Since the beginning of time, humanity has invested in developing various solutions to the world’s problems, from the stone age to the industrial period and now to the digital era; humanity is constantly innovating as we evolve.
With constant innovation, many different solutions to various problems such as climate change, global warming, food crisis, and many others are being addressed.
It is for this reason that many young people, the world’s future, are encouraged to innovate, to have ideas, to bring them to life, and to participate in the necessary change.
However, having a great useful idea and seeing it succeed are two entirely different things.
Magnifique Ishimwe, a key member of the kLab management team, believes that in order to take your innovation to the next level, you will need more than just an idea; you will also need soft skills.
Klab is an entrepreneur and innovators hub dedicated to training tech entrepreneurs and software developers. Some of their instruction focuses on developing soft skills that will help you take your innovation to the next level.
“If you have soft skills, you will be able to take your innovation from your home to the national, continental, and global levels,” he said in an interview with us.
Can you be able to pitch your idea
According to Magnifique Ishimwe, if you have great ideas, you must be able to market them to the right people in the right way.
He stated that the whole point of innovation is to trade it rather than keep it at home. He stated that you will need to know how to pitch it.
“You need to be able to speak out your innovation,” he said
He stated that the world does not require something that is only there to solve your problems; rather, the world requires something that “will be able to solve other people’s problems,” which is what your pitch should be about.
According to Ishimwe, your pitch must demonstrate that your innovation is unique; that it is based on critical thinking and data.
“You need to think differently from other people,” he said
And for that to happen you must be “Data driven. If you have the data you will be able to know what makes a difference.”
That’s what needs to be pitched. You must demonstrate to the market that you are offering a solution that is not available elsewhere.
You definetly need to network
Magnifique Ishimwe, who is part of the innovation ecosystem, believes that networking is the best way to get people to know about your work and how it solves problems.
He believes that networking is one of the most important soft skills for an innovator. “How do you connect with people who can use your innovation?”
He said that it is important to build a network of people who will use your innovation and also the people to be connected “with people who can invest in your innovation.”
“If you can be able to network with a variety of people then you are going to have people who can access and need your innovation.” he said
He believes that this soft skill will help young innovators get to clients.
Entrepreneurship
Some young technical innovators may be unaware that they must have an entrepreneurial mindset. According to Ishimwe, this is the bare minimum.
He defined having an entrepreneurial mind as knowing how to implement your ideas. From the conception of the idea to its implementation and dissemination to a larger market.
According to him, entrepreneurship for an innovator entails knowing how to “invest in your innovative solution to reach a wider market.”
He believes that with these three soft skills, among others, young people can take their innovations to the next level and solve problems in our community.
He is absolutely convinced that in order to create something new, you must use methods that have never been used before.
“If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always gotten,” he explained.
