{"id":1472,"date":"2022-10-06T06:13:26","date_gmt":"2022-10-06T06:13:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jobtechalliance.com\/?p=1472"},"modified":"2024-03-18T06:26:40","modified_gmt":"2024-03-18T06:26:40","slug":"year-2-of-the-jobtech-alliance-walking-running-and-jumping","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stage.jobtechalliance.com\/index.php\/2022\/10\/06\/year-2-of-the-jobtech-alliance-walking-running-and-jumping\/","title":{"rendered":"Year 2 of the Jobtech Alliance: Walking, Running, and Jumping"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Chris Maclay<\/a> and Michelle Hassan<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In last month\u2019s post<\/a>, Chris talked about his 2 year-old son, Callum, and his first year of shouting. A critical skill in the first year of life, but that\u2019s increasingly not enough (and \u2018not cool\u2019) in toddler years. Likewise, he explained, after a year of doing \u2018everything that we could do for free\u2019 in the Jobtech Alliance, and gathering information from the jobtech community in Africa, we are due to move from shouting to more intentional ecosystem-building activities. This article explains what, based on a year of learning, to expect from the Jobtech Alliance over the next year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just as a reminder, the Jobtech Alliance is an ecosystem-building initiative around inclusive jobtech in Africa. We\u2019re using a systems change methodology called Collective Impact<\/a>. Overall, we care about making jobtech:
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We care about jobtech of all sorts (check out our taxonomy here<\/a>) and are interested in how jobtech can transform labour markets and make them more inclusive. We\u2019re particularly interested in how they can reduce barriers to work for traditionally marginalized groups such as youth, women, and refugees (who have proven to be disproportionate users of jobtech across the world).<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re excited to introduce BFA Global, who have joined the Jobtech Alliance backbone<\/a>, bringing both their venture building prowess and sectoral expertise in jobtech (having led the iWorker project<\/a>, the Catalyst Inclusive Digital Commerce Accelerator<\/a>, and other initiatives like iHuzo<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who are BFA Global and the Catalyst Fund?<\/strong><\/p>

BFA Global has been running accelerator programmes for nearly a decade, supporting start-ups developing fintech jobtech and digital commerce solutions for underserved communities in emerging markets. BFA\u2019s flagship accelerator, the Catalyst Fund (a $28m facility originally backed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and JPMorgan Chase, then UK Aid, Mastercard Foundation and Paypal), supports inclusive tech startups with capital and hands-on venture building support, access to networks of investors, and a large alumni base of startups across 15 emerging markets. To date, Catalyst Fund has backed 61 startups, which raised $446m+ in follow-on funding, have a survival rate of >88%, and have reached 14m+ underserved consumers.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Our revised strategy involves two major workstreams: the first involves improving the enabling environment for inclusive jobtech platforms to be successful and impactful scalable businesses. This is about improving the conditions (knowledge, funding access, policy) that make it more likely for quality platforms to thrive and create jobs on the continent. The second workstream involves putting our hands into the ecosystem to drive forward innovation and job creation by high potential platforms. We\u2019d always ensure that any of our work with a single platform benefits the rest of the ecosystem through sharing learning and support to replicate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you work in pictures rather than words, and can\u2019t stand the idea of yet more baby milestone analogies, here\u2019s what to expect from the Jobtech Alliance in one graphic:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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If you are into baby analogies, however\u2026 you\u2019re in luck! Chris\u2019s son is sick and Michelle has a 4-month old daughter, so we haven\u2019t slept for days and are all out of creativity: let\u2019s keep playing this analogy to explain what to expect from the Jobtech Alliance over the following year:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Workstream 1: Enabling Environment<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Key baby developmental milestones age 1-2:<\/p>

– Imitates speech of others, “echoes” word back<\/p>

– Copies others, especially adults and older children<\/p>

– Is more aware of themselves as separate from others<\/p>

– Find things even when they’re hidden under two or three layers<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The Jobtech Alliance seeks to enhance the conditions which enable jobtech platforms to thrive from a business and impact perspective. This means:<\/p>\n\n\n\n