Last week's class was very enjoyable and insightful! Paul and Anna did a terrific job at presenting E-Luma and I learned a lot from both what they did and didn't say both the pitch and the "failure" presentations.
Firstly, I think the concept is compelling to not only stakeholders who would invest in the project, but also (and more importantly) to the community members that would develop and utilize it. The E-Luma marketplace is made out of local, indigenous materials. It always amazes me how communities such as Sierra Leone, that are the most adversely impacted by climate change and that have the fewest resources to mitigate its effects, can pull together and sustain a way of living through such innovations. E-Luma has multiple benefits - both in its design as well as its purpose. Micro-entrepreneurs are encouraged to pursue ventures in a sustainable way. One feature that I found particularly interesting was that E-Luma is not solely for the purpose of sparking business ideas, it's also a community gathering spot. There is a structure (the name of it is slipping me!) that is meant to be in the middle of the village to encourage community members to sit and simply be exposed to the environment.
The presentation was filled with images to tell a story. We discussed this in class and it was evident that Paul and Anna were talking directly to us, and not to the slides.
Also, I really appreciated getting to know about the team's failures. It wasn't a smooth journey by any means and perseverance is key. Reflecting back on our teamwork conversation and having a plan B and a plan C when certain teammates fall through due to other time commitments is essential.
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