Leading Change From The Edge Of The Map

Dear reader,

Today, our world is facing unprecedented challenges, calling out for bold actions.

Entrepreneurs, innovators, creative minds, and investors play a major role in paving new paths for large parts of society to follow. They push the boundaries of what is possible, and show how we can do things significantly better.

It is with that in mind that Sir Paul Callaghan, speaking to a group of leaders in New Zealand, famously said,

“100 inspired entrepreneurs could turn this country around”

Today’s global connectivity enables visionary pioneers to create positive impact in the lives of many people across the world. More and more people from different corners of the globe are tapping into their entrepreneurial capabilities, accessing information and feeding new knowledge into the global consciousness in ways never seen before, and that trend is accelerating. As global citizens, entrepreneurs are building new solutions to make a positive impact on communities far away from them.

Entrepreneurs, change-makers, and policy leaders in New Zealand are raising our hands and saying:

“Let us become leaders in positive global impact. Let us build an entrepreneurial ecosystem focused on addressing global challenges from New Zealand.”

To make this happen, the New Zealand Government put in place the Global Impact Visa, a creative visa category for impact-driven entrepreneurs, investors and startup teams to build global solutions from New Zealand. This is unprecedented, and it is the first impact-oriented visa in the world.

The Edmund Hillary Fellowship (EHF) was also born at the same time to build an ecosystem of bold entrepreneurial leaders tackling global problems from New Zealand.

We are inspired by the story and actions of Sir Edmund Hillary, who was the first person to climb Mount Everest. Showing others what was possible with focused determination, Sir Ed then went on to dedicate much of his life to humanitarian work improving the lives of Sherpa communities in the Himalayas. As others attempt to emulate his achievements, he leaves a reminder of where to put our focus, “It is not the mountains we conquer, but ourselves.”

We are helping build new paradigms in New Zealand. Our work is to accelerate the growth of the entrepreneurial ecosystem, build new ecosystems that feed into it, and make it a node in the global network of visionary entrepreneurial communities leading positive change.

On this blog, we will be telling stories of entrepreneurial and creative leaders who are pioneering change and leading bold actions.

Join us on this journey!

~ Yoseph Ayele and the EHF team

Are you a visionary entrepreneur or investor building solutions to global problems? You can bring your vision to reality from New Zealand by joining the Edmund Hillary Fellowship community. Express interest here.