Ovidiu Bujorean believes innovation, entrepreneurship and technology all catalyze impactful change transforming not only lives, but generations to come. He is the program manager for the organization called Global Innovation through Science and Technology (GIST) Initiative which aims to accelerate technology commercialization and entrepreneurship in the Middle East, North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, Central and Southeast Asia.
Born and raised in Romania, Bujorean got to experience the transformation of a country from communism to democracy and a market-oriented economy. Having earned graduate degrees from MIT and Harvard, we got a chance go speak to Bujorean about his background and projects.
Elan: Can you tell us a little bit about your professional background?
Ovidiu Bujorean: First I worked in Romania in a variety of positions, ranging from consulting with Gemini Consulting to implementing one of the UNDP regional best practices in e-government, and then establishing the Leaders Romania foundation that impacts the lives of thousands of young leaders and entrepreneurs through educational programming, mentorship and leadership development opportunities. Since coming to the U.S., I have gotten involved with several startups (Neuron Global, mypaperlessbills, Illume Software) as well as worked on consulting projects with tech ventures in New Zealand (Wherescape) and China (Eastmoney). Upon graduating from MIT Sloan, I joined Rudyard Partners, a specialized venture capital firm focused on investing in early stage consumer technology opportunities for the global marketplace. The common thread of my professional life is that I have always engaged my core interest to participate in and support entrepreneurship, leadership, and startups.
Elan: What is the Global Innovation through Science and Technology (GIST) Initiative? How did you get involved?
OB: The GIST Initiative is a high-impact initiative that is focused on identifying, mentoring, training and seeding the most promising technology entrepreneurs in information and communications technology (ICT), healthcare, energy and agriculture who are from the Middle East, Turkey, Africa and Asia. The initiative is implemented by CRDF Global and funded primarily by the U.S. Department of State. Its programs range from organizing GIST Tech-I, which is an international go-to-market competition, to GIST Startup Boot Camps, which are aimed at catalyzing local entrepreneurial ecosystems, and GIST TechConnect, which is a series of video conferences connecting entrepreneurs, mentors and investors across geographies. A new program coming in July 2013 is the GIST Accelerator, a 6-week immersion program in Silicon Valley for the most promising emerging market technology entrepreneurs.
The GIST Initiative is a wonderful opportunity that brings together my experience in building youth leadership and entrepreneurship programs in Romania, with my education in innovation and entrepreneurship in technology, and my passion to work with promising entrepreneurs and ventures in emerging and frontier markets. My work is at the intersection of a few areas that I am very passionate about: entrepreneurship, innovation, technology, investing and international development, so when I found out about the opportunity to lead this new initiative, I had to get involved.
Your readers can keep up to date on GIST’s initiatives here.
Elan: Why do you believe that entrepreneurship is the key to rapid development?
OB: Entrepreneurship is one of the most creative forces I have ever encountered. The right idea that addresses a strong market need has the potential, with the right leadership, to catalyze all the necessary talent and resources for the benefit of many. I have seen this entrepreneurship provide success stories in many countries and I am always inspired by the stories of entrepreneurs who, despite all the challenges, strive to improve the situations of their families, communities and countries.
The origination of a sound idea is no longer a privilege of the few, but something that can be accessible to many aspiring entrepreneurs. The ease of access to information, and the expansion of global networks, are great vehicles that allow for a much faster exchange of relevant ideas and talent, therefore accelerating the learning curve and shortening the time from idea to marketplace.
Elan: What has been your greatest challenge at GIST?
OB: The greatest challenge so far was the dual process of designing the GIST activities of the initiative while executing them at the same time. But the good part of that challenge is that we have the opportunity to continuously introduce new ideas and adapt the format of our activities to better fit the needs of our partners and entrepreneurs. We have seen ideas that originated in Tunisia, that we implemented in Indonesia, and technologies that originated in Malaysia that are used in Silicon Valley.
Elan: What advice would you give to budding entrepreneurs?
OB: I think it is critical to identify a specific problem or need that you want to solve with your venture. Understanding and meeting the needs of your customers is critical to the success of any new business. Having a team of founders, advisers and mentors is a very valuable asset to help you solve the challenges of starting a new venture. Attracting early stage investment from a quality and experienced investor is also critical. But most important is consistently following your passion as an entrepreneur.
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