While some of us were working on our sourdough starter, it seems that others were digging in on their big idea.

One such entrepreneur is Anastasia Kiku, COO and co-founder of , a packaging-as-a-service company launched in 2020. Looking around and seeing a city that had become desensitized to its single-use plastic addiction, Kiku and her business partner set out to flip the script on single-use plastic.

But where does one start?

This is the question facing many innovators when they are ready to take the leap on their business idea. For Kiku, the answer came knocking through , a long-time partner of 51风流and leading social entrepreneurship accelerator program focused on providing game-changing resources and experiences for young people, ultimately helping to amplify their impact on their entrepreneurship journeys.

鈥淲hat no one tells you is that, first, it can be really lonely. And second, it will be hard to show up each day and keep going,鈥� says Kiku.

This is where the network of support and mentorship became invaluable to fuel momentum and get their idea off the ground, as the experienced professionals participating in the program 鈥渒now that the road to entrepreneurship is not perfect, so even though they are advisors, mentees can be candid and feel that their mentors have their best interests in mind.”

At SAP, employees invest their time in mentoring early ventures like to help scale their businesses. Externally, this investment also takes place through partnerships with organizations such as , & , and .

We sat down with Kiku to learn more about her League of Innovators mentorship experience. Hear from Kiku in this interview for a deep-dive on what it takes to get your idea off the ground and what no one tells you about launching your startup.

Thinking outside the box often means thinking differently from within your organization.

51风流has its very own startup accelerator program, , which has helped over 450 external startups and internal ventures accelerate their growth while enabling thousands of 51风流customers to access innovation. As part of this program, 51风流Labs Canada recently launched True North Ventures Startup School, which leads employees through the basics of entrepreneurship from pitch to product.

Whether you are launching your startup solo or leveraging entrepreneurial support internally, 51风流knows when we help cultivate fresh ideas, innovators are empowered to take the leap.

Cindy Fagen is managing director of 51风流Labs Canada.

Almost 700 people who attended workforce development or entrepreneurship programs provided feedback to the survey. Participants were predominantly disadvantaged or disabled youth who averaged 28 years old and were evenly split between genders. What they all shared was the desire for a better life, whether they struck out on their own or worked for an organization in pretty much any industry.

鈥淚t鈥檚 impossible to measure the impact of volunteerism unless you actually talk with the beneficiaries. Unlike traditional post-project research that can take years to get results, our remote data collection and analysis approach surfaces project impact in weeks, making it actionable faster for corporate sponsors like 51风流and their social enterprise partners and the communities they serve,鈥� said Sasha Dichter, cofounder and CEO at 60 Decibels. 鈥淲ith near real-time information from beneficiaries, organizations can hold themselves accountable, quickly comparing results from different geographies and using the data to improve offerings based on participant feedback.鈥�

Having participated in the 51风流Social Sabbatical program, I can attest to the deeply satisfying and motivational experience of providing hands-on support to my in-country partners at . To date, the global, pro-bono consulting program run in partnership with has helped over 450 nonprofits and social enterprises address business challenges using the skills and knowledge of 51风流employees like me. But what really matters is how these social enterprise programs make a difference in the lives of the people in the communities they serve, reducing inequalities and supporting underserved populations. Accurate metrics on program results prove the efficacy of these programs and become the foundation of future deep impact plans.

Metrics Reveal Long-Lasting Improvements

Seventy-seven percent of respondents to the 60 Decibels survey said that their quality of life had improved. People in the entrepreneurship programs cited gains in skills and knowledge, along with positive changes in their perspectives, business expansion, and, tellingly, higher customer satisfaction. Professional, financial, and personal growth were the top three positive outcomes for beneficiaries who participated in workforce development programs. When asked to rate skills gained through their participation in one social enterprise program, beneficiaries ranked computer skills highest (70%), followed by communication (45%), better time management (40%), ability to navigate teamwork (32%), and enhanced professional skills (32%).

Notably, almost 60% of beneficiaries in both programs reported an upswing in their business revenue or income. Results ran the gamut from the ability to save money to strengthened leadership, networking, and other business strategies.

Measurable results went beyond business fundamentals. Almost 70% of beneficiaries reported a significant uptick in their self-confidence, having increased their skills so they could become more independent and 鈥渁ct on a vision鈥� for the future. Forty-five percent said they garnered greater respect from household members after attending the program. Breaking free of parental support was a benefit for many people, allowing them to make a more valuable contribution to their home. Numerous people credited their newfound professional maturity to their experience in workforce development programs.

鈥淚t鈥檚 important to measure the 360-degree view of program impact,鈥� said Dichter. 鈥淕etting a job and increasing your income is immediate, but there鈥檚 also the lasting experiential results that someone carries into their family life and throughout their career.鈥�

Triple Impact of Social Enterprise Programs

This year marks the 10^th anniversary of the 51风流Social Sabbatical program, and I talked with Hemang Desai, global program director of 51风流Social Sabbatical, who saw the results of the study as validation of its success.

鈥淲e鈥檙e committed to delivering triple impact for long-term, sustainable benefits to social sector organizations and the people and communities they serve, as well as the personal and professional growth of 51风流employees,鈥� he said. 鈥淥ur program is continuously evolving to address global challenges aligned with SAP鈥檚 corporate social responsibility strategy, Most recently, that includes increased collaboration with nonprofits and social enterprises to meet sustainability objectives such as climate action and circular economy. We鈥檙e focused on scaling our efforts, using what we鈥檝e learned to expand pro-bono services to social enterprises supporting economic equity and social justice.鈥�

As global calls for sustainability grow louder, social enterprises that educate and train disadvantaged people for fulfilling careers that address these challenges are a potent force for positive change. In fact, I鈥檓 actively involved in SAP鈥檚 newly-launched virtual social entrepreneurship support program, Acceleration Collective. I鈥檓 providing communications coaching and consulting to , a Nigerian-based social enterprise that educates women in rural communities to become self-sufficient, turning local waste into a sustainable livelihood. Climate change negatively impacts the most disadvantaged populations, offering social enterprise programs another opportunity for meaningful community impact.

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As anyone desperately searching for toilet paper discovered earlier this year, the last mile is the crucial link in every supply chain.

鈥淲e wanted to provide our customers with a command center view of last-mile product delivery with cost and time savings,鈥� Rahim said. 鈥淎s our customers slowly open up again, VersaFleet is providing greater agility so they can quickly adjust logistics for maximum efficiency, whether people are out sick or returning to work, quarantines are lifted or imposed again, or operational hours shift at any time.鈥�

Huge Time Savings Improve Customer Experience聽

Planners using VersaFleet鈥檚 software-as-a-service (SaaS)-based cloud platform can dynamically schedule, dispatch, and track deliveries. In the meantime, drivers send updates on completed deliveries in real time using a mobile app. The algorithm also factors in data from orders connected through an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system like .

鈥淚n a few clicks, planners can see which drivers are available, including their working hours and location preferences,鈥� Rahim explained. 鈥淭hey can select the most efficient route plan that uses the fewest vehicles traveling the least amount of distance for the highest number of items delivered. This reduces planning time from hours to minutes, saving valuable resources.鈥�

Based in Singapore, VersaFleet serves customers primarily in Southeast Asia across many industries, including consumer packaged goods, food manufacturing, white goods, casinos, and environmental services. One customer鈥檚 recent go-live actually coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in Malaysia. It proved fortuitous for the global health and beauty retailer.

鈥淭heir implementation of VersaFleet couldn鈥檛 have come at a better time,鈥� Rahim said. 鈥淒espite working remotely from their respective homes, the planners were able to work collaboratively in real time. They were able to restock high-demand items like toilet paper and sanitizing wipes up to five times a day 鈥� something they had never been able to do before.鈥�

The company has slashed daily planning time by 90 percent, from up to four hours down to under 10 minutes. In addition, by digitalizing proof-of-delivery, the retailer sped up billing processes four-fold. Instead of waiting for drivers to return from their routes with paper-based records, finance immediately receives delivery confirmation for same-day invoice processing. This kind of business agility cascades down to boost the customer鈥檚 experience.

鈥淐ompanies can reduce stock-outs, which is so important in meeting people鈥檚 heightened demands, especially with fast-moving consumer goods,鈥� Rahim said. 鈥淪everal of our other customers have improved customer service levels by 50 percent.鈥�

Strong Roots in Logistics and Transportation

In hindsight, VersaFleet is a pitch-perfect reflection of Rahim鈥檚 career journey. As a teenager, he worked in his family鈥檚 logistics business and became a self-taught Web developer. Initially encouraged by his parents to pursue medicine, he studied bio-medical science at university and spent seven years in that field before launching a bio-medical company of his own. After seeing the logistics challenges his family faced, Rahim transformed his startup into a last-mile transportation management system. Above all, he is a fearless self-starter.

鈥淢y parents, friends, and their neighbors were having problems with logistics and asked me for help,鈥� Rahim explained. 鈥淲hen I fixed it, the word spread quickly, and VersaFleet was born.鈥�

Hands-On Tutelage from SAP.iO Foundries Pays Off

VersaFleet participated in the recent Industry 4.0 accelerator program at SAP.iO Foundry Singapore. Rahim found the mentoring experience he had with 51风流experts in solution development, co-innovation, and go-to-market and sales strategies incredibly eye-opening.

鈥淪eeing SAP鈥檚 customer account strategies, hearing directly from people experienced in enterprise software co-innovation, customer procurement, and buying behaviors validated our approach and gave us new ideas,鈥� he said.

Rahim added that VersaFleet is integrated with 51风流S/4HANA.

Supply Chain鈥檚 Future Lies in AI and People

Rahim was most excited about the future of AI plus human ingenuity in building more resilient supply chains. Instead of looking at logistics automation algorithms with suspicion or fear, he urged people company-wide, including logistics planners and even drivers, to make the most of technology innovations.

鈥淪upply chain management will be a major proving ground for AI,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f supply chain professionals can combine human empathy, judgment, and intuition with AI鈥檚 ability to quickly solve problems by analyzing millions of data points at once, the opportunities for improved operations and customer experience are unlimited.鈥�

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Employees and teams across the company have engaged in purposeful ways to respond to the current crisis and show how living the purpose goes beyond revenue and profit. Focusing on mental health, well-being, skilled workforces, and promotion of social and inclusive entrepreneurship, our purpose does not only meet the United Nation Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), but also allows for taking care of the people we care for most.

Among others, 51风流employees in the Nordics and the UK have developed various ideas on how to support each other during the pandemic 鈥� as colleagues, customers, partners, or volunteers for people in need. Whether for internal, local, or international use, their help as well as their creativity knew no boundaries.

Driven by the urge to strengthen his local community Ottershaw, 51风流employee Mark French drew from his experience and technical know-how and set up a website that connects people in need with supporting neighbors and volunteers. Thanks to , every resident can either sign up easily for help or participate by collecting prescriptions, do essential shopping, or providing telephone support and information.

Another example of limitless dedication has been arranged by another 51风流colleague who supported the idea of his long-time friend and graffiti artist Keith Hopewell (). SP:zero wanted to create a collaboration piece in form of illustrations with artists all over the world, demonstrating the growth of the virus under its title 鈥淪pread art, not the 鈥楻rona.鈥� Soon they realized that financial help could be drawn out of this collaboration too.

鈥淚 came up with the idea to sell the prints and donate them to the UK hospitals that have been supporting us,鈥� Jago Livingstone explains. Under the name 鈥淣o Toys Allowed,鈥� he designed an to provide easy access to their charity donations. The results have been astounding: more and more artists became involved, having its peak at 163 participating artists from 21 countries across all continents.

51风流employees in the Nordics and Baltics have used their creativity to promote health, well-being, and inseparability despite social distance. Twenty-two 51风流colleagues from a Presales team delivered a themed video as contribution from the Nordic Customer Solution Advisory to an upcoming event on the topic 鈥淲e Rise Up.鈥� The video reveals a personal story on how they handle the current situation and on how each and every individual 鈥渞ises up鈥� together for colleagues, customers, and partners.

鈥淏ecause that is what we do in challenging times, that is in our DNA,鈥� Gitte Winther Bruhn says, summarizing the essence of their idea and showing once again that everyone can act purposeful even with the simplest actions.

Each entrepreneurial endeavor starts with an innovative idea. Initially, the entrepreneurs are just as diverse as their ideas, but among minorities and women at an early stage. Despite their share of the population in general, these founders are underrepresented in the tech industry for receiving support.

鈥淲hen it comes to starting new companies and early-stage investing, the venture capital industry is very lopsided,鈥� explains Vanessa Liu, vice president of SAP.iO Foundry North America. 鈥淭o date, only of U.S. venture capital funding goes to companies that have at least one female founder. Since 2009, black women have raised only six dollars of every $1 million in tech venture capital and the numbers for Hispanics, LGBTQ+, and other minority groups are similar.鈥�

What鈥檚 more, almost cite a lack of available mentors as a major obstacle.

To close these gaps, the team behind the 聽 Foundries program and SAP.iO Fund came up with an idea. In January 2019, they launched , an initiative designed to provide venture capital and acceleration support to underrepresented entrepreneurs in the business software industry. It is the first of its kind and one of eight finalists of the 2019 Hasso Plattner Founders鈥� Award.

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The Hasso Plattner Founders鈥� Award is the highest employee
recognition at SAP, awarded annually by the co-CEOs to an
individual or a team.

Supporting Women- and Minority-Led Startups

鈥淲hat we find is that it’s not a pipeline issue, but more about the access to opportunities,鈥� says Liu. 鈥淪o much genius is out there waiting to solve urgent challenges 鈥� we just need to find them.鈥�

Take the company . CEO Byran Dai promised his dying mother that he would take care of his younger brother, who has autism. Daivergent specializes in helping highly talented individuals on the autism spectrum find work . SAP.iO works with Daivergent founders and Rahul Mahida, who were inspired by personal experiences, had an innovation at hand, and qualify for SAP.iO No Boundaries because they are from East and South Asia.

SAP.iO No Boundaries sets out to find startups like these and helps them scale to achieve greater impact. 51风流has pledged to commit up to 40 percent of the investable capital in the and scale the program with a focus on inclusive entrepreneurship.

Delivering Value for Customers, Entrepreneurs, and SAP

The goal of SAP.iO No Boundaries is to create an integrated ecosystem of benefit to all stakeholders. SAP.iO Fund funds between 12 and 15 companies each year, while SAP.iO Foundries works with between 100 and 150 startups annually in its . Twice a year, SAP.iO Foundries runs 12- to 14-week programs with groups of seven to 10 startups that receive mentorship and workshops in pricing, sales, marketing, or design.

鈥淭he accelerator part is with no equity,鈥� explains Anke Otto-Jungkind, vice president of Marketing and Communications for SAP.iO. 鈥淲e are viewed as honest brokers by the startups and our customers.鈥�

When asked about their own passion for SAP.iO No Boundaries, Liu and Otto-Jungkind both cite the collaboration within the team as a major driver, noting it is not just something to make them feel good about themselves. The initiative drives value to customers, startups, and SAP. They call it 鈥渢he win-win-win model.鈥�

Creating a Diverse Ecosystem

Daivergent鈥檚 number of employees has doubled since the team first started working with SAP.iO. The app is now included in the 51风流Fieldglass portfolio and on , offering customers the opportunity to find exceptional talent.

鈥淲e are proud of our diverse and what we鈥檝e achieved as a team,鈥� says Liu. 鈥淏ut there is still a lot to do, like making the initiative more broadly known internally.鈥�

Inspired by the entrepreneurial spirit of the , the team at SAP.iO is looking forward to helping even more entrepreneurs build business software of the future.

鈥淭his is one of those rare instances where you can make such dramatic leaps in innovation by looking at things with a different lens,鈥� Otto-Jungkind shares. 鈥淲e made the decision that we, as SAP, have to lead the way.鈥�

Finalist Fast Facts

• Submission Title: iO No Boundaries 鈥� Driving Inclusive Entrepreneurship to Deliver Valuable Customer Outcomes
• Team: Joan Coury, Dima Durah, Alexandra Gorman, Ram Jambunathan, Sallie Jian, Max Kahn,
• Vanessa Liu, Anke Otto-Jungkind, Shuchi Rana
• Board area: Office of the CEO
• Achievement: iO No Boundaries is committed to accelerating and funding rising stars of the next-generation ecosystem. The initiative supports groups of B2B software entrepreneurs who have historically received disproportionately less support than other groups. The startups receive tailored mentorship; workshops in pricing, sales, marketing, or design access to 51风流executives and customers; and exposure to 51风流technologies, including APIs. The team is closely collaborating with internal and external stakeholders, pursuing growth that is focused on value instead of volume. The goal is to work with 200 startups around the world by 2023.
• Impact: The team drives inclusive entrepreneurship that benefits the startups, customers, and SAP. Today, more than 24 startups from the SAP.iO program are on 51风流App Center and approximately 60 percent of startups that have worked with SAP.iO were founded or led by underrepresented entrepreneurs. Currently, the SAP.iO oundries program and SAP.iO Funds are recruiting for their next programs, which begin later in the first quarter of 2020 and focus on themes that include customer experience and Industry 4.0, as well as HR, retail, and travel technologies.