One of the things I have been thinking about the world around us for over a year now. The question is who eats first? Whether you are an animal, a bee or human. Status roles matter. We live in a world that attaches value to status. Who gets to eat first? Who is the alpha?…

Who gets the most respect and who gets the least? Who do we want to associate with and who do we shy away from? Who gets to eat first and who gets to eat last? Which company do we want to work for? It turns out that answers to these questions all point to one…

We get what we invest in. The time we spend comes back, with interest. Prof Clay Christensen in his book How Will You Measure Your Life says, I paraphrase: where you spend your time on grows, and where you don't spend your time on diminishes. When you invest time on your studies, your chances of…

Our challenge is not a lack of money, the money is there, it needs to be redirected to innovative ideas with social impact. If we are to alleviate poverty, we need to stop obsessing about elite institutions that continue to benefit the few and excluding the many. Henry Ford showed us how to democratize and…

Let’s look at the last example this time in West Africa, in Nigeria Access to quality education in Africa is expensive. The FeesMustFall movement is an example of the frustration students have about high university fees. The challenge is that even when fees fall, not all students eligible for university will gain access due to…

While still in Kenya, let’s look at another example in Nairobi In Kenya, 80% of Kenyan doctors and dentists live in Nairobi while 70% of the population lives in rural areas. Kenya’s ratio of doctor to population is 14 doctors to every 100,000 people. This results in a serious lack of access to doctors in…

Let’s look at another example of catalytic innovation, this time from East Africa, Kenya. Often we are told that many successful startups started from humble beginnings by starting a in a garage such Apple, Microsoft, Google. In Africa, where having a house with a garage is a luxury. In Nairobi, a garage is something most…

  Let’s start by looking at an example of catalytic innovation here at home, South Africa. People walking into a well-resourced health centre in a township and getting immediate help is very rare in poorer areas of South Africa like Diepsloot, a shantytown of about 1000 000 people 40 kilometres outside Johannesburg. Dr. Nthabiseng Legoete…

As an entrepreneur and having spent over 10 years studying various entrepreneurship models, I’m convinced that our answer lies in innovation, especially innovation for social change. You see there are two types of innovations: Sustaining Innovation vs. Disruptive Innovation. Sustaining Innovation: A sustaining innovation improves existing products. It does not create new markets. It produces…

A life lived in poverty is always about scrambling. Poverty is hunger. Lack of shelter. Not having a job or career prospect. Not having access to education. Losing a child to illness due to unclean water. Being sick and not having the means to receive medical attention. Cursed with poverty, people [not simply people, they…

Start your first business this way: Begin with the smallest possible project in which someone will pay you money to solve a problem they know they have. Charge less than it' is worth and more than it costs you. Repeat. You do not have to wait for perfect or large or revered or amazing. You…

LORA Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship strives to bring thought leaders, men and women who are pathfinders, entrepreneurs and change agents, men and women who have affected the very fibre of our thought processes, who influence our set of beliefs, and engage our mindsets in elements of value.  LORA has invited experienced entrepreneurs to share their stories…