Resources for Innovators

Stage 1: Pre-market: what is needed to get from idea to product or service?

Stages of product design Stages of business development Support needed?

Ideation● Creative Workshop ● A New Approach to Funding

Social Enterprises● DIY Toolkit

○ Startup Weekend ○ Problem Definition ○ Experience Tour ○ Evidence Planning ○ Fast Idea Generator ○ Thinking Hats ○ Value Mapping

● MindMeister ● Becoming a changemaker:

Introduction to Social Innovation

Design● Design Kit ● Field Guide to Human

Centered Design● Business Models for Social

Enterprise Acumen+ Free Course

● Human Centered Design +Acumen Free Course

Environmental concerns○ ProductBio

Research and development● Problem Definition ● Experience Tour

Making the product – initial manufacturing: what do we need to get from good idea to good product? /

● Designing and prototyping○ NESTA Prototyping Framework ○ DIY Toolkit ○ ThomasNet ○ InVision and Sketch

● Identifying regulations and specifications a product must be built to (ISO standards, in-country regulations, etc.)

○ Lawyers Without Borders ○ ISO Standards Catalogue

● Initial manufacturing○ ThomasNet

● Understanding the market: where can our idea fill a need and how?

○ Conducting Customer Discovery Interviews ○ Understanding your target audience and defining

your value proposition

● Understanding opportunity: who is the target consumer?○ Understanding your target audience and defining

your value proposition

● Understanding competition: who is also in this space and how can we differentiate our product?

Setting up a business – start up phase: how do we build a

Business plan templates● Business Plan Template Job Creation

Social Enterprise● Business Plan Overview Template ● Business Model Canvas ● Seamless Docs

Strategy development● Why The Lean Startup Changes

Everything● Business Planning for Enduring

Social Impact● Business Model Canvas ● Business Models for Social Enterprise

+Acumen Free Course● Lean Social Impact Practices for

Social Impact● Seamless Docs ● How to Be Startup CEO

Budgeting (cost tools, 101 information about P&L/cash flow statements, bookkeeping, etc.)

● Free Intuit QuickBooks budget template

● FreshBooks ● P&L Statement for Excel

Sectoral/technical expertise● Estimating the Cost of Educational

Programs● Healthcare Marketplace Coursera

Course

● Causes Diagram ● Story World ● OpenIDEO Interview Toolkit

Testing● Consumer

○ Interview Guide ○ People Shadowing ○ Question Ladder ○ Story World ○ Target Group ○ Personas ○ Lean Startup

Principles for Social Impact: +Acumen Free Course

Redesign● Learning Loop ● Lean Social Impact Practices

for Social Impact +Acumen Online Course

Piloting● Business Models for Social

Enterprise Acumen+ Free Course

● Design Kit: Prototyping +Acumen Free Course

Identifying competition and value proposition

● Understanding your target audience and defining your value proposition

● Value Proposition Design

business around this good product so that it can go to market?

● Building team, understanding what kinds of roles need to be filled initially

○ Impact Hubs ○ Co-Founders Lab ○ SCORE ○ Startup Weekend ○ Getting from Employee 5 to 50: The hiring guide

every startup should read○ Devex ○ How to Be Startup CEO

● Developing a business plan○ Innovation Flowchart ○ SWOT Analysis ○ SWOT Analysis Worksheet ○ Business Planning for Enduring Social Impact ○ Business Model Canvas ○ Business Models for Social Enterprise Acumen+

Free Course○ Starting and Managing a Social Enterprise ○ Business Planning for the Social Enterprise

● Identify source of funding for initial stages (bootstrapping, grants, friends and family, etc.)

○ A New Approach to Funding Social Enterprises ○ Social Enterprise Business Models ○ Fundable ○ How to Raise Venture Capital ○ SCORE ○ The 50 Top Microfinancing Institutions ○ Gust ○ How to Get Angel Investors ○ Starting and Managing a Social Enterprise ○ How To Pitch a VC ○ Crowdfunding for Social Ventures

● Setting up legal entity within base country

Hiring● Impact Hubs ● Co-Founders Lab ● TalentSquare ● Getting from Employee 5 to 50: The

hiring guide every startup should read● Job application form ● Devex ● Idealist ● Bullhorn Reach ● Plum

Surveys (design support)● DHS Program ● LimeSurvey ● SurveyMonkey

Online courses● Wharton Entrepreneurship ● Innovation and Design for Global

Grand Challenges● Business Strategy from Wharton:

Competitive Advantage● Marketing Analytics: Products,

Distribution and Sales● Health

○ Entrepreneurship and Healthcare in Emerging Economies

○ Innovating in Health Care

Mentorship Programs● MicroMentor ● DSO Global ● Governance Counts ● Gratitude Fund Mentorship Network ● reSET ● TiE ● Unreasonable Institute

○ Lawyers Without Borders ○ TrustLaw ○ Lex Mundi ProBono Foundation ○ Incorporate ○ US

■ So You Want to Start a Social Enterprise? ○ UK

■ Which Legal Structure is Right for My Social Enterprise?

● Understanding cash flow○ FreshBooks ○ AfID

● Tax Status○ Annual Filing Requirements for Nonprofits ○ WTO Tariff Download Facility

● Financing (for the business and potentially for consumers)○ FreshBooks ○ AFID ○ The 50 Top Microfinancing Institutions ○ Estimating the Cost of Educational Programs ○ How To Pitch a VC

● Marketing○ SWOT Analysis ○ SWOT Analysis Examples for Every Business

Situation○ BlueHost ○ Marketing Plan Template ○ NEW Nonprofit Marketing Plan Template—Right-

Things, Right-Now Marketing○ Creative Market

● Initial small scale distribution○ Marketing Analytics: Products, Distribution and

Sales○ Thinking about after sales service and

maintenance systems■ Salesforce ■ Happy Fox ■ Zoho Projects

● Data capture tools (in M+E section, see below)

● Data management systems● System Mapping Management ● DevResults ● Salesforce

Stage 2: Market introduction - what is needed to get from product to purchase?

Stages of market introduction Stages of business development Support needed

Market research● Identify characteristics of

risk tolerant early adopters○ Marketing for Social

Entrepreneurs○ Marketing Plan &

Template○ AYTM

Determine consumer willingness to pay

● Pricing Strategy Coursera Course

Identify promising distribution models for target early adopters

● Personas ● Promises and Potential Map

Consumer feedback on product● UsabilityHub

Identifying target markets● Market research

○ Kline ○ SWOT Analysis ○ SWOT Analysis

Examples for Every Business Situation

● Market Sizing○ How to Size a

Market Opportunity

Re-evaluating business needs - is this all working to the best of its ability?

● Organizational Capacity Assessment Tool ● SWOT Analysis ● Startup Scorecard

● Cash flow○ Free Intuit QuickBooks Cash Flow Statement

Template○ Cash Flow Direct Method ○ Indirect Cash Flow Method

● Supply chain○ FinancialForce ○ TradeGecko ○ ThomasNet ○ Supply Chain Software

■ Fishbowl Inventory Software

● Initial manufacturing○ Manufacturing Cost Estimations or Inventions

● Distribution○ Building Effective Distribution Channels

● After sales service and maintenance○ Keeping track of services

■ Salesforce ■ Happy Fox ■ Zoho Projects

Identify consumer financing needs● Target Group

Market assessment tools● Marketing for Social Entrepreneurs ● Google Analytics ● AYTM

Consumer segmentation toolsWillingness to pay identification strategies

● Pricing a Product ● Bain Customer Segmentation ● Market Research and Consumer

Behavior Coursera Course

Marketing and sales strategies● Target Group ● Story World ● Marketing for Social Entrepreneurs ● NEW Nonprofit Marketing Plan

Template—Right-Things, Right-Now Marketing

● Free Business Card Maker ● Marketing Plan & Template ● AYTM ● Emails

○ Art of Emails ● Websites

○ Wordpress

Client management systems (protocol, software)

● Salesforce ● Insightly CRM ● UsabilityHub ● Zoho Projects

○ SWOT Analysis ○ SWOT Analysis

Examples for Every Business Situation

Customer segmentation/Identifying new target customer segments

● Bain Customer Segmentation

● Market Research and Consumer Behavior Coursera Course

Consumer preference research, willingness to pay studies, etc.

● Pricing Strategy Coursera Course

Establishing initial supply chains● ThomasNet

Establishing distribution networks

● Distribution challenges and workable solutions

● Personas ● Banking With the Poor Network, South Asia ● The 50 Top Microfinancing Institutions

Identify pain points and how to get to the next steps in size and maturity of business

● McKinsey pro-bono services ● Organizational Capacity Assessment Tool ● SWOT Analysis ● SWOT Analysis Examples for Every Business Situation

Impact and measurement● Introduction to Evaluation ● Organizational Capacity Assessment Tool

Research question/research design (more M+E section, see below)

● Using Randomization in Development Economics - for people with Econ background

● Sample Size and Power Calculations

Transparency and reproducibility (in M+E section, see below)

Teaching resources (in M+E section, see below)

Institutional support/technical assistance● Social Venture Institutes

Establishing values, mission● Establishing Values for Your Business Online Course

Team and project management tools● Salesforce ● Zoho Projects

Online courses● Wharton Entrepreneurship ● Innovation and Design for Global

Grand Challenges

Stage 3: Early adoption - what is needed to get from initial users to greater market penetration?

Stages of early adoption Stages of business development Support needed

Identifying behavioral patterns of target customer segments and consumer base

● Critical Task List ● Innovation and Design for

Global Grand Challenges

Increasing manufacturing

● Learning Loop ● Scaling Plan

Expanding Company/Hiring Services

● Bullhorn Reach ● Plum ● Job application form ● Devex ● Upwork ● Idealist ● Impact Hubs ● Co-Founders Lab ● Getting from Employee 5 to

50: The hiring guide every startup should read

● LinkedIn for Nonprofits

Setting up larger scale manufacturing (potentially with own factories or through agreement with manufacturer, location may vary)

● Learning Loop ● Scaling Plan ● Identifying relevant legal and regulatory structures

(labor laws, import tariffs and restrictions, etc.)○ Lawyers Without Borders ○ Lex Mundi ProBono Foundation

● Establishing more sophisticated after sales service and maintenance

○ Salesforce ○ Happy Fox ○ Zoho Projects

Recruiting Employees● Stanford Entrepreneurial Summer Intern Program ● Scaling Plan ● Devex ● Upwork ● Bullhorn Reach ● Plum ● Idealist ● Impact Hubs ● Getting from Employee 5 to 50: The hiring guide every

startup should read● Job application form ● LinkedIn for Nonprofits

Product testing (A/B)● Google Analytics ● Optimizely

Pitch deck and other marketing materials● The Best Startup Pitch Deck ● Populr ● How To Pitch a VC ● Don't Pitch A Venture Capitalist Without

This Checklist

Legal and Consulting Services● Lex Mundi ProBono Foundation ● Deloitte Pro Bono Services ● The 50 Top Microfinance Institutions

Product/Market Fit Analysis● Learning Loop

Partnerships● Founder Dating ● LinkedIn for Nonprofits

Increasing Social Media Presence and Press Coverage

● Social Media Ideas, Formulas & Shortcuts for Improvement

● Convert More Customers with Video + Social

● 10 Tips for Creating Great Content ● 6 Steps To Developing a Content-First

Marketing Strategy● 71 Ways to Get Media Coverage ● 11 Tips for Pitching Reporters on Social

Media

Product Iteration/Pivoting● A Straightforward Guide to Product Iteration

● 7 Steps to a More Advanced Social Media Strategy

● How to Build a Brilliant Brand on Social Media

● How to Build a Social Media Content Calendar

Pricing Adjustments● Pricing a Product

Understanding Finance● Napkin Finance

Online courses● Wharton Entrepreneurship ● Innovation and Design for Global Grand

Challenges● Steer Your Business to Success

Stage 4: Market growth - what is needed to get from purchase to prominence in a market?

Stages of market growth Stages of business development Support needed

Automation and outsourcing

● Upwork ● Catchafire ● Fiverr

Creating new products, redesign and adaptation of current products

● MindMeister ● DIY Toolkit

○ Creative Workshop

○ Problem Definition ○ Experience Tour ○ Fast Idea

Generator○ Thinking Hats ○ Causes Diagram

Understanding local market conditions

● Pro Bono Economics

Finding new funding - list of impact investors in stage 5● The 50 Top Microfinancing Institutions ● Measuring impact (in M+E section, see below)

○ Pro Bono Economics ● Increasing transparency (in M+E section, see below)

Effective management● Seed Transformation Program – East Africa

● Board of Directors○ Building an Effective Board of Directors ○ LinkedIn for Nonprofits

● Advisory Board○ How to Build an Effective Advisory Board

● Hiring○ Stanford Entrepreneurial Summer Intern Program ○ Upwork ○ Job application form ○ Devex ○ Idealist ○ LinkedIn for Nonprofits

● Selling your business

Redesigning the business plan● SWOT Analysis ● SWOT Analysis Examples for Every Business Situation ● Seed Transformation Program – East Africa

Developing a growth strategy● Steer your Business to Success

Pitch deck and other marketing materials● The 11 Slides You Need to Have in

Your Pitch Deck● The Best Startup Pitch Deck

Managing cash flow● Accounting

○ Free Intuit QuickBooks budget template

○ FreshBooks ○ AfID

Legal services● Lex Mundi ProBono Foundation

Management software● Salesforce ● Asana

Need for flexible capital - Banks, grants, partnerships, leasing options

● Identifying impact investors - (list of impact investors in stage 5)

● The 50 Top Microfinancing Institutions

Consulting● Deloitte Pro Bono Services ● Inspire ● Seed Transformation Program – East

Africa● Governance Counts ● Catchafire

● Seed Transformation Program – East Africa ● Wharton Entrepreneurship ● Supply chain management

○ FinancialForce ○ TradeGecko

● Demand generation○ Building partnerships○ LinkedIn for Nonprofits

Online courses● Wharton Entrepreneurship ● Steer your Business to Success

Stage 5: Market expansion - what is needed to scale products to new markets? → Depends on expected pathway to scale and will look different for every business, but market/public/private/hybrid will share commonalities.

Stages of market expansion Stages of business development Support needed

Identifying new target markets● Market research

○ Kline ○ SWOT Analysis ○ SWOT Analysis

Examples for Every Business Situation

● Market Sizing○ How to Size a

Market Opportunity○ SWOT Analysis ○ SWOT Analysis

Examples for Every Business Situation

Customer segmentation/ Identifying new target customer segments

● Bain Customer Segmentation

● Market Research and Consumer Behavior Coursera Course

Consumer preference research, willingness to pay studies, etc.

● Pricing Strategy Coursera Course

Establishing new supply chains

(Many of the same issues as earlier stages - setting up in new countries, developing new supply chains and distribution models, etc.)

Establishing initial supply chains● ThomasNet ● Supply Chain Software

○ Fishbowl Inventory Software

Product adaptation: Adapting product to local conditions/needs● Product Standardization and adaptation in international

marketing● Pro Bono Economics

Country product standards and regulations● Lawyers Without Borders ● ISO Standards Catalogue

Building a strong management team● 12 Ways to Build an Effective Team ● Devex ● Building Future Leaders Diagnostic Survey ● Strategic Leadership and Management

Market expansion opportunities● SWOT Analysis ● SWOT Analysis Examples for Every Business Situation

Exit strategy

Social impact bonds● Social Impact Bond Infographic

Investor networks; Networks of investors interested in innovator products

● Global Impact Investing Network

Scaling plan● Scaling Plan ● SWOT Analysis ● SWOT Analysis Examples for Every

Business Situation● Cost Effectiveness and Scaling Up:

Measurement

Accounting management and software● Accounting: Principles of Financial

Accounting● Accounting Management Solutions ● FinancialForce

Consulting● Deloitte Social Impact Consulting ● Deloitte Pro Bono Services ● Dalberg Global Development Advisors ● FSG ● Bridgespan ● Inspire ● Stanford Entrepreneurial Summer

Intern Program● Pro Bono Economics ● Echoing Green ● Governance Counts

● ThomasNet

Partnerships; Identify appropriate partners

● Partnership Evaluation Framework

● Partnerships: Frameworks for Working Together

● Building Partnerships ● LinkedIn for Nonprofits

Establishing new distribution networks

Developing a Growth strategy● Acceleration programs

○ Seed Transformation Program – East Africa ○ Echoing Green ○ Y Combinator

● Supply chain management○ FinancialForce ○ TradeGecko

● SWOT Analysis

Setting up large scale manufacturing (potentially with own factories or through agreement with manufacturer, location may vary)

● Learning Loop ● Scaling Plan

Identifying relevant legal services and regulatory structures (labor laws, import tariffs and restrictions, etc.)

● Lawyers Without Borders ● Lex Mundi ProBono Foundation

Establishing more sophisticated after sales service and maintenance

● Zoho Projects ● Salesforce ● Happy Fox

Hiring, seeking additional help● Stanford Entrepreneurial Summer Intern Program ● Idealist ● LinkedIn for Nonprofits

Online courses● Wharton Entrepreneurship ● Strategic Leadership and Management ● Innovation Design for Global Grand

Challenges

Impact investing● Financial Inclusion

○ Accion ○ Bamboo Finance ○ Elevar Equity ○ GrayGhost Ventures

● Energy○ Bamboo Finance ○ Vital Capital ○ Acumen Fund

● Agriculture○ Bamboo Finance ○ Elevar Equity ○ Vital Capital ○ Acumen Fund ○ Root Capital ○

● Health○ Bamboo Finance ○ Better Ventures ○ Vital Capital ○ DBL Partners ○ Acumen Fund

● Sustainability○ Better Ventures ○ DBL Partners

● Environment○ EcoEnterprises Fund ○ Root Capital

● Humanitarian○ Elevar Equity ○ Root Capital

● Technology

○ GrayGhost Ventures ○ DBL Partners

● Housing○ Vital Capital ○ Acumen Fund

● Education○ Vital Capital ○ Acumen Fund

● All○ Grassroots Business Fund ○ Big Issue Invest ○ SEAF ○ Echoing Green

Legal services● Lawyers Without Borders ● Lex Mundi ProBono Foundation

Measurement and impactHow can our innovators efficiently and effectively monitor, measure, and test whether their innovation is achieving impact?

1. Introduction to evaluations: “the what, why, who, when, and how of evaluations”1. Basic

1. Measuring Impact 2. Building a Performance Measurement System

2. Intermediate1. Impact Evaluation - World Bank2. Introduction to Impact Evaluation - Australia 3. UNICEF Overview of Impact Evaluation

3. Advanced1. Scaling Up and Evaluation 2. Introduction to Evaluation - J-PAL, Randomized evaluations3. Outlines of Principles for Impact Evaluations 4. Using Randomization in Development Economics Research: A Toolkit 5. Impact Evaluation in Practice

2. Research Question1. Narrowing a Topic and Developing a Research Question 2. Identifying a Relevant Research Problem and Question, and Searching Relevant Literature 3. Evidence Gap Maps - help figuring out what data is already out there

3. Research Design1. Target population and outcomes (tied to research questions)2. Sampling

1. WHO STEPS Sample Size Calculator and Sampling Spreadsheet 2. A Practical Guide to Sampling

3. Randomization/IE design4. Power Calculations/sample size

1. Overview1. Power and Sample Size Calculation 2. Determining Sample Size: How to Ensure You Get the Correct Sample Size 3. Determining Sample Size eBook

2. Optimal Design software1. Exercise: How to do Power Calculations in Optimal Design Software 2. Power Calculations: STATA and Optimal Design

4. Measurement and Data Collection

1. Survey Design1. World Bank LSMS

2. Data collection - Software options1. Free

1. ODK 2. Fieldata - free option3. Computer-Assisted Personal Interview technology (World Bank)

a. Survey question designer from World Bank b. Survey solutions tester

2. Paid1. SurveyCTO 2. SurveyBe

3. Data quality1. Using Administrative Data for Randomized Evaluations 2. High frequency checks guide and Stata code

1. BCSTATS 2. CFOUT

5. Working with Data1. Data security, backup, storage

1. Software1. BoxCryptor

2. Data cleaning1. Managing and Manipulating Survey Data: A Beginner's Guide 2. Talend

3. Data analysis1. Data classification table 2. Best Practices for Data and Code Management

6. Ethics1. Institutional Review Board (IRB) Overview

1. IRB Flowsheet 2. Does my research need IRB review?

2. Training and Certification on Human Subjects Research1. NIH Research Involving Human Subjects

7. Transparency and Reproducibility1. Pre-registration on AEA 2. Pre-analysis plans

1. Promises and Perils of Pre-Analysis Plans

3. External sharing and data publication1. Data Publication Guidelines 2. Center for Open Science 3. International Initiative for Impact Evaluation

8. Software and Tools1. Stata

1. Stata tutorial 2. Impact Evaluation using Stata

2. R1. https://www.r-project.org/

3. OptimalDesign

9. Cost-effectiveness Analysis1. Costing

1. J-PAL Basic Costing Template 2. J-PAL Guidelines to Costing

2. J-PAL Cost Effectiveness1. J-PAL Improving Student Participation Cost-Effectiveness Analysis Example 2. Cost Effectiveness and Scaling Up: Measurement 3. Comparative Cost-Effectiveness Analysis to Inform Policy in Developing Countries: A General Framework with

Applications for Education 3. Education CE Guides

1. J-PAL Improving Test Performance Cost-Effectiveness Analysis Example 2. Estimating the Cost of Education Programs

10. Institutional Support/Technical Assistance1. J-PAL Executive Education 2. ImpactMatters - new IPA-incubated organization that does impact audits for small nonprofits to determine how to use and produce

evidence3. IDinsight 4. Pro Bono Economics