Being a Young Innovator Finalist

As part of the commitment from winning the Young Innovator Fellowship, Linkesh is required to file regular updates with the ITU.  We also post these updates on our site.

You Have Been Selected...

I was in a crowded, hot, sweaty internet café in New Delhi, trying to re-book plane tickets before closing time, at the tail end of my summer internship with Navdanya International, when I read those words. My first thought was “Wow...” and then “What have I gotten into?”

Being now one of the ITU Young Innovator Fellowship winners, I realized that I now had a huge responsibility; the ITU believed in it! My teammates were thrilled with the news, and helped me prepare for the Dubai World Conference as much as they could.

Amrita University was happy to publish the news, as was my MSc Program in EU, SELECT. Of course, many congratulations from friends and well-wishers all around. The CrisisCommunicator, which had previously been just another one of my crazy ideas, also gained validity with this award.

The World Conference

I had entered the CrisisCommunicator in the “concept” category, and it truly was just that: a concept, with an innovative social business plan. My teammates and I continued to evolve the plan (both technical and business details) in the run-up to the World Telecom Conference in October, taking input from many different viewpoints.

In Dubai I was pleasantly surprised with the reception of the CrisisCommunicator; everyone said that it was a great idea and they hoped to see it come through. Many people provided valuable technical feedback, or other connections for future collaboration. This feedback I have considered, and this has brought changes to our business plan and technical roadmap.

Dubai was also a great opportunity to learn more about the Telecom industry and the electronics industry in general, which, with the CrisisCommunicator, I was diving head-first into. I found lots of resources important for the future of the CrisisCommunicator.

By the end of the World Telecom Conference, I'm happy to say that I had gained confidence in my own abilities, and in my plans. Personally, I feel blessed to be the custodian of an idea who's time has come: the CrisisCommunicator.