Imagine a world where everyone, everywhere could have access to world-class innovation that could change – or save – lives, without the barriers of price or functionality. Those barriers are what almost always accompany medical technology, designed for high-income environments, when it arrives in most parts of the world. Until recently, ‘imagine’ was the key word in [...]

Life and economies are constantly evolving, especially in the low-income areas where D-Rev focuses its work, places where agility is critical for survival. Most medical devices today, however, are designed for Western hospitals – places that are large, well-powered, elevator-serviced, and reliably able to provide good, if not great, healthcare.  But that’s not reality in [...]

We love that Bill Gates is banging the measurement gong. Looooove it! For those of you who may have missed it, Mr. Gates’ 2013 Annual letter came out a few days ago.  He mentioned measurement or variations of it of 38 times (compare to 23 times for innovation, last year’s theme).  His letter was preceded [...]

Fast Company just announced its Innovation by Design Awards to honor members of the design and entrepreneurship communities. We can’t believe it, but Krista Donaldson, our CEO, was honored as part of the Co.Design 50, its list of 50 people who are shaping the future of design, with others from companies like Google, Facebook, Apple, [...]

Despite D-Rev colleagues’ advice to not razz Bill Gates in my TEDxStanford talk Saturday, I started with his Annual Letter for the Gates Foundation from January.  He uses the word “innovation” a lot − 23 times if you include innovate, innovator, and innovative.  He says innovation is key to changing the world.  I agree with [...]

This year’s Skoll World Forum’s theme was large-scale change—and the event, if anything, was larger than life with more than 800 attendees and set in historic Oxford, England.  I was a Skoll newbie—it was my first year attending, and it was daunting.  I did, however, make the strategic decision to attend sessions that had less [...]

Building on the momentum of the USAID-sponsored Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Forum during the UN General Assembly, D-Rev, along with other leading social enterprises, is pushing USAID to provide critical support for STI to alleviate poverty. We are excited about USAID’s new Development Innovation Ventures Program – something close to what we proposed. Still [...]

USAID invited Krista to contribute to the IMPACTblog, featuring the stories of USAID members tackling the world’s greatest poverty challenges. In her guest post, “Innovating to Save Lives,” she encourages us to look back at the scientific and technology innovations that have had a positive, lasting impact in the developing world and presents three essential steps for successfully launching innovative products. Click on the screenshow below to read the full post:

Paul Polak, co-founder of D-Rev, discusses the death of the appropriate technology movement. His mantra, “If you can’t sell it, don’t do it.” Click on the screenshow below to read his full post:

Krista Donaldson, D-Rev’s CEO, was in Aspen last week as a part of Fortune Brainstorm TECH 2010, an annual gathering of the world’s top technology innovators, media thinkers, and entrepreneurs. Following demos of cutting-edge innovations, such as iPad apps and visualization software, Krista demo-ed Comet, D-Rev’s effective and low-cost phototherapy device designed for rural clinic [...]