Democratizing Innovation Institute
A global partnership providing accredited social entrepreneurship education and tools for social change to Be a Nelson members.
Since 2023, StreetBiz Foundation has partnered with the Democratizing Innovation Institute (DII) to enable Be a Nelson Movement members to participate in accredited courses such as "Social Entrepreneurship" and "Leading Change for Sustainability."
The Democratizing Innovation Institute's mission is to prepare students from diverse geographies and backgrounds to address global challenges as thoughtful and engaged citizens through rigorous social entrepreneurship education.
In 2024, 250 students from universities worldwide — including The Netherlands, Iraq, Bulgaria, Bangladesh, Lithuania, Palestine, Myanmar, Kyrgyzstan, the Philippines, Ghana, and Bard College New York — were joined by 42 Be a Nelson Movement participants to work in teams on community development plans.
One Be a Nelson team reached the final round, securing 4th place among top university teams with their project, **Safety Net**, an innovative solution to combat gender-based violence and femicide.
The performance of Be a Nelson participants caught global attention, leading to a feature on the "What If Instead" podcast and research articles highlighting the impact of democratising innovation.
Podcast: What If Instead
The Two-Way Street with Nico de Klerk
In this episode, Nico de Klerk discusses the unique partnership between StreetBiz and the Democratizing Innovation Institute and how it bridges the gap between grassroots leaders and global academic environments.
Listen on RebelBase