PEARS PROGRAM FOR GLOBAL INNOVATION April 2021 Newsletter News, Events & Opportunities |
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Call for Applicants to the IsraAID-Pears Program Humanitarian Market Bootcamp & Pilot Fund |
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The Pears Program for Global Innovation and IsraAID invite Israeli companies with innovative solutions in the fields of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Technology Education Technology Public Health Awareness and Management Technology Data Collection, Management, and Analysis Technology
to apply to participate in the IsraAID-Pears Program Humanitarian Market Bootcamp & Pilot Fund. This is a unique opportunity to explore your innovation’s applicability to humanitarian settings. Successful applicants will be invited to attend our week-long Humanitarian Market Bootcamp. Participants will gain the basic knowledge and tools to navigate the humanitarian sector, conduct market research in this field, and design targeted marketing material for these actors. Following the Bootcamp, participants will be invited to apply for a funded pilot and deploy their technology for field testing in one of IsraAID’s humanitarian missions around the world. At the end of the pilot, IsraAID experts will compose a final report documenting the technology’s impact, for the company to use in future marketing and partnership endeavors. Participating companies will gain An in-depth understanding of the inner-workings of the humanitarian world Connections with various players from the field Tools to develop a strategy to enter and scale in new markets The opportunity to validate their technology in humanitarian settings
Interested companies can learn more about the program on our website and fill out the initial interest form. Relevant companies will be asked to fill out a comprehensive application form. The Pilot Fund is made possible through the generous support of the Edmond de Rothschild Foundation Questions can be directed to summit@pearsprogram.com |
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Opportunity for New Ventures: D-Prize is looking to support new businesses with funds to support a pilot that will validate the impact of their product or service. The most promising teams will be awarded up to $20,000 USD to help scale the distribution of an already proven poverty intervention tool. The D-Prize’s challenge areas include health access, clean water, education, agriculture, livelihoods, energy, and public services. Learn more and apply by May 16th! |
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Opportunity for FinTech Startups: Visa Everywhere Initiative is a global, open innovation program that tasks startups to solve payments and commerce challenges for clients and customers everywhere. It provides a premier global platform to demonstrate your ground-breaking solutions to Visa and Visa’s vast network of clients. Regional and global finalists will receive notable validation of their product, large-scale exposure, and the opportunity to win an equity-free monetary prize.
Learn more and apply by May 7th!
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Opportunity for ICT Ventures: The Bell Labs Prize recognizes game-changing innovations in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Geared toward innovative proposals that look to solve broader societal and humanistic challenges, the competition is focused on finding solutions to some of the greatest challenges facing the information and telecommunications industry. The first, second, and third place finalists will receive $100K, $50K, and $25K respectively in funding. In addition, all three winners are considered for opportunities to work alongside Nokia Bell Labs researchers to further explore their ideas. Learn more and apply by May 14th! |
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Opportunity for Non-Profit Leaders: The Elevate Prize annually awards $5 million in prize funding and services to a diverse group of 10 leaders who are tackling the most urgent issues of our time around the world. Winners of the prize will be awarded a minimum of $300,000 to split between themselves and their organization. The Elevate Prize’s mission is to dramatically amplify the impact of innovators, activists, and problem-solvers. Only individuals from non-profits are eligible to apply for the Elevate Prize. Learn more and apply by May 5th! |
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Launch of the Innovation Journey to Ethiopia |
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This month, in partnership with JDC-TOV and the Israeli Ministry of Economy and Industry, we kicked off the TOV Innovation Journey. The 10 participating companies have begun learning about Ethiopia and its agriculture sector, the life and habits of smallholder farmers, and the nature of AgTech and Fintech sectors in the country. Next week, we will work with participants to design their value proposition for the Ethiopian market and shape their partnership proposals. Stay tuned for additional updates on the TOV Innovation Journey! |
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Launch of EZPack's Pilot in Colombia |
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This month, the Pears Program-IsraAID Pilot Fund is launching the deployment of EZPack's Reverse Osmosis off-grid system in two locations in Colombia. This pilot was made possible with the kind support from the Israeli Embassy in Colombia and the Edmond de Rothchild Foundation. In collaboration with local partners and the communities, the systems will be established and their quality and impact will be assessed over the course of the coming months. We look forward to seeing the results of the pilot in providing clean and safe drinking water to communities in Colombia. "In this community, we need clean water many times during the year, because the well dries up and the water comes out dirty and makes children and animals sick, this project would help us a lot here" - Leader of the Jasaishao community in Riohacha (Guajira). |
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Pears Program Team Event With Kitchen Talks |
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Last week, we took half of a day to get out of the office and gather the entirety of our team in person for the first time this year! We got our hands dirty with Kitchen Talks and Jangchup, the owner of a restaurant in south Tel Aviv, making a 5 dish Tibetan meal. We left with happy stomachs, plenty of leftovers, and it was great to have some out of the office fun. Photo credits to Kitchen Talks! Contact them for the opportunity to learn about food and culture from around the world and to support migrant-owned restaurants here in Israel! |
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This SID event will include a lecture by Dr. Orin Levine, Director of Global Delivery and Global Development at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and a board member at the Global Alliance of Vaccines and Immunations. The lecture will be followed by a panel of International and Israeli professionals who will share the challenges of a vaccination operation emphasizing the ability of developing countries to effectively develop and deploy a framework for fair, equitable, and timely allocation of Covid-19 vaccines. The webinar will take place on April 27th at 18:00 IST. To register for the event, click here! |
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For three days, policymakers, executives, government representatives, NGO management, data scientists, digital health technologists, and others will showcase real-life case studies of life improvement through digitization, explore in-depth new and emerging technologies, and provide insights into harnessing the power of data to enable thriving societies.
The event will take place from April 27th-April 29th. To register for the event, click here!
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| | Launching India’s Microinsurance Revolution: How the Sector Can Build Upon Growing Customer Awareness Due to COVID-19 Across the developing world, obtaining insurance coverage is seen to be a luxury, largely afforded only by higher income groups. In India, where many low-income communities live on the cusp of a number of life-changing risks, people tend to resort to alternative means of ‘security’, borrowing from moneylenders, or using their cash savings. The result of this is that these groups are often suspended into debt traps as they borrow beyond their means and sink deeper into poverty. Microinsurance has surfaced as a promising remedy to this problem. A microinsurance scheme works by covering any insurable risk, providing vulnerable communities with access to finance or preventative services while allowing people to distribute the costs of the services and unexpected expenses over time. This provides a buffer against potential economic shock. In fact, microinsurance allows people to generate more income, drawing families out of poverty. While also succeeding as a viable business model that achieves economies of scale, it can trigger a virtuous cycle of growth and prosperity. For microinsurance schemes to succeed, they need to be able to find a balance between providing adequate protection, while also remaining affordable. The microinsurance revolution needs to be energized by development actors and governments in order to become sustainable, yet this is proving to be a challenge due to India’s scattered and rural population who lack access to on-grid banking and distribution channels. Therefore, the rise of digital payment schemes plays an important role in connecting poor households to financial means, while reducing the entry barriers for standalone microinsurance companies. This will allow more providers to make upfront investments for efficient claims processing. The insurance landscape remains patchy in India and other low-income countries, but Covid-19 and the emergence of microinsurance schemes provide a fertile terrain for low-income communities to move away from alternative and damaging alternatives. | | |
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| | As Impact Investing Grows, So Do Expectations The global pandemic brought into question whether the trend of impact investing would continue to grow, or whether its progress would be halted, or even reversed. Yet it appears to be clear that it is not just a phase, with more investors and companies joining the movement of socially/environmentally minded investment. The popular definition of Impact Investing defines it as ‘investments made into companies or organizations with the intent to contribute to measurable positive social or environmental impact, alongside financial returns. It is predicated on the philosophy that returns on investment can co-exist with positive social impact. And this attitude seems to resonate with people in light of Covid-19, which has underlined the stark inequality and challenges perpetuated by unregulated capitalism. As a result, there is a growing awareness of the need to rebuild societies in a manner that responds to the challenges relating to climate, race, gender and inequality. As part of that, consumers expect more of companies in their dealings with social and environmental issues, which ultimately incentivizes such companies and investors to prioritize such issues. Impact investing therefore falls neatly into this trend, with an increasing number of organizations joining the IFC's Impact Principles movement, including Blackrock and Bain Capital. Now, the industry manages a cumulative $371 Billion in assets for impact. One of the main issues surrounding Impact Investing is measuring the impact that investments are making. It is difficult to quantify impact and establish non-financial reporting standards for firms. Additionally, finding new projects in low-income countries will be important, and this is particularly challenging in marginalized communities and frontier markets. The communities that are impacted must also be adequately incorporated into measurement and management in order to increase accountability. Yet overall, Impact Investing reflects an exciting pivot towards a new understanding that profit and doing good can co-exist and even positively influence one another. | | |
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Spotlight on: Ayala Water & Ecology |
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This month we interviewed Eli Cohen, Founder and CEO of Ayala Water & Ecology. Ayala has developed the 'Natural Biological System'™, a sustainable natural technology for treating sewage and waste streams, rehabilitating affected water bodies, and rebalancing watersheds. Ranging in scope from acid mine drainage remediation in Chile to urban sewage treatment in India, the NBS™ is changing the global water-energy equation, reducing dependence on energy and maintenance, freeing up valuable water resources for on-site usage, and most of all, restoring nature’s ability to preserve and protect itself. Check out this article covering Ayala's work to clean Delhi's most polluting drain. |
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Tell us about Ayala Established in 1989, Ayala Water & Ecology is a company of sustainability experts with internationally recognized experience in Nature-Based Wastewater Treatment (MBWWT), environmental rehabilitation and integral design of watershed management, using only natural energy free tools, to restore balance to the environment, mimicking nature. Ayala's vision is to transform the approach to watershed management toward global water security, Carbon Footprint reduction, and regaining sustainable global environmental balance. Our mission is to provide the world with the tools to pursue a more holistic approach to water management, breaking the Water-Energy Nexus, and reducing to a minimum the dependence on human intervention and the use of non-renewable energy, providing clean water for all. In 2014, Ayala Natural Biological Systems Pvt. Ltd. was founded in India, to address locally the massive challenges of this sub-continent. In 2018 Ayala PNBS Ltd was founded to address the global demand for sustainable water security to villages and remote communities. What is special about Ayala’s approach to the water treatment sector? Our deeper values are truly driven by high words such as sustainability, back with nature, reversing climate change, and Nature-Based Solutions. Eli Cohen, the founder and manager of Ayala Water & Ecology, a visionary and a thought leader on water treatment and water management solutions, is carrying this flag for over 30 years now. However, Ayala Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) are also leading solutions in all operational performance KPIs, and economical aspects. ALL Ayala Nature Based Solutions have close to zero maintenance costs. They have no mechanical and electrical parts to wear off and amortize. They match or exceed the clean water values they are set to manage, and they turn the wastewater treatment site into a beautiful 'Active landscape' which grow with and serve the community as part of everyday life at the Urban, Industrial and agricultural zones while providing water security and reducing Carbon footprint What are some projects that Ayala has done in developing countries and what has the impact been? Although Ayala has designed and implemented an impressive number of solutions in developing countries like India, Sri Lanka, Mexico, and more it is yet a 'drop in the sea' compare to the actual and growing need, but nevertheless, the impact of those comparably small number of solutions is quite amazing considering the continuous encouraging on-going feedbacks from customers and beyond that the exponentially growing demand from governments, municipalities, NGOs, industries and of course privates. It feels like the Nature-Based Solution (NBS) is being acknowledged as a future mainstream solution approach. What was your personal motivation to engage in this field? I do what I do because I enjoy it and because I deeply believe in it as the only solution to reversing climate change phenomenons which threaten our children's future. Life prepared me for this amazing 'adventure' through my academic background, continuous experiences worldwide, agricultural background, and open intuitive mind. I believe that wisely following your heart and guts guide you to your own destiny, in this case, it is the environment. What is your advice for Israeli entrepreneurs that want to build companies that address development challenges? To be an entrepreneur and not just a manager you need to: deeply believe in your product / idea, patience, mental stamina, learn to enjoy the voyage as well, rather than only the 'success', learn to share and choose the right partners and even better the right investors; and some luck and good timing always help. Thank you, Eli for sharing the work of Ayala Water & Ecology with us. We wish you good luck in accomplishing your mission! |
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