Incubating Sustainability Initiatives with NASA, USAID, the State Department & Nike

SecondMuse is working on an ongoing basis on a pioneering sustainability initiative called LAUNCH. Recognizing that due to a variety of circumstances including lack of funding, management, public relations and marketing, many breakthrough innovations that could have a significant impact on humanity’s sustainable development never see the light of day, SecondMuse was hired by USAID, NASA, Nike and the State Department to help conceive and execute a program that will to foster the progress of disruptive new innovations that have the potential to benefit humanity in critical areas of sustainability.

The first LAUNCH forum, LAUNCH: Water took place in March 2010, bringing together a unique group of scientists, activists, entrepreneurs and inventors came together at the Kennedy Space Center with the goal of moving humanity one step closer towards water sustainability. SecondMuse played an integral role in conceiving and executing LAUNCH: Water, and supported the LAUNCH founding partners in designing a collaborative process that allowed them, through consultation with experts in water sustainability and the use of cutting edge technology, to search the globe for pioneering innovations in the water sector.

The resulting ten innovations chosen for the LAUNCH: Water forum included brand-new techniques of hydroponic farming, a bacterial water test that can be done in a simple plastic bag under the meanest of conditions, a technology capable of removing microscopic arsenic particles from contaminated water throughout Bangladesh, water pipes made from an incredible material that can transform highly saline or contaminated water into water viable for agriculture and mobile sensors capable of traveling river systems and transmitting vital data.

SecondMuse worked closely with the chosen innovators to hone their messages for delivery at the LAUNCH forum, where each innovator had the opportunity to undergo multiple impact sessions with a council of experts in every relevant field from engineering to manufacturing, marketing to design, from venture capital financing to international development. The collective energy and brainpower marshaled by the LAUNCH council members led the innovators in new directions, forged important networks and refined developing business models.

Following the LAUNCH: Water forum, SecondMuse continued to support the development of an acceleration process whereby the input and support offered during the LAUNCH forum could be capitalized upon by the innovators, enabling them to make rapid and significant progress in the development of their technologies. SecondMuse is currently engaged in the planning of the second LAUNCH forum, focused on global health.

To learn more about LAUNCH, visit www.launch.org.