2. What is microwork?
• Organizations transform problems into tiny tasks and
distribute them over digital / mobile networks
• Problems cannot be automated / solved by machines
• Microworkers earn money, e.g., in form of
micropayments
• Microwork has potential to create 100k+ jobs in
developing countries
• Key is mobile technology
• m2Work asks for innovative ideas for mobile
applications that enable people in the developing
world to become microworkers
4. Microwork industry
Infrastruct. Work Work
Microworker Client
provider aggregator transformer
• Emerging industry; some benchmarks for
potential market size:
– Paid crowdsourcing: $500 million (2009)
– IT and business process offshoring: $92-$96 billion
(2009)
• No negative externalities: 100% positive
contribution to society
5. Microwork is a form of
crowdsourcing, but…
Rewards Task size Source of Workers’ Skills
workers tools
Crowd- Mostly From tiny Open call on Workers From basic
sourcing intrinsic tasks (2- the Internet may require computer
(Howe motivation, 30s) to external skills to
2008) no pay large tools languages
projects and
(days or professional
weeks) skills
Microwork Microwork Tiny tasks Open calls, All tools and From basic
er is paid, (2-30s) staff information computer
mostly members, embedded skills to
immediate contractors, into the languages
ly BPO workers’
providers, user
online games interface
6. Ways to upgrade mobile microwork
Horizontal coordination Individual microworkers banding up to
share resources and improve bargaining
power
Product upgrading Producers expanding up/down the value
chain
Functional upgrading Pushing higher-value-added products into
the value chain, e.g. business intelligence
Inter-chain upgrading Using skills and experience to engage a
totally different value chain, (e.g.
microwork services for personal users:
photo album tagging etc.)
Most Important enabler in least-developed countries:
mobile technology!
6
7. What is mobile microwork?
Infant industry – familiarize yourself with the key elements!
a. Workers perform small digital tasks (usually taking a few seconds to
a minute or two)
b. Workers do this work on their mobile phones (the simpler the
better)
c. Workers receive small payments (typically a few cents to a few
dollars) for completing these tasks on their phone
d. Microwork employer pays for the tasks
More info & Hints to improve your submission:
– Five key steps to a winning m2Work idea
– m2Work Background
– infoDev’s Knowledge Map of the Virtual Economy.
8. m2Work facts
• www.ideasproject.com/m2work
• Mobile microwork challenge, especially for developers,
entrepreneurs, and students
• Total prize money: USD 40,000
• More than idea contest: Best ideas should turn into mobile startups
• Important dates
– Launch: 01 February, 2012
– Submissions end: 2 April, 2012
– Announcement of Finalists: 25 April, 2012
– Announcement of Grand Prize Winner: 18 May, 2012
– Global m2Work hackathon: 18-20 May, 2012 (linked to the
m2Work winner announcement)
9. Finalists compete for Grand Prize (refinement & pitching)
Tie-in to mLab networks: One Finalist from each mLab region!
10. Winning criteria
Go to http://www.ideasproject.com/docs/DOC-8963!
11. Spot Prize Winners so far
1. http://www.ideasproject.com/ideas/16450
2. http://www.ideasproject.com/ideas/16861
3. http://www.ideasproject.com/ideas/17277
12. ”m2Work is not just an idea competition
- Our network can guide the best
innovators all the way to the market...
... and we count on
mLabs for the pre-
incubation stage!”
Mature
A2F / A2M
Scale
Acceleration
Launch
Build
mLab: Pre-Incubation Chasm
Challenge
(Build)
Ideation Design
13. m2Work Hackathon
• 48 hour global microwork hackathon organized in five
mLab locations around the world
• Objectives:
– Help best m2Work ideas to gain momentum toward a
sustainable business through a prototyping event
– Help ideators to find complementary talent (especially
technical skills)
– To identify talented team(s) to gain from pre-incubation
services offered by mLab
• 18-20 May
– Pre-hackathon events will build momentum (for example a
speed dating event to support forming teams)
14. Mid-challenge, still opportunities for
submissions from all mLab regions!
ROW
South Asia:
Southern Africa:
Eastern Europe, Caucasus, &…
East Asia & Pacific:
East Africa:
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160
• 2 spot prize winners from Rest of the World, 1 from East Asia & Pacific
• Quality of submissions with room for improvement
16. m2Work Hackathon
• 48 hour global microwork hackathon organized at five
mLab locations around the world
• Objectives:
– Help best m2Work ideas to gain momentum toward a
sustainable business through a prototyping event
– Help ideators to find complementary talent (especially
technical skills)
– Identify talented team(s) to gain from pre-incubation
services offered by the mLab
• 18-20 May
– Pre-hackathon events to build momentum (for example a
speed dating event to support forming of teams)
17. Backup
Current development impact
Microwork value chain
Infrastruct.
Microworker Aggregator Transformer
provider Client
0-70% 10-30% 20-60%
<30%
• Compared to e.g. the global coffee industry ($70 Bn in
2002), the amount of real money circulating in the virtual
economy is modest
• But most earnings in the VE are captured by the producers
-> significant development impact
– in the coffee industry, producing countries capture less than 10%
of total revenues
17
Notes de l'éditeur
doesn't give all the details, and problematic issues are that West Africa is part of the Rest of World, and India does dominate South Asia even thought the number looks high.Southern Africa: Only one!East Africa: only a handful of submissions. Most of them are from Kenya, Tanzania (0) and Uganda (1)ECA: only have a handful of submissions, none from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, or MoldovaSouth Asia: low with regards to Pakistan from where we only have a handful of submissions (six to be precise). As expected, most submissions are from India where we haven't done any targeted outreach. Nepal (3).East Asia: only have a handful of submissions. In Vietnam, three submissions.
