The DISCO project "work together, think different, innovate and dare to dream"
Example: Walk us through a specific example(s) of how this solution makes a difference; include its primary activities.
David
Cadia
CADIMO
, MN
1‐5 years
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Operating for less than a year
I David Cadia, was born in Los Angeles, California. My mother is from Nicaragua and my father was born in northern Italy and later immigrated to the United States after the end of WWII. My mother fled to the United States during the early 1970’s because of the civil war and the involvement in the Sandinista Revolution of my uncles Israel and Herty Lewites. My parents met in a disco in Los Angeles, California and were married 6 months later in Las Vegas.
Ten years ago I was working in a .com in Burbank, CA designing web pages when the bubble burst and all hell broke loose. I decided I needed a change contacted my brother who was living in Nicaragua and convinced myself that it would be an amazing experience to live in another country and learn about a different culture. Since I was a child I always felt a strong connection with Nicaragua. I would always spend my summer vacations in Nicaragua visiting my mom’s family. These amazing experiences truly opened my eyes to how different the world was outside of the US. I remember walking into a supermarket during the 1980s in Managua where the isles were completely empty. There was no food because of the war. It was such a contrast to the US. The war has been over for over 20 years and people are still suffering because poverty still dominates. There are abundant natural resources, talented hard working people but this country has to become innovative or it will stay in this situation forever. Innovation is my passion and I believe innovation can take Nicaragua out of the abyss its been in for some many years.
The DISCO project is helping to unify and concentrate the efforts of different organizations and programs that are working to help SMEs that traditionally would not work together. The project is opening their minds to a new form of creative collaboration. By working together as a collective we create more opportunities for growth and accelerate the process of innovation in the SME sector.
We believe in this new way of working because it is at the heart of our companies philosophy. I personally have put it into action and have seen the results with a client of our Café Don Paco www.cafedonpaco.com. When we started with Café Don Paco all they had was a logo and a cheap looking bag for their retail coffee. We worked hand-in-hand with them to create a new sustainable business model, re-brand their company and created one of the most innovative packaging designs in the Nicaraguan market. We showed them that the value of coffee was more than just what's in the cup by using design, creativity, technology to help them create a sustainable business model that did not solely rely on coffee production as their only source of revenue. When we started out with Café Don Paco their local coffee sales where $1000.00 per month today they are now selling over $15,000 per month.
We measure success by how much an SMEs grows their business after working with us.
101-1,000
More than 10,000
We aim to create the "DISCO-tech" design and innovation center which we envision becoming the Agora for innovation in NIcaragua and Central America. The “DISCO-tech” will be used as a space where creatives, professionals and artisans can come to collaborate with experts from around the world, gain access to state of the art equipment, and receive classes in business management, product development, personal finance etc. We will use the facility to incubate ideas and plans for new products, new businesses, and new techniques. The DISCO-tech will be constructed of old shipping containers and contain a design studio, prototype lab, education center, business incubator, research station, and quality control export center.
Access to the necessary seed capital injection needed to mange the "cash float" for our "pay-as-you-grow" payment model is one of the main barriers that might hinder the success of our project. Without the needed seed capital it will be extremely difficult to offer SMEs a low monthly payment program for services rendered and that will hinder our expansion efforts and the amount of SMEs we can work with outside of partner organizations and programs. This is why we are entering our project into this competition, to win the needed seed capital. With the $50,000.00 from this competition we can directly apply for a grant from the IDB's Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF). Our company, project, and country meet the basic eligibility criteria for these funds once we have the counterpart contribution required which is from 30 to 50% of the total project cost.
Our strategic alliances and partnerships give us the ability to access funds together so someway or another we will find the seed capital we need to expand efforts to other SMEs outside assistance programs.
The "Enterprise & Employment Program" is a USAID funded program which has been working to create economic development for SMEs in Nicargua for that past two years and received additional funding in 2010 to continue operations until 2013. They use an “anchor” business strategy to promote economic development in the SME sector. Following their “anchor” business strategy, we are working with them to begin a pilot "Virtual Anchor" model with CANCUNIC the Leather and Shoemaking Chamber of Commerce they are currently assisting.
CEI (Center for Export and Investment) is a private, non-profit corporation which supports micro, small and medium scale enterprises, as well as organized or individual producers, in order to improve the competitiveness of the Nicaragua export sector, successfully positioning it in international markets. We are partnering with CEI to create a two year pilot that will allow 50 qualified SMEs per year access to the services the DISCO project provides at a vastly reduced rate and optional financing based on their total scores from our "DISCO diagnostic tool".
Chaka Market Bridge www.chakamarketbridge.com is a small business run by young American entrepreneurs who purchase unique one of a kind artisan goods from Nicaragua at above local market prices and then sell them on their website or place the products in high-end boutique shops in Northern Virginia. We are currently in talks to partner on various levels. Chaka has a demand for more unique better quality artisan goods which the DISCO project can help them find. We are also in discussions to look for funding to co-create the "DISCO-tech design and innovation center" where the project would headquarter our operations.
Café Don Paco is a socially conscious specialty coffee retailer from Nicaragua who has offered to provide us with a private label coffee brand called "Innovation Coffee". All net proceeds of Innovation Coffee will go towards supporting the DISCO project and the creation of the DISCO-tech design and innovation center.
The UPOLI is a Polytechnic University in Managua www.upoli.edu.ni that we are currently working with to create an internship program with their students and the DISCO project.
Fundación Almori is a nonprofit organization registered and based in Managua, Nicaragua. Almori Foundation develops projects in five key program areas: Education, Health and well-being, Business development, Rural development, Sustainable energy. Fundación Almori is our main partner working with us to find financing for the the DISCO-tech design and innovation center. We are currently working with them on a proposal to apply for available funds from the European Union via the MIFIC government ministry in Nicaragua.
CEPREV www.ceprev.org is a local NGO in Nicaragua that works with at risk youth and the prevention of violence in the family. We are currently working with CEPREV to create a project that will provide the at risk youth who have been trained by CEPREV in the arts new job opportunities by helping them create a new small business that will sell graffiti style custom painted clothes such as hats, t-shirts, shoes and bags.
Other potential partner organizations that we will be meeting with in the following months are TECHNOSERVE NICARAGUA, the national institution for science,technology and innovation CONICYT, the Nicaragua Chamber of Commerce COSEP and the American Chamber of Commerce in Nicaragua AMCHAM.
Friends and family have personally given over $15,000 to start the project.
Individuals support the DISCO project by purchasing Innovation Coffee from Café Don Paco and individual Professionals can give a social donation of their time and knowledge to help our efforts via video chat or by coming down to Nicaragua to work with us.
NGOs and Foundations help support DISCO by allowing us to work with them and create pilot programs together.
Businesses support DISCO by making donations to the organizations that project partners with.
Customers support DISCO when they pay for our services which help us to be a sustainable social business venture.
Government support DISCO by providing us access to qualified SMEs via the MIFIC Ministry, which is the ministry for commerce and enterprise in Nicaragua.
The DISCO project was designed as a socially conscious business venture from the very beginning so we can continue to grow and expand over the next several years once we obtain the needed seed capital to begin fully operating. By initiating our "pay-as-you-grow" model we can expand our client base to SMEs that our not being aided via an organization, program or government agency which will help to create a predictable cash flow model for optimum efficiency and planning of resources.
We also plan to expand into other Central American countries to offer our services and expand our customer base.
Please select up to three in order of relevancy to your project.
PRIMARY
Underemployment
Lack of skills/training
Lack of access to information and networks
By creating added value to the value chain of products and services SMEs offer we increase their opportunities to create new economic growth and provide new employment in the areas they are located in. We accelerate economic growth for SMEs through better designed products and services, increased efficiency and more focused efforts from our partners.
We provide design and innovation workshops to help SMEs become more innovative using design, creativity, technology and creative collaboration.
Our services and network of contacts and partners provide SMEs access to information, financing, trends and market research and new market access via online marketplace product placement and promotion.
If yes, please check up to three potential pathways in order of relevancy to you.
PRIMARY
Influenced other organizations and institutions through the spread of best practices
Grown geographic reach: Multi-country
Currently we are initiating 3 pilot programs with 3 major organizations that will last from 1-2 years long. Through the relationships and trust we build with these organizations, the knowledge learned from the measurements and best practices we plan to grow our network of partners to work with micro and small to medium enterprises in the agro industry, light manufacturing, leather and shoemaking, artisan crafts and ceramics and woodwork sectors throughout the entire country and expand into other countries in Central America by the third year of the peoject.
Government, Technology providers, NGOs/Nonprofits, For profit companies, Academia/universities.
Our collaborations with organizations and programs such as the USAID funded “Enterprise & Employment Program” and CEI (Center for Export and Investment) give us immediate access to micro enterprises and small to medium enterprises in Nicaragua who need help to become more innovative. Working with organizations and programs like them allows us to focus on what we do best, adding value to value chain through design, creativity, technology and creative collaboration.
Our collaboration with Café Don Paco has given us an extra fund raising method and they have also agreed to donate the land where the the "DISCO-tech" design and innovation center will be built. The land is on one of there beautiful farms in El Crucero which located 20 minutes from the capital city of Managua.