SEVEN Fund Initiatives
Michael Brennan
“My mission at SEVEN is to facilitate processes that lead to new networks of intellectual property, investment, and business creation in the developing world.”
Current Initiatives
Mike Brennan conceived and leads an effort to develop a cluster of high technology organizations interested in becoming the anchor institutions in Carnegie Mellon's showcase Center of Excellence in Kigali, Rwanda. The group includes IBM’s Deep Computing and Smart Planet initiatives, Dr. Lee Silver of Princeton and his Genomics firm, GenePeaks, and Network Biology pioneer, Merrimack Pharmaceuticals.
Mike has extensive international experience leading and developing clusters of related and supporting industries-- from Serbia and Macedonia to Ireland and Bolivia. He is frequently asked to speak about these efforts, most recently at MIT, the Philips Academy in Andover, and The Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women in Texas. The latter focuses on proving “rocket fuel” to women business leaders from Afghanistan and Rwanda; Mike and Elizabeth Hooper will teach several segments of the new curriculum in spring 2010.
Mike writes frequently on the topics of mindsets, role models, and building networks of innovation. He is a contributing author of "In The River They Swim," and is collaborating with Elizabeth Hooper on a chapter in the upcoming book "The Morality of Profit." He is an active blogger and Tweeter on SEVEN's portfolio of websites.
Focus at SEVEN Fund
Michael's day-to-day responsibilities at SEVEN include serving as the program director for the global Pioneers of Prosperity program, and primary liaison between SEVEN, The OTF Group and other partners. He is leading the effort to develop new partnerships for networking POP firms, and for rolling out POP to new regions globally. He also oversees the development of key relationships for SEVEN within the social enterprise space.
Entrepreneurs create products, services and jobs. They expand economies, improve people's lives, provide employment (high and rising wages) and bring about competition. A competitive environment, in turn, gives rise to efficiency, meritocracy and further innovations and entrepreneurial drive.
The potent combination of entrepreneurship and technological innovation can forge an environment that is conducive to further enterprise, involving even government policy in supporting entrepreneurship and innovation.
