When Is Smart Too Smart?

Indian startup Ducere Technologies is about to bestow a new form of high-tech footwear unto the world, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Ducere was started in 2011, by two tinkerers and friends, whose passions were to contribute to this world. At Ducere, Anirudh and Krispian came upon an idea that would take the world by storm. Graduates from MIT and the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, these two individuals love to experiment with design and engineer products. Their innovative strategy is that their products are intuitive, non-obtrusive, and easy on the pocket.

Today, Ducere and LeChal has been recognized globally as a pioneer and an innovative brand in wearable technology. Where affordability, availability, and the simplicity of a product, flawlessly engineered to suit your needs are developed. We have a strong team of people who are passionate about what they do and are working hard to strive to bring a change and a paradigm shift into how things work. We hope that the products we develop would change the lives of the people who use them and also help change our attitudes of taking something for granted.

Called Lechal shoes, the Bluetooth-enabled smart footwear will sync up with an app on the user’s phone, which is connected to Google Maps. Once a user inputs their destination, the app will command the left and right shoes to vibrate, telling the user which way to turn to reach their destination.

“The shoes are a natural extension of the human body,” Ducere Technologies cofounder and CEO Krispian Lawrence told the WSJ. “You will leave your house without your watch or wristband, but you will never leave your house without your shoes.”

If you’re not a fan of the shoes’ look — can we all admit they resemble dorky water shoes? — users can remove the shoes’ Bluetooth-enabled insoles and insert them into a more stylish pair of kicks.

The smart shoes were originally conceived as a way to help blind people find their way around more easily, but the company reportedly soon realized that with Lechal shoes, “joggers, mountain bikers or even tourists can plug in their destinations and not have to stop to check their phones as they move because the buzzing in their shoes will let them know when to turn.”

Ethiopian Entrepreneurs

Damenech Zewudie (above) decided it was time to strike out on her own after 33 years working in secretarial and administrative roles for various employers in Addis Ababa.

Now she is the proud owner of a two-month-old business selling injera, the large, thin pancake-like staple which is the base of almost every Ethiopian meal.

"I never used to think about owning a business," Ms Damenech says. "Then I saw how no-one was selling injera where I live - so I took a chance."

Ms Damenech, who is in her 50s, achieved her late start in entrepreneurship after taking part in a state-run training and support scheme called the Entrepreneurship Development Program (EDP).

Launched in 2013 and co-funded by the United Nations, it is hoped that the $26m (£16m) initiative will help establish a new generation of entrepreneurs who will create jobs and boost economic growth.

The program is provided for free, and will eventually be available throughout the whole country.

Although it doesn't offer any financial support, so far it has provided training and advice to 1,000 people in four of Ethiopia's 11 regions.

Its very ambitious goal is to have enabled 200,000 Ethiopians - particularly young adults and women - to acquire or improve entrepreneurial skills and knowledge by the end of 2015.

"We are working towards unleashing a transformational change through tapping into the creativity and ambition of existing and aspiring Ethiopian entrepreneurs," says Etalem Engeda who leads the government agency looking after the EDP scheme.

Following the initial workshops, advisers visit the participants to conduct business health checks throughout the year. And at any point the entrepreneurs can reach out for advice and assistance.

Not Enough Money

Wang Gongquan, a 52-year-old venture capitalist, was taken into custody at noon by around 20 policemen, according to Teng Biao, a Beijing-based rights activist and lawyer.

Police claimed Mr Wang was “suspected of committing the crime of disturbing [public] order”, Prof. Teng said.

But friends say Mr Wang is the latest victim of an ongoing government crackdown and believe he is being punished for speaking out in defense of his friend, the jailed activist Xu Zhiyong.

Mr Wang is a prominent supporter of the New Citizens’ Movement, a loose coalition of petitioners, academics and lawyers that was founded last year and holds monthly dinners at which members discuss social change. Observers believe its supporters now number in the thousands.

In recent months the movement has come under increasing pressure from China’s sprawling domestic security apparatus. Dozens of members have been detained or interrogated and its founder, the legal expert Xu Zhiyong, was formally arrested in late August after over a month in detention.

Prof. Teng, who is another of the movement’s founders, claimed Mr Wang had been detained because of his involvement with the fledgling civil rights group.

“Of course Wang Gongquan (left) didn’t commit any crime under the current legal system,” he told The Daily Telegraph.

“Wang is a famous investor but he has [also] been supportive of civil society and human rights for many years.” “I don’t know what will happen to him [but] if Wang is not released within 24 hours it will be very worrying,” he added.

Chen Min, a respected liberal journalist who has been campaigning for Prof. Xu’s release, said that after 24 hours police could either release Mr Wang or place him under criminal detention. “I believe the latter is more likely,” he said.

“At present, it is white terror in Beijing,” added Mr Chen, who claimed he was “illegally abducted” by security agents in early August after criticizing the recent wave of detentions.

“The crackdown [on the New Citizens’ Movement] is one element of a [government] combo attack [on its opponents]. I really can’t predict what will come next.” Prof. Teng said the New Citizens’ Movement operated entirely within the limits of the Chinese constitution.

“We promote the equal right to education, we request [that] officials publicize their assets and we also promote citizens’ meals. Everything is within the law.” “The authorities have a different idea. They think it is illegal to organize people to defend their own rights,” he added.

Mr Wang’s detention came as China’s annual Human Rights forum kicked off in Beijing.

If Poland Can, Why Can't We?

When I was growing up in the 50’s/60’s, there were all kinds of Polish jokes floating around like how many Poles does it take to screw in a light bulb and while I laughed at them and told a few myself, at least those I could remember, I never fully knew or even questioned why everyone teased about Poland.  But, the joke is on us because as they saw what goes around comes around.

Recently, I came across a story written in 2010 and according to the story, “Poland is the only European Union country to escape the recession in the past two years.”  That is pretty amazing because the recession of 2008 kicked the United States “in the proverbial ass,” from which we are still attempting to recover 5 years later.

Amy Kellogg, the original reporter of the story quotes Waldemar Pawlak, the Minister of Economy,

“Poland is the only country in the European Union that achieved economic growth, because of the great activity of Polish entrepreneurs and because of the very dynamic attitude of our businessmen.”

 

 

Another factor that has helped Poland avoid pain on the level some of its neighbors are experiencing is the fact that its citizens are not in debt to the extent others are.  The whole idea of credit is relatively new to this country.  So you will find people explain that they, for example, paid for their homes in cash.    

Jakub Lipinski, CEO of Polidea, a Polish software company, says,

“There is an anecdote that goes: A young man runs up to his grandfather and says ‘Grandpa, look how much I have in my piggybank, how much I have managed to save!’ The grandfather touches his head and says, ‘You shouldn’t learn how to save, you should learn how to earn money.’”     Read more:

So, here’s my question:  why can’t we find the entrepreneurs in this country that Poland has been able to find in their country?

• Is there too much of a risk?
• Are banks not willing to support start-up ventures?
• Do venture capitalists want too much ownership for their investment?
• Is it just too much work and effort for Americans?