Frontier Innovators Supports Social Enterprises to Scale Their Development Impact in APAC

Frontier Innovators is a search for innovative businesses in the Asia-Pacific that deliver impact through work that supports the Sustainable Development Goals. It is the first of four program interventions that make up Scaling Frontier Innovation (SFI), an initiative of the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s innovationXchange, which aims to support social enterprises to scale their development impact in the Asia-Pacific region.

Globally, the funds required to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) fall well short of the total global aid budget, with an estimated funding gap of USD 2.5 trillion. By supporting innovators delivering impact through market-based models, we can help create opportunities for private-sector capital to be invested in ways that contribute to development outcomes and help fill this gap.

“I was a little hesitant to go to the workshop. But from the moment I heard the other innovator stories - I was blown away each time. So many other similar humans, all actually impacting their little piece of the world.” - Frontier Innovator winner

SecondMuse was engaged as the operational lead for Frontier Innovators, working alongside the DFAT iXc team on the design and delivery of the program. Prior to launching Frontier Innovators, we engaged in a process of consultation and collaborative design with entrepreneurs, intermediaries, investors and program managers across the Asia-Pacific. Following the program launch, we hit the road for three months of fieldwork in the region, focusing on outreach, promotion and relationship-building with various stakeholder groups across 11 countries. This outreach, combined with our existing relationships within the entrepreneurial ecosystem, enabled us to convene a group of advisors who provided region- and sector-specific input for the evaluation and analysis of the 700 applications submitted to the program.

“It was amazing to get so many different people, from so many different regions and experience levels on the same page. And frankly, quite enlightening to learn that no matter where the startups were from, they were facing many similar issues.” - Workshop panelist

In March 2018, SecondMuse ran an interactive 3-day workshop event that brought together innovative businesses, expert panelists, program guides and training providers. It provided an invaluable opportunity for people to meet face-to-face and to assess the needs and capabilities of the Innovators. SecondMuse worked with each business and their guide to develop support plans and grant proposals before leading a procurement process that matched Innovator’s needs with the organizations and trainers that could provide them. Throughout the Frontier Innovators program, SecondMuse endeavored to create an inclusive, safe space for the Innovators to connect and share openly with one another about their experiences, their needs and their future goals.