“The Lean Startup,” a book by Eric Ries that has become a bible for many Silicon Valley innovators, is finding a growing audience among entrepreneurs working in emerging markets.
“Lean Startup is about creating a new institution in extreme conditions of chaos and uncertainty,” Rocio Perez Ochoa, who presented on her work with women’s groups in Western Kenya at the Lean Startup Conference in San Francisco, California, told Devex. “Anything you want to do in a new market is by definition a startup. And how more uncertain can you get than a market that doesn’t exist? I can’t find a better definition of uncertainty and chaos.”
Bidhaa Sasa, which develops distribution channels to deliver products to families in rural Kenya, is built around Lean Startup principles like eliminating uncertainty, working smarter not harder, and developing a minimum viable product. Perez Ochoa spoke with Devex about applications for and limitations of this methodology in developing countries. Here are her tips for other social entrepreneurs.
About the author
Catherine Cheneycatherinecheney
Catherine Cheney is the Senior Editor for Special Coverage at Devex. She leads the editorial vision of Devex’s news events and editorial coverage of key moments on the global development calendar. Catherine joined Devex as a reporter, focusing on technology and innovation in making progress on the Sustainable Development Goals. Prior to joining Devex, Catherine earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Yale University, and worked as a web producer for POLITICO, a reporter for World Politics Review, and special projects editor at NationSwell. She has reported domestically and internationally for outlets including The Atlantic and the Washington Post. Catherine also works for the Solutions Journalism Network, a non profit organization that supports journalists and news organizations to report on responses to problems.