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UNDP 2018: Concept Note v.2.1
[TITLE]
THE UNDP’S BIZ INCUBATOR OR ACCELERATOR FOR INNOVADOERS
[AUTHOR]
Carolina Lorenzo Lopez, Digital Marketing, Editorial and Strategy Specialist
Former Intern, Online Communications Group, BERA
https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolinalorenzolopez/
===
[Pull-out] The resources and expertise needed to achieve the SDGs are not
contained within the UN system alone.
Achim Steiner
Inspired by the Administrator’s speech during the Executive board, we want to come up with an
initiative that helps foster the implementation of the New Strategic Plan by finding new ways of
supporting the UNDP’s business model. We are aiming to invest talent and other internal resources “in
cost efficiency, delivery and effectiveness”.
The main goal of this initiative is to turn innovative ideas into sustainable businesses by helping
INNOVADOERS to get startups off the ground successfully. UNDP can provide mentoring and support
to assemble financial resources.
Considering the integrator role of UNDP, we will be creating opportunities for new ventures and setting
up a built-in network of investors for new projects that can help to meet the SDGs in a sustainable
way: by bringing together the best of social development and innovative business models.
For the last couple of years, many organizations, especially in the private sector, have established
incubators and accelerators with the goal of fostering disruptive innovation.
Translating innovative ideas into actions comes with being familiar with cocreation, open innovation,
crowdfunding, business angels, UX, IoT, Augmented Reality, hyper-personalization, disruption, design
thinking, resilience, Big Data, crypto currencies, info products, e-commerce, e-learning, reverse mentoring
program (like the Deutsche Bank [potential partner] is doing... let´s understand up-coming trends and
the next generations of clients), gamification, active listening, remote working (goal-orientation),
proactivity, high performance teams, SCRUM, eGovernment, STEM, crowdfunding, Sharing Economy,
bots, smart cities and many other notions that are reshaping our society.
Tradition is already on UNDP´s side thanks to the fact that the UN has leaded key historical
transformations. If we want multilateral organizations to have a key role when it comes to reshaping
our society, we have to conquer innovation and show through actions that we are a human-centric
organization right from our core.
We have to be the multilateral organization that becomes top of mind when it comes to trend setting,
change making and combining innovation and tradition. If that’s our goal, “intrapreneurship” and
entrepreneurship are concepts that we ought to own.
We are on a mission. We want to restore the good name of bureaucracy (which should always guarantee
effectiveness and higher levels of control and transparency) and step aside from the notion of
inoperative bureaucracy that makes people believe that we are part of a system that moves at a slow-
path.

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With our initiative we will be harnessing a collaborative culture that will be a key driver of change. We
already have all the capabilities to provide entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs with peer to peer
support to launch new businesses. We also have the know-how to help them create prototypes,
mockups, tests and iterations for their ideas to reach the right level of maturity in order to succeed on
the long term.
This initiative also focuses on building meaningful career experiences by empowering employees and
helping them to build leadership skills. By becoming a reference at inclusive leadership, we will be
attracting, retaining and motivating high quality talent inside a high-performing organization.
We have to actively move forward to overcome the gaps and challenges that we have already
diagnosed in our society.
Direct benefits: Accelerating disruptive change by increasing collaboration
Let’s translate ideas into sustainable businesses that bring innovative ideas to life. Together we can
address different types of problems in more effective, innovative and agile ways. We have to be aware of
the obstacles to unlock talent inside our organization and take actions right away.
By helping staff members, contractors and interns to develop and launch their own sustainable business
ideas, the UNDP will be addressing different issues by:
1. Enhancing the Digital Core by setting up an Innovation Pipeline: New technologies demand
new behaviors. Digital tools need new mindsets and new ways of working together in order to
truly facilitate effectiveness. As the New Strategic Plan sketches we want to redefine the UNDP’s
“business model to boost performance through a fully streamlined management structure; by
providing a clear and comprehensive link between investment and return; and sparking
innovation, as we explore new and scalable ways to deliver results for people and planet”1.
With this in mind, we want to:
o Help innovadoers to formalize a business plan to develop their idea. By doing so the
UNPD would be showing the value of its know-how, its years of experience, its relational
capital and its pool of talent. Inside the UNDP we find the best of different fields of
knowledge, countries and generations. Let´s add value to our society by working together
without leaving anyone behind! Fostering the connections between the talent dots that
coexist both inside and out the UN System can bring unexpected benefits for all the
involved parts.
o Address society problems by creating sustainable business models in different fields of
knowledge.
Thanks to Innovadoers we would be creating new sources of income for the organization by
giving live to an initiative that could be the beginning of multiple new businesses. UNDP and its
network of organizations could hold shares of the new companies that will the ready to be
launched.
In exchange for participation, regular accelerators (or incubators) want an ownership interest in
the company. Standard % for accelerators is 6-7% in the form of Common Stock. Incubators
tend to be in the 2-3% range. The equity is issued via a Stock Purchase Agreement with a similar
structure to a founder’s stock purchase agreement. (Source: Silicon Hills Lawyer but this topic
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Executive Board of the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Population Fund and the United Nations
Office for Project Services (2017, October 17). UNDP Strategic Plan, 2018-2021. Retrieved fromhttp://undocs.org/DP/2017/38

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needs a lot of digging: Accelerator Investments Should Be Convertible Equity, Accelerator
Contract for Equity and the FAST Agreement 2)
2. Boosting a collaborative environment: Forge longer-term partnerships as the New Strategic
Plan brings forward. Our work flows and project management styles have to be integrated to the
New Era: We have the tools and the webinars to learn how to use digital tools. Innovadoers
would be a new way of encouraging people to learn how to use and maximize the digital arena.
We have to show that by being more digital, connected, innovative and collaborative; people can
increase their levels of effectiveness and have more time to find balance in all aspects of their
lives. We want to:
 Foster cross-functional collaboration
 Show the economical valuable and potential benefits of the outputs that would make
working together seem worthwhile
 Develop an environment that encourages innovation with social impact.
 Enhance work methods towards solutions that will contribute to increase the impact of the
six signature solutions.
 Develop and improve soft-skills that help us create new competitive advantages
3. Become a reference when it comes to innovation and digital transformation. We are
supposed to bring together the best of tradition, History, ethics, knowledge and policymaking with
cutting-edge ideas.
 Increase the trust on the leading role of multilateral organization for implementing the
2030 Agenda.
 Raise awareness of the ground-breaking results we can achieve by translating the
collaborative inspirit into actions.
 Show the results of our inclusive culture by having diverse teams with different
backgrounds working together in open spaces (online and offline) and remotely.
 Foster the culture of collaboration and demonstrate the importance of multidisciplinary
teams that openly share knowledge and know-how.
4. Talent attraction & retention: We should develop a Talent Management model that allows
positioning the UNDP as a role model of the New Era and increases the satisfactions levels
among all members and organizations related to UN. To achieve this we could:
 Improve the talent acquisition and retention policies. Internships can remain unpaid if
we offer a more meaningful type of compensation: Networking with purpose and
acquiring know-how.
 Engage with the leaders of today and tomorrow, because all the pool of talent that is
inside and surrounding the UN system has a lot of potential when it comes to position of
power and become change makers for a better world.
 Deepen employee engagement and show that the UNDP leaders not only acknowledge
aspects of the organizations that should be improved, but also give us the tools to have a
leading role inside the New UNDP.
 Facilitate new ways of coping with the uncertainty of a fast-moving economy. Help
creative, technical and entrepreneurial talent to engage more effectively.
 Give a new sense to “job security” by opening new opportunities of increasing their
income sources.
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According to the Founder Institute (2017): "The Founder / Advisor Standard Template ("FAST") was developed bythe Founder
Institute to help aspiring entrepreneursin the startup launch programsthat we operate worldwide set-up advisoryboards and
engage with the mentors that they interact with throughout the program.” Retrieved from: https://fi.co/FAST

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 Increase satisfaction levels among interns by giving them the possibility of raising funds
for their business ideas.
5. Open culture: Find more common ground between the multilateral organizations, public sector,
private sector, the Academia, civil society, donor organizations and NGOs.
 Private sector could invest and partner up with promising innovators.
 More media exposure for UNDP: If the UNDP works side by side with Deutsche Bank
and other innovative institutions like the Inter-American Development Bank, McClatchy
Innovation Unit (publicly traded American publishing that operates over 29 newspapers in
15 states and have won 54 Pulitzer Prizes) and Endeavor NGO we can consolidate our
reputation inside social entrepreneurship. It will be easier to get good press and pitch
ideas from the strategic plan through press releases that focus on this co-created
innovative.
 Refresh the way things are done by effectively showing the results of the Share
Economy: Together, by using the right digital tools (we already have most of them but
most of us are not using them effectively), we can get things done in less time, which
gives people more time to find balance and fulfillment in every aspect of their lives.
Acknowledging the fact that generations have a lot to learn from each-other and
dismantle some misconceptions we all have from professionals from other areas,
backgrounds and generations. Let’s show how we can impact the lives of others (not only
at the field), but also at the workplace.
 Explore the option of giving more support to the public sector when it comes to
developing effective collaborations and spotting new opportunities when it comes to
policymaking, tax collection, and synergies with the private sector, multilateral
organizations and other entities that will take part in this initiative.
 Give staff members and contractors the opportunity of getting involved with beneficiaries
without living the headquarters. Because everyone that becomes an innovadoer will help
to bring ideas into life.
 Develop the ability to spot potential disrupters inside established industries. Benefits
will extend beyond everything we can foresee now. These multilateral collaborations
should deliver innovative business models with a positive social impact.
Further considerations
Sustainable businesses ought to be evaluated according to a specific group of success indicators
(TBD) and/or key performance indicators in order to demonstrate its interlinkage with the SDGs and the
2030 Agenda.
Intellectual property will be a major concern. But we have the internal expertise to address this challenge.
Next steps
Stablish the road-map and then start cultivating the net of collaborators:
1. Define the scope. Choose the scale at which we wish to start. We have to incubate a specific
amount of social start-ups.
2. Define the admission criteria for the startups and the contesters
3. Stablish with areas of the UN are going to participate.
4. Include everyone involve in talent recruitment processes
5. Choose the location and the frequency of the meetings

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6. Define the kind of support we are going to offer: business plan template, training, idea
prototyping, mentoring, strategy consulting, buyer-persona techniques, partner networks,
facilities, co-creation sessions, etc.
7. Choose the judge members
8. Map synergies and trade-offs between all the actors that will get involved in this initiative. For
example, we could try to adapt the “Founder Advisor Standard Template” (FAST)3, a free legal
framework designed to formalize the relationship between the official founders of the startups and
their advisors or mentors.
9. Stablish our incubation model with a long-term timeline to ROI4 by giving to all the contesters the
opportunity of developing viable businesses:
 A business plan template for their startups.
 Co-working facilities
 Access to mentor.
 Access to on-the-field and industry expertise.
 Know-how of marketing, finance, talent development, etc.
 Make connections and find possible financing sources
Potential Admissions criteria:
1. What is your sustainable business idea about and which SDG does it address?
2. Which is your target? Set the criteria for a viable market research.
3. How many people approximately will benefit from your product/service?
4. Which is the trigger or source of inspiration for your business idea?
5. Which are the milestones you have reached so far and which will be your road-map for the next
couple of years?
6. Demonstrate your team’s ability to achieve your goals – highlight your expertise in the field. (Let’s
encourage diverse teams)
7. Show projections for first years after incorporating.
8. Design an ideal organization chart
IMPORTANT: After 3 months, all the teams can apply and compete in the Innovadoers’ final competition
by pitching their business plan to the judges, who will determine which is the early-stage business5 that
has stronger potential to help society achieve sustainable development.
We have to live up to our values and be the change we have to see in the world.
Internal Inspiration
 Executive Board of the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Population
Fund and the United Nations Office for Project Services (2017, October 17). UNDP Strategic
Plan, 2018-2021. Retrieved from http://undocs.org/DP/2017/38
 GUTERRES, A. (2018, January 16). Secretary-General's remarks at informal meeting of the
General Assembly [at the General Assembly]. Retrieved from
https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/statement/2018-01-16/secretary-generals-remarks-informal-
meeting-general-assembly
 STEINER, A. (2018, January 17). First Regular Session of the Executive Board. Retrieved from
http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/news-centre/speeches/2018/opening-statement-to-
the-first-regular-session-of-the-executive-1.html
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According to the Founder Institute (2017): "The Founder / Advisor Standard Template ("FAST") was developed bythe Founder
Institute to help aspiring entrepreneursin the startup launch programsthat we operate worldwide set-up advisoryboards and
engage with the mentors that they interact with throughout the program.” Retrieved from: https://fi.co/FAST
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According to Simoudis (2014): "The incubation/acceleration model, when done correctly and associated with long term innovation
timelines to ROI, e.g., 7+ years, can have important impact to disruptive innovation. But corporate incubatorsand acceleratorsmust
also work in collaboration with other corporate innovation-enabling groups."
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Inspired by the HBS Arthur RockCenter Accelerator, "a highly immersive program designed specifically for Harvard Business
School student founders of early-stage startups".

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 Virtual Career Lab from Talent Development Unit, OHR. (2018). "Creating a Supportive and
Inclusive Working Environment – Lessons from Deutsche Bank", Virtual Career Lab from Talent
Development Unit, OHR
 Virtual Career Lab from Talent Development Unit, OHR. (2018). UNDP’s Tools for Collaboration
and Team Productivity Training, 24 – 31 January 2018.
External Inspiration
 Harvard Business School (n.d.) ROCK ACCELERATOR. Retrieved from
https://entrepreneurship.hbs.edu/programs/mba/Pages/rock-accelerator.aspx
 MIT (2018). Innovators Under 35. Retrieved from https://www.innovatorsunder35.com/
 MIT (2018).2018 MIT $100K Accelerate Cohort. Retrieved from http://www.mit100k.org/#about
 Entrepreneurs' Organization (n.d.) Homepage. Reprieved from https://www.eonetwork.org/
 Bridge for billions (n.d.). Retrieved from https://bridgeforbillions.org/how-it-works.html
 Making collaboration across functions a reality https://www.mckinsey.com/business-
functions/organization/our-insights/making-collaboration-across-functions-a-reality
 Opinno. (n.d.) Homepage. Reprieved from https://www.opinno.com/es
 Edx. (n.d.) Homepage. Reprieved from https://www.edx.org/
 IDEAO (n.d.) IDEO is a global design and innovation company. | ideo.com. Reprieved from
https://www.ideo.com/
 Winfield, A. (2017) SAPVoice: How To Make Intrapreneurs The Heroes Of Digital Innovation.
Reprieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/sap/2017/02/17/how-to-make-intrapreneurs-the-
heroes-of-digital-innovation/#749b8aad7b14
 Simoudis, E. (2014). Using Corporate Incubators and Accelerators To Drive Disruptive
Innovation. Reprieved from https://corporate-innovation.co/2014/08/13/using-corporate-
incubators-and-accelerators-to-drive-disruptive-innovation/
 The National Business Incubation Association (NBIA). (n.d.) Homepage. Reprieved from
http://www.nbia.org/
 Founder Institute. (2017) The Founder / Advisor Standard Template. Retrieved from:
https://fi.co/FAST
 Today, there are an estimated 900 NBIA-affiliated business incubators in operation across the
United States as well as affiliates in 40 countries. https://www.inc.com/encyclopedia/national-
business-incubation-association-nbia.html
 International Conference on Business Incubation (2018). 32nd International Conference on
Business Incubation. Retrieved from https://inbia.org/
 Konrad, A. (2017) The Best Startup Accelerators Of 2017. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com