2016 ICT4D Conference

Building on a 75 year history of citizenship, Hewlett Packard Enterprise is now taking an innovative crowdsourcing approach to uncover pioneering digital solutions for millions of people disadvantaged by the digital divide. Launched on December 1, 2015, the HPE Living Progress Challenge invited the global community to bring forward proposals that answered the question: What software applications and digital services would you create to improve people’s lives around the world?

In this session, Christopher Wellise, Director, Strategic Initiatives, will share the genesis of the Challenge and the rationale for why Hewlett Packard Enterprise has taken this innovative approach. He will discuss the Living Progress Challenge’s multi-phase structure; how Hewlett Packard Enterprise worked with key internal and external partners to facilitate the contest’s vital crowdsourcing component, and how the power of crowdsourcing will be harnessed to unleash new creativity, innovation and ideas.

The session will also showcase examples of the diverse range of submissions the Challenge elicited. More than 130 proposals for digital solutions were received, addressing an array of social issues including democracy; monitoring and evaluation, financial inclusion; healthcare for new mothers; business resilience to disasters; unemployment; and more. Finally, Mr. Wellise will discuss the ongoing opportunities for companies like HPE to connect with organizations and implementers around the world in order to innovate to improve people’s lives.