Dare to Innovate is a youth-led movement to end unemployment across West Africa by investing in entrepreneurship. They train youth in human-centered design, business modeling, and collective problem solving to generate ideas and start new businesses. Their process has helped create 32 businesses, generate 250 jobs, and provide seed funding and training to 81 young entrepreneurs. They believe that empowering youth with skills and resources can help address unemployment, poverty, and social issues in West Africa.

1. DARE
TO
INNOVATE

2. WE ARE A YOUTH-LED MOVEMENT
TO END UNEMPLOYMENT
ACROSS WEST AFRICA.

3. WE INVEST IN THE ENTREPRENEURIAL
ECOSYSTEM TO IGNITE SOCIAL CHANGE.

4. THE
W Y .
Africa has the largest youth
population in the world with
more than
200 MILLIONpeople between ages 15-24
600 MILLION
and
new jobs will be needed in
the next 15 years
60%
More than
of Africa’s youth are
unemployed
.
.

5. YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT
PERPETUATES GENERATIONAL
CYCLES OF POVERTY AND ERODES
SOCIAL COHESION.
.

6. MIND MAPPING
CAPTURE COLLECTIVE REALITY
HMW
HOW MIGHT WE STATEMENTS
CHALLENGES INTO OPPORTUNITIES
OPEN SPACE DIALOGUE
HARNESS COLLECTIVE WISDOM
WISHES & FRUSTRATIONS
UNEARTH PAIN POINTS
BRAINSTORMING
IDEAS, IDEAS, IDEAS
BUSINESS MODELS
DESIRABILITY, FEASIBILITY, VIABILITY
We combine leading methodologies in business modeling,
human-centered design, collective dialogue and self-discovery
for a unique path to ideation and entrepreneurship.
OUR PROCESS .

7. DESIRABILITY
VIABILITY
FEASIBILITY
FINDING THE SWEET SPOT .
From ideation to business creation, our entrepreneurs
leverage value chain analysis, customer experience mapping
and prototyping to test and iterate concepts toward the
intersection of desirability, feasibility and viability.
MAKE YOUR
BUSINESS WORK

8. LOCAL OWNERSHIP INNOVATION
HUMAN-CENTERED
DESIGN
SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP
CROSS-CULTURE,
CROSS-SECTOR COLLABORATION
SUSTAINABILITY
THEORY OF CHANGEOUR
.

9. IMPACT .
OURCOLLECTIVE
SINCE 2014
32
BUSINESSES
CREATED
81
YOUTH
ENTERPRISE
OWNERS
250
JOBS
CREATED
$60K
SEED
FUNDING
INVESTED

10. MEET SOME OF OUR
ENTREPRENEURS.
BUT WAIT, THE BEST PART YET (!)

11. CHECK OUT
DARIUS
BARRY
In 2013, Darius was unemployed.
Today, he runs his region’s top
elementary school. What began
as a tutoring center in his parent’s
living room has evolved to a full-
fledged school with 600 students
enrolled, over 400 on the waitlist,
and 12 employees.
“Before I thought that I had failed at life, but after
receiving the training and funding from Dare to Innovate,
I had no choice but to accomplish something.”

12. CHECK OUT
FATOUMATA
DIALLO
The women in Fatoumata’s neighborhood
sell at the local market, right on the edge
of the major highway. Fatoumata noticed
it was difficult for women to keep an eye
on their children, who are at risk of being
hit by a passing car, getting sick from
playing in piles of trash, or falling into the
gutters that line the road.
Fatoumata launched a daycare center
promoting creativity and providing
security for children. She now cares for
and educates 100 children and employs
three women.

13. WE BELIEVE IN A WEST AFRICA
WHERE ENTREPRENEURS HAVE
ACCESS TO RESOURCES, WHERE
INNOVATION IS THE
EXPECTATION, AND WHERE
YOUTH ACTIVELY LEAD THE
DEVELOPMENT OF THEIR
COUNTRY.

14. WE’RE ON A MISSION.
DARE TO JOIN?
meghan@daretoinnovate.com
info@daretoinnovate.com
WWW.DARETOINNOVATE.COM
CONSULTING TRAININGINCUBATION