{"id":156750,"date":"2021-03-10T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-03-10T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ict-pulse.com\/?p=156750"},"modified":"2021-03-10T05:55:38","modified_gmt":"2021-03-10T10:55:38","slug":"ictp-145-being-inspired-by-purpose-over-profit-with-eldon-marks-of-nexus-hub","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/2021\/03\/ictp-145-being-inspired-by-purpose-over-profit-with-eldon-marks-of-nexus-hub\/","title":{"rendered":"ICTP 145:  Being inspired by purpose over profit, with Eldon Marks of Nexus Hub"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em>Locally-owned social enterprises are not common in the Caribbean; and ICT-based ones are rarer. Tech entrepreneur Eldon Marks of the social enterprise, Nexus Hub, gives us an update on the business since our last conversation in 2019, and why tech entrepreneurs ought to be more social impact-focussed.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"100%\" height=\"166\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"no\" allow=\"autoplay\" src=\"https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player\/?url=https%3A\/\/api.soundcloud.com\/tracks\/1003961554&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true\"><\/iframe><div style=\"font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/user-673719274\" title=\"ICT Pulse Podcast\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;\" rel=\"noopener\">ICT Pulse Podcast<\/a> \u00b7 <a href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/user-673719274\/ictp-145-being-inspired-by\" title=\"ICTP 145: Being inspired by purpose over profit, with Eldon Marks of Nexus Hub\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;\" rel=\"noopener\">ICTP 145: Being inspired by purpose over profit, with Eldon Marks of Nexus Hub<\/a><\/div><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>This episode is also available in&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/ict-pulse-podcast\/id1373550291\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Apple iTunes<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/playmusic.app.goo.gl\/?ibi=com.google.PlayMusic&amp;isi=691797987&amp;ius=googleplaymusic&amp;apn=com.google.android.music&amp;link=https:\/\/play.google.com\/music\/m\/Icau5acn2xiyl5yjuh7orl2mt54?t%3DICT_Pulse_Podcast%26pcampaignid%3DMKT-na-all-co-pr-mu-pod-16\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Google Play Music<\/a> and on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stitcher.com\/podcast\/ict-pulse-podcast?refid=stpr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Stitcher<\/a>!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Regardless of the sector or area of focus, choosing to establish a social enterprise in the Caribbean region is no mean feat. Traditional entrepreneurship tends to be hard enough, thanks to the limited financial support, mentoring, affordable office space, etc., that is available, along with the personal and reputational consequences that may occur to those whose businesses fail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the tech space, where people such as Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos, Eldon Musk and Bill Gates, to name a few, are held up as role models, although some of them might now have philanthropic endeavours, the tech businesses for which they are famous are not social impact-focussed, but instead, are highly profit-driven. As a result, it may be the exceptional individual (or team), who is socially aware and sufficiently driven to try to make a difference, who might take on the challenge of establishing a tech-based social enterprise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is with the above in mind, and for the third instalment of our 2021 series on social impact-focussed tech enterprises, that we are trying to pull back the veil on what it means to be a social enterprise: the benefits; the challenges; and why tech entrepreneurs ought to embrace the concept. We are also taking the opportunity to follow up with a business we discussed in September 2019, which ironically, is a social enterprise, to see how it fared in 2020, and how the pandemic has affected its path going forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Introducing our guest<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"150689\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/2019\/11\/ictp-081-realising-innovation-collaboration-eldon-marks-nexus-hub\/eldon-marks-e-marks\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Eldon-Marks-E-Marks.jpeg?fit=443%2C418&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"443,418\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Eldon Marks ( E Marks)\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Eldon Marks&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Eldon-Marks-E-Marks.jpeg?fit=300%2C283&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Eldon-Marks-E-Marks.jpeg?fit=443%2C418&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fgd.dfv.mybluehost.me\/.website_c81a1e61\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Eldon-Marks-E-Marks.jpeg?resize=300%2C283&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-150689\" width=\"300\" height=\"283\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Eldon-Marks-E-Marks.jpeg?w=443&amp;ssl=1 443w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Eldon-Marks-E-Marks.jpeg?resize=300%2C283&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption>Eldon Marks<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/eldonmarks\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Eldon Marks<\/strong><\/a> is the Founder and a Director of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nexushubinc.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Nexus Hub, Inc.<\/strong><\/a>, a technology and innovation centre in Georgetown, Guyana. Founded in 2018, Nexus Hub is a non-profit that aims to make a meaningful difference in still developing tech industry in Guyana.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Eldon is also the co-Founder of a co-working space, weOwn space, in Georgetown, and the Founder and CEO of V75 Inc., a tech firm specialising in conversational Artificial Intelligence engineering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Eldon has an academic background in Computer Science. Prior to launching those businesses and for about 13 years, he was a Lecturer and the Head of Department for Computer Science, at the University of Guyana. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Insights into our conversation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When <a href=\"https:\/\/fgd.dfv.mybluehost.me\/.website_c81a1e61\/2019\/11\/ictp-081-realising-innovation-collaboration-eldon-marks-nexus-hub\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">we spoke to Eldon in 2019 about Nexus Hub<\/a>, we wanted to examine one of the key elements of the start-up ecosystem, the collaboration space: an environment where members of the tech community can assemble, with the purpose of nurturing and advancing ideas. It was thus at that time that we were introduced to Nexus Hub and the wonderful things that have been happening in Guyana, along with activities, which at that time were still in the pipeline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, in Eldon being a \u2018former\u2019 academic, who would be accustomed to rigorously examining issues, and who currently is an entrepreneur, we felt he was ideally placed to share some thoughts on what it means to run a social enterprise. More importantly, he may be able to provide some insights into why tech-based social enterprises seem to be so few in the Caribbean.  Below are some of the questions posed during our conversation:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\" type=\"1\"><li>Since we last spoke in September 2019, what has Nexus Hub been up to?<\/li><li>What were some of challenges that you, and Nexus Hub, experienced last year?<\/li><li>What were some of the adjustments that you had to make personally, and to your business over the past year?<\/li><li>What are lessons you have learned since we last spoke?<\/li><li>Do you think of Nexus Hub as a social enterprise? If so, why?<\/li><li>The Caribbean region is awash with social problems, but tech-enabled social enterprises seem few and far between. Why do you think that is the case?<\/li><li>Besides the feel-good aspect of improving the lives or livelihood of others, what are other benefits of running a social enterprise?<\/li><li>In many instances, poverty may underpin most of the social problems in societies, which can make sustainability, and more so, profitability, a challenge. Is that a challenge you have experienced? But more importantly, how can that be addressed?<\/li><li>What might be change in mindset that a tech entrepreneur needs to adopt if he or she wants to operate a social enterprise?<\/li><li>Where would you like to see\u00a0Nexus Hub in the next 3 to 5 years?<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p> &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>We would love to hear from you!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">Do leave us a comment either here beneath this article, or on our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ICTPulse\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Facebook<\/strong><\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/ict-pulse-consulting-limited\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>LinkedIn<\/strong><\/a> pages, or via Twitter, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ICTPulse\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>@ICTPulse<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p> &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Select links<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Below are links to some of the organisations and resources that either were mentioned during the episode, or otherwise, might be useful:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/eldonmarks\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Eldon Marks<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nexushubinc.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Nexus Hub Inc.<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.v75inc.com\/\">V75 Inc.<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/weown.space\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">weOwn Space<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/bidlab.org\/en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">IDB Lab<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/iris.gy\/home\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">IRIS (Intelligent Reporting Information System)<\/a><\/li><li>ICT Pulse Podcast episode, <a href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/2CG48ik\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>ICTP 081: Realising innovation through collaboration, with Eldon Marks of Nexus Hub<\/em> <\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p> &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p> &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Image credits:  Wokandapix (<a href=\"http:\/\/pixabay.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Pixabay<\/a>) Brett Hondow (<a href=\"http:\/\/pixabay.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Pixabay<\/a>);  E Marks)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Music credit:  Ray Holman<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p> &nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Locally-owned social enterprises are not common in the Caribbean; and ICT-based ones are rarer. Tech entrepreneur Eldon Marks of the social enterprise, Nexus Hub, gives us an update on the business since our last conversation in 2019, and why tech entrepreneurs ought to be more social impact-focussed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":156752,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[355],"tags":[71,205,357,470],"class_list":["post-156750","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-podcast","tag-businesses","tag-entrepreneurship-2","tag-interviews","tag-social-entrepreneurship","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Featured-Image-ICTP-145-Wokandapix-Brett-Hondow-from-Pixabay-E-Marks.jpg?fit=1024%2C509&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2iE1G-EMe","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156750","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=156750"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156750\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":156773,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156750\/revisions\/156773"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/156752"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=156750"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=156750"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=156750"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}