Global Innovation through Science and Technology initiative

GIST Logo

The U.S. Department of State's Global Innovation through Science and Technology (GIST) initiative operates at the intersection of science and technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship to empower young science and technology innovators and to strengthen entrepreneurial ecosystems in emerging economies around the world. GIST equips innovators with the skills they need to be successful entrepreneurs and leaders and advance ideas for startups and bolster nascent ventures. GIST addresses economic and development challenges in GIST-eligible emerging economies through an annual global pitch competition known as "Tech-I"; startup boot camps; and live webchats called "TechConnects". The GIST initiative focuses on networking, skills development, and connections to financing as a way to develop new technology-based products and companies that create economic and social value. GIST is also one of the flagship programs under President Obama's SPARK Initiative, an initiative under which programs are selected to represent the best work being done by the U.S. Government to advance entrepreneurship around the world.

Since 2011, GIST has engaged with more than 2.8 million innovators, has trained over 4,800 startups that have generated more than $110 million in revenue, and has created a network of over 240,000 young motivated entrepreneurs. GIST is a partnership led by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, with implementation of programs by the University of Texas at Austin's IC² Institute and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

Launch

The GIST programs were announced at the 2011 conference on Economic Development through Science and Technology Innovation in Rabat, Morocco attended by U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs Dr. Kerri-Ann Jones. This conference was the third and final consultative meeting to develop high impact engagement opportunities. Previous meetings were held in Alexandria, Egypt and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.^[1] The GIST initiative exemplifies a science and technology innovation partnership that U.S. President Barack Obama called for in a 2009 speech at Cairo University.^[2]

Technology Idea (Tech-I) Competition

The GIST Technology Idea (Tech-I) competition is an annual competition for innovative science and technology entrepreneurs from around the world. The Tech-I competition encourages and supports science and technology entrepreneurs from GIST-eligible emerging economies to launch or grow a startup venture. The Tech-I competition is open to everyone between the ages of 18 to 40 years old who has either an idea or a startup in the sectors of agriculture, energy, healthcare, or information communication technology (ICT). Aspiring innovators can apply to the Tech-I competition by submitting an Executive Summary and 90-second promotional video their idea or startup on gistnetwork.org. These applications undergo a multi-stage review by experts, who select semi-finalists. Semi-finalist videos are then posted online for public voting to choose 30 finalists. These finalists receive an all-expense paid trip to the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) to receive intensive training and then showcase their ventures with a live-pitch competition before a panel of judges. GIST Tech-I winners win mini-grants to finance their ventures and receive one-on-one mentorship training for up to three months after the event.

The 2015 Tech-I finalist pitches took place during this year's sixth GES in Nairobi, Kenya on July 25-26, 2015. The 2015 competition was the most robust ever, with a record 792 initial applicants from 74 countries and over 407,000 votes cast by the public to ultimately choose the 30 finalists. The 2015 winner of the 1st place startup was Carlos Francisco Bernal from Mexico with his GlucosAlarm, a sensor that immediately sends glucose results to patients, physicians, nutritionists and insurance companies. Rudi Cooke from South Africa won the 2015 1st place idea prize with his idea to put high-tech water purification into the hands of local communities. More information on the 2015 finalists, as well as previous finalists, can be found at gistnetwork.org.

The first Tech-I competition occurred in 2011 in Istanbul, Turkey. Past notable Tech-I finalists have included Nermin Sa'd,^[3] founder of Hanadisayat.net from Jordan; Natali Ardianto, founder and COO of Tiket.com from Indonesia;^[4] Tonee Ndungu,^[5] founder of Kytabu from Kenya; and Ziad Sankari, founder of CardioDiagnostics from Lebanon.

The Tech-I Competition of the GIST initiative is implemented by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).^[6]

Startup Boot Camps

GIST Startup Boot Camps provide participating entrepreneurs with the tools, strategies, and confidence needed in order to assess, determine the feasibility of, and launch new businesses. GIST Start-Up Boot Camps gather technology entrepreneurs, experienced entrepreneurs based in the country, governmental officials, non-profit representatives, and prospective local angel investors in order to catalyze the entrepreneurial ecosystem. These three day camps are designed for high potential tech entrepreneurs from idea stage to five years in operation who are ready and committed to launch new business endeavors. Peers, experts and one-on-one mentors help entrepreneurial teams refine their business plan and develop an investor presentation and elevator pitch. On the third day, selected entrepreneurs are invited to receive mentorship and to pitch during the venture pitch tournament. After the boot camp, selected finalist continue to receive consulting and mentoring. All participants become a part of the international GIST Network.

GIST Startup Boot Camps have been held in Morocco, Turkey, Indonesia, Malaysia, Algeria, Tanzania, Senegal, Jordan, and Bangladesh, among others. The last Startup Boot Camp was held in Mexico in June, 2015. The next boot camps will take place in Bogota, Colombia and Medellin, Colombia in October 2015.

GIST TechConnects

GIST TechConnect programs are live video webchats where young entrepreneurs around the world interact with panels of U.S. entrepreneurs and experts on topics pertinent to managing a startup venture in an emerging economy. Individuals can submit questions to the panelists live during the broadcast. Past topics have included Mentorship, Attracting Media Attention, Crowdfunding, Sales and Networking, Raising Capital, Bootstrapping, and Ideation. The first two GIST TechConnects brought together over 6,000 participants from 25 countries. Since 2012, there have been twelve TechConnects, which have included high-profile entrepreneurs and experts such as Jeff Hoffman, co-founder of Priceline.com, Cynthia Ndubuisi, CEO of KPC, and Rich Barton, co-founder and chairman of Zillow and Glassdoor. The 13th TechConnect will take place on November 17, 2015 at 11:00 EST (16:00 UTC) on the topic, "Does your venture need financing? – Knowing when to seek capital and when to bootstrap." Watch previous TechConnects and view the upcoming November broadcast at http://www.gistnetwork.org/programs/gist-techconnects.

GIST Network (GIST-Net)

To enhance the innovation and entrepreneurial community’s interaction, GIST Net (www.gistnetwork.org) was launched on November 20, 2014. GIST is a rich network of people and organizations, including GIST alumni, partners, mentors, and aspiring entrepreneurs. This online platform is a one-stop shop for entrepreneurs to connect with experts and mentors, potential investors, and each other, to share, learn, and advance their startups. GIST Net also has the latest information on applying to Tech-I competitions, upcoming boot camps, and the next TechConnect webchats as well as archived webchats. Visit www.gistnetwork.org to learn more.

Partners

The GIST initiative is a public-private partnership. U.S. entrepreneurs, investors, and universities with the expertise and context brought by local business leaders provide tailored support to entrepreneurs to help them gain important skills for the future of their ventures. GIST Net partners include the Kauffman Foundation, Founder Institute, GUST, GSV Labs, NovoEd, Ponscio, Stanford Technology Ventures Program (STVP), TechWadi, and VentureWell.

List of participating countries

The GIST initiative builds capacity in 133 countries to translate innovative technology ideas into new products and companies. GIST seeks to build and sustain science and technology (S&T) excellence in these regions through locally established programs that leverage the discoveries of the global scientific community toward innovative ways to improve quality of life and economic prosperity.

The GIST initiative operates in:

Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Algeria, Angola, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Botswana, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, Colombia, Comoros Islands, Congo (Democratic Republic of), Congo (Republic of), Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Dominica Dominican Republic, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia (The), Georgia, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, Honduras, Hungary, Indonesia, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritania, Kiribati, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyz Republic, Lao PRD, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Macedonia (FYR), Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia (Fed. Sts.), Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Peru, Papau New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Romania, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, South Africa, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Swaziland, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia

References