At its core, entrepreneurship is about solving problems.

As protests continue in Iran, the news is filled with stories of innovators rising to meet the challenges created by the media crackdowns. They’ve used Twitter to confound censors, engineered ways around blocked websites, and found ways to increase internet access. With 70% of Iran’s population under the age of 30, and a very tech-savvy culture, (in the 1970s, before the Revolution, Iran had the largest concentration of mainframe computers outside the US and engineering and computer science have kept up since) perhaps such ingenuity should come as no surprise.

This innovation reminds us that entrepreneurship often rises out of conflict and hardship. Entrepreneurship is, after all, about meeting needs and solving problems. Hardship, loss, and conflict are in no way good, but we should stop and celebrate those who have both persevered and helped others.

Here are four stories of people who made the best out of bad situations — through entrepreneurship:

• Cambodia: Demining expertise. Three decades of war have left millions of unexploded land mines littering the small country, which is approximately the size of Florida.  Over the past decade, as Cambodians have worked to make their land safe again (since 1979, nearly 40,000 Cambodians have suffered amputations as a result of mines), they have become world leaders in demining techniques and technology.  Entrepreneurial Cambodians are now exporting their expertise and helping other conflict-riddled countries, like Sudan, Angola and Afghanistan.  (Global Post)
• Colombia: Drug violence begets protective clothing. Sixteen years ago, in a country plagued by drug violence, Miguel Caballero set up shop, hoping to fill what he perceived as a local need — bulletproof clothing.  Today, his line, which includes bullet proof underwear, attracts customers like President Obama, the Mexican military, and Russian businessmen.  The company grossed $15 million last year and continues to grow.  “If the product functions in Colombia, it’ll function in any part of the world,” notes Caballero.  (Global Post)
• India: Hunger spurs agri-tours. Despite agriculture making up 18% of its GDP, international comparisons show that the average crop yield in India is typically 30% to 50% of the yields in countries like the US.  Moreover, 200 million Indians go hungry.  Travel agencies have turned this problem into an opportunity with agri-tourism.   Now, enterprising Indians mix sightseeing with fact-finding.  They tour Israel to learn about its superior water-management techniques and greenhouses, Australia to learn about varied crops on large farms, and Holland to learn about advances in floriculture.  Such tours have recently spurred investment, as Indian farmers implement what they learned abroad. (Indian Express)
• USA: From the battlefield to the ER.  The military is often the first to develop and use healthcare technology.  As conflict in Afghanistan and Iraq continues, the US military has been developing state-of-the-art medicine to give injured soldiers a better shot at recovery.  In addition to high-tech bandages and substances to limit blood loss, the military has been a leading innovator, and the largest spender, in the field of telemedicine, the delivery of health services via remote telecommunications.  Now, entrepreneurs are using the military’s progress to offer telemedicine services to everyone from children in rural California to African villagers. (Nurse Zone)

Photo courtesy of Reuters

Tags: Adversity, Current Events, Government, Innovation, International

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