White Bull & Central Asia Institute
CAI connects with European entrepreneurs By KARIN RONNOW
Face-to-face conversations about the “ who , what , where , and why ” of Central Asia Institute ( CAI ) have long been the organization ’ s bread and butter .
The pioneering work CAI does is complicated but successful and there are hundreds of great stories about how it is making a difference in the world . Some of those stories are published here , in the Journey of Hope . Others are posted on our blog ( ikat . org / cai-communique /). And some of them are best conveyed in person .
In the past year , CAI Co-Founder Greg Mortenson has taken a slow-but-steady approach to his public appearances and sharing those stories . He has spoken at schools , libraries , churches , women ’ s groups , and club meetings , and participated in the One Book One Bozeman events in his hometown . His main passion is speaking to students , from elementary school to university , about making a difference , each in their own way .
In October , Mortenson spoke to a slightly different audience in Barcelona , Spain . He was a keynote speaker at White Bull Summits ’ Pathways Summit ( whitebull . com ), which brings together innovative European entrepreneurs with global investors and services firms that can help accelerate their success .
“ At first I was reluctant to talk with a European tech and business audience about education in Pakistan and Afghanistan ,” he said . “ But White Bull ’ s Co-Founder Elizabeth Perry was relentless . She felt CAI had an important message to share with Europe ’ s tech innovators and global investors . After all , innovation is the name of the game in business — and in the work CAI does .”
Perry said that she and Co-Founder Farley Duvall have a longstanding desire to increase social consciousness in the European business and tech community .
“ In the U . S ., there is a highly developed private nonprofit sector that addresses many of the global and domestic problems and needs ,” she said . “ However in Europe , which is more socialized , there is often the perception that governments should take care of social problems , and the nonprofit sector is not as mature as in the U . S .
“ While we certainly talk about business at Pathways , our focus is on the journey toward success , which we believe is driven by the passion behind the entrepreneur . Every year we try to bring in an inspirational leader . Who better than Greg Mortenson , who is clearly one of the most inspirational leaders of his time , to share the story of an incredible journey ? In this way , we plant the seed , encouraging entrepreneurs to integrate social consciousness into their business models from the start ,” she said .
“ But Greg did more than just plant a seed for the young entrepreneurs in the room . He also commanded the hearts of many a venture capitalist , with a standing ovation , and what we hope is just the beginning of many long-lasting relationships and attention of the important work of CAI ,” she said .
For Mortenson , White Bull offered a unique opportunity to meet scores of smart and determined young people , learn about
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This is a dynamic group that ’ s growing fast , as the global economy and innovation becomes less U . S . -centric. Conference attendees had many excellent ideas of how to help in a country like Afghanistan .” — Greg Mortensen , CAI Co-Founder
their ideas , network , and get feedback about CAI ’ s efforts .
“ I learned a lot ,” he said . “ This is a dynamic group that ’ s growing fast , as the global economy and innovation becomes less U . S . -centric . Conference attendees had many excellent ideas of how to help in a country like Afghanistan with everything from how to enhance communication to free mobile technology to transferring funds to on-the-spot accounting to more efficient delivery systems and much more .”
Mortenson took full advantage of the event , participating in workshops and breakout events , and sitting down for private conversations with the European innovators .
“ There were so many visionary , optimistic people at the conference , people who don ’ t believe in the word ‘ impossible ’ and are not afraid of failing ,” he said . “ They remind me of our students , who pursue their dream of education with utter determination and confidence .”
Thanks , White Bull , for the invitation and the introduction . n
Photo courtesy of White Bull Summits
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