InG Nepal is also a residential incubator, providing a much-needed platform for ideators around the country to network and work in a stimulating environment, on projects, that have current or future potential. Currently 10 companies are working under the umbrella, on projects that range from batteries and drones, to Internet of Things (IoT), industrial automation, management software, and even electric vehicles. For Bikrant Karki, President at InG Nepal, and his team of founders, the challenge is to turn a new leaf in the technology sector in Nepal. “There are a multitude of organizations that are doing world-class work in software from Nepal. In hardware however, we have not been able to reach desired standards. Through our ecosystem and incubation center we are trying to encourage research, prototype, and product development. We are happy to share that work on electric vehicle design and production is at an advanced stage with a production facility at Belbari, Morang. In the coming years, there will be a resurgence of hardware tech from Nepal, for sure.”
We believe the best results come from bringing diverse groups of people together for a common goal. Our principle is to encourage people who wouldn’t otherwise connect to come together and have the opportunity to understand each others strengths and weaknesses and then help them to leverage their respective assets to help each other achieve shared goals.
The process by which we approach our engagement with communities is as important – if not more important – than the final product we deliver. A project that creates something beautiful without any community engagement is less valuable than a project with a lot of community engagement, regardless of outcome.
We recognize that quick impact activities with high visibility can result in an outpouring of new funding. However, we believe this visibility should not come at the expense of sustainability. For Communitere, sustainability means environmental sustainability (choosing the most environmentally-friendly materials and processes), economic sustainability (creating processes that can be sustained without a continual stream of donated funds) and cultural sustainability (engaging in a way that respects rather than undermines local culture).
Communitere exists to provide safe spaces for both outsiders and community members to experiment with new ideas that can fail without negative impact on the communities they intend to help. This concept of “safe failure” leads to rapid innovation and provides effective solutions that would otherwise take much longer to develop. In addition, we firmly believe in the concept of “open source” and are committed that successful innovations be made public for others to see, copy and improve upon.
We strive to serve as a support system and resource center for communities, social entrepreneurs and development groups. The projects come from our partners and we facilitate these projects through access to resources, people and ideas. By doing this, we are helping to reduce overhead for organizations and businesses and lower barriers for the local community.
Because InG Nepal has become a part of the community where it serves, we are uniquely positioned to identify needs within the local community that are not being addressed by local or international organizations. In many cases, InG Nepal’s local knowledge, deep resources and cultural awareness allow us to step in and fill that need. When we do so, we partner with the local community and make every effort to enlist other interested groups to maximize shared resources and knowledge.