their products. I’m on board to share the inside track of my own work building communications technologies for the developing world, and my experience working across a number of African countries over the past twenty years.