Out-Innovate

1.

Create

Create Rather Than Disrupt

Beads of sweat ran down Timbo Drayson’s forehead, stinging his eyes. It was his fourth consecutive day spent in the hot Nairobi sun, methodically taking photos, tying them to GPS coordinates, and building an early testable dataset. Timbo, CEO of a startup called OkHi, was gathering data to create uniquely identifiable locations—what the rest of the world calls street addresses—for downtown Nairobi. To that end, he was gathering coordinates, visual cues, and other familiar markers that Nairobi residents use when giving directions.

In developed Western countries, street addresses are provided by governments and are considered table stakes for a variety of public and private services.

Registering for a driver’s ...