Hacking ‘ lean startup ’ to drive social change
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The problem
Entrepreneurship and its associated ‘ lean startup ’ method are usually equated with cut-throat capitalism and commercialisation , such as Tesla ( Elon Musk ), Amazon ( Jeff Bezos ), Google ( Larry Page ) and Meta , formerly Facebook ( Mark Zuckerberg ). However , entrepreneurship ’ s association with growth-at-all-costs empirebuilding masks its broader potential .
Our solution
Co-opting lean startup – itself co-opted from the scientific method – and using it across diverse contexts can provide radical solutions to real-world problems , says Associate Professor Emma A . Jane from UNSW ’ s School of the Arts & Media .
Emma Jane ’ s social justice-driven research – especially her prototyping with open-source artificial intelligence – is grounded in the lean startup principle : try and test an approach , then persevere or pivot . Her interdisciplinary research examines the social and ethical impacts of emerging technologies and spans digital media , ethical tech design , feminism , trans / gender studies and sexuality .
She convenes UNSW ’ s Digital Entrepreneurship course where students devise , launch and test their own digital media-driven startups . Students draw on principles from design thinking and the lean startup method made famous by Eric Ries . Ries prescribes a model of continuous innovation : build ( your original idea ), measure ( how people react to it ) and learn ( whether to pivot or persevere with your concept ), then repeat . This feedback loop produces “ validated learning ”, knowledge that ’ s evidence-based and actionable . It reduces waste – of resources , finance , creativity and time .
The course is hands-on and supported by entrepreneurial expertise from UNSW Founders . Students engage in rapid iteration , informed by user feedback — embracing failure and its insights to fast-track radical change . The method applies across business , creative and social justice agendas . Students develop their adaptability , critical thinking , innovation , leadership , emotional intelligence , resilience and “ basic hustling ”.