The latest (July/August 2014) issue of State Magazine has an inspirational article that we found very interesting for candidates trying to learn about their potential careers as FSOs. This article shows the positive impact that the Embassy has on a country with terrible political and economic problems, and we think you will enjoy it.
From magazine (page 9)
In May, a team of seven young Zimbabweans ranging from 19 to 24 years old won a startup competition by creating a device that allows any conductive object to be transformed into a musical instrument.
The team won $78,000 in prizes at Startup Weekend Harare, an event that launched 11 viable startups in just 48 hours. Startup Weekend is an American nonprofit that helps organize events that bring together entrepreneurs
to pitch ideas, form teams, develop a minimum viable product and compete for prizes during a single weekend.
Zimbabwe’s first competition of this type began with a Friday night event where nearly 50 of the 90 participants gave a 60-second pitch about their proposed business. Pitches described the core idea and team needs, such as software developers, social media strategists and marketing professionals. Participants then voted for their favorites, formed 11 teams based on skill and interest, and worked with mentors from the technology, media and business worlds to refine their ideas. By Sunday afternoon, the teams had developed working websites, mobile apps and hardware, which they presented to a panel of judges.
The weekend was a collaborative effort, with Mercy Corps Zimbabwe providing logistical support and funding and a Harare-based technology and innovation center called Hypercube Hub (launched with Department of State funding) providing a venue and logistical and technical support. Three Embassy Harare staff members served on the organizing committee, and the embassy facilitated corporate sponsorship from American and local companies and provided much of the equipment for the competition. Using the Bureau of International Information Programs speaker program, the embassy also brought American entrepreneur Fahad Hassan, CEO and founder of Always Prepped, as a keynote speaker and roving team mentor. He provided participants with advice about financial models, marketing techniques, pricing and pitching ideas to investors.
Although Zimbabwe’s unemployment rate is estimated at over 80 percent, the country has a powerful combination of intellectual capital, infrastructure and English language capability, and events like Startup Weekend show that Zimbabweans are poised to drive an African tech boom. “The U.S. Embassy supports entrepreneurship programs like Startup Weekend because we know that Zimbabweans can launch new products, build new enterprises and contribute to Zimbabwe’s economic development through entrepreneurship,” Ambassador to Zimbabwe Bruce Wharton said.
From magazine (page 9)
In May, a team of seven young Zimbabweans ranging from 19 to 24 years old won a startup competition by creating a device that allows any conductive object to be transformed into a musical instrument.
The team won $78,000 in prizes at Startup Weekend Harare, an event that launched 11 viable startups in just 48 hours. Startup Weekend is an American nonprofit that helps organize events that bring together entrepreneurs
to pitch ideas, form teams, develop a minimum viable product and compete for prizes during a single weekend.
Zimbabwe’s first competition of this type began with a Friday night event where nearly 50 of the 90 participants gave a 60-second pitch about their proposed business. Pitches described the core idea and team needs, such as software developers, social media strategists and marketing professionals. Participants then voted for their favorites, formed 11 teams based on skill and interest, and worked with mentors from the technology, media and business worlds to refine their ideas. By Sunday afternoon, the teams had developed working websites, mobile apps and hardware, which they presented to a panel of judges.
The weekend was a collaborative effort, with Mercy Corps Zimbabwe providing logistical support and funding and a Harare-based technology and innovation center called Hypercube Hub (launched with Department of State funding) providing a venue and logistical and technical support. Three Embassy Harare staff members served on the organizing committee, and the embassy facilitated corporate sponsorship from American and local companies and provided much of the equipment for the competition. Using the Bureau of International Information Programs speaker program, the embassy also brought American entrepreneur Fahad Hassan, CEO and founder of Always Prepped, as a keynote speaker and roving team mentor. He provided participants with advice about financial models, marketing techniques, pricing and pitching ideas to investors.
Although Zimbabwe’s unemployment rate is estimated at over 80 percent, the country has a powerful combination of intellectual capital, infrastructure and English language capability, and events like Startup Weekend show that Zimbabweans are poised to drive an African tech boom. “The U.S. Embassy supports entrepreneurship programs like Startup Weekend because we know that Zimbabweans can launch new products, build new enterprises and contribute to Zimbabwe’s economic development through entrepreneurship,” Ambassador to Zimbabwe Bruce Wharton said.
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