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Accelerating Innovation to Feed the World
In 2020, the UN World Food Programme won the Nobel Peace Prize — and its Innovation Accelerator was named by Fast Company as the best workplace for innovators. Yaniv speaks with Hila Cohen about how the WFP accelerator finds, funds, and scales innovations to fight global hunger across 88 countries.
About Hila Cohen
Hila Cohen is Head of Business Development and Chief of Staff at the WFP Innovation Accelerator. She joined WFP in 2012 and has been with the accelerator since 2015. Before WFP, she was a corporate lawyer in Tel Aviv. She holds an MBA from SDA Bocconi and a law degree from the University of Haifa.
What We Cover
- How the accelerator acts as a “translator” between startups and humanitarian operations
- How innovations are matched to country offices before bootcamps begin
- What happens during a 5-day innovation bootcamp
- Case studies: H2Grow (hydroponics) and Building Blocks (blockchain cash transfers)
- How impact is measured differently at each stage
Timestamps
(01:00) Introduction and Hila’s background
(02:30) What is the WFP Innovation Accelerator?
(06:30) The accelerator as a “translator”
(18:00) Matching startups to country offices
(28:00) H2Grow: hydroponics in refugee camps
(32:00) Building Blocks: blockchain for 400,000 refugees
Key Takeaways
- Match before you invest. Falling in love with a startup means nothing if no country office needs what they’re building.
- Existing tech, applied well, beats new tech applied poorly. Both H2Grow and Building Blocks used established technologies in new contexts.
- Good enough at scale beats perfect in a lab. A $3,000 locally-built hydroponics system that replicates beats a $40,000 container that can’t.
Resources & Links Mentioned
- WFP Innovation Accelerator
- Apply to WFP Innovation Programs
Where to Find Hila Cohen
Email: [email protected]
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/hilacohen
Where to Find Yaniv Corem
Link in bio: sleek.bio/yanivcorem
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/yanivcorem
Subscribe & Follow
Subscribe to The School of Innovation on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Have a guest recommendation? Email [email protected]
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By Yaniv Corem
4.8
55 ratings
In 2020, the UN World Food Programme won the Nobel Peace Prize — and its Innovation Accelerator was named by Fast Company as the best workplace for innovators. Yaniv speaks with Hila Cohen about how the WFP accelerator finds, funds, and scales innovations to fight global hunger across 88 countries.
About Hila Cohen
Hila Cohen is Head of Business Development and Chief of Staff at the WFP Innovation Accelerator. She joined WFP in 2012 and has been with the accelerator since 2015. Before WFP, she was a corporate lawyer in Tel Aviv. She holds an MBA from SDA Bocconi and a law degree from the University of Haifa.
What We Cover
- How the accelerator acts as a “translator” between startups and humanitarian operations
- How innovations are matched to country offices before bootcamps begin
- What happens during a 5-day innovation bootcamp
- Case studies: H2Grow (hydroponics) and Building Blocks (blockchain cash transfers)
- How impact is measured differently at each stage
Timestamps
(01:00) Introduction and Hila’s background
(02:30) What is the WFP Innovation Accelerator?
(06:30) The accelerator as a “translator”
(18:00) Matching startups to country offices
(28:00) H2Grow: hydroponics in refugee camps
(32:00) Building Blocks: blockchain for 400,000 refugees
Key Takeaways
- Match before you invest. Falling in love with a startup means nothing if no country office needs what they’re building.
- Existing tech, applied well, beats new tech applied poorly. Both H2Grow and Building Blocks used established technologies in new contexts.
- Good enough at scale beats perfect in a lab. A $3,000 locally-built hydroponics system that replicates beats a $40,000 container that can’t.
Resources & Links Mentioned
- WFP Innovation Accelerator
- Apply to WFP Innovation Programs
Where to Find Hila Cohen
Email: [email protected]
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/hilacohen
Where to Find Yaniv Corem
Link in bio: sleek.bio/yanivcorem
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/yanivcorem
Subscribe & Follow
Subscribe to The School of Innovation on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Have a guest recommendation? Email [email protected]