Would the world look different if businesses and non-profit organizations collaborated? Development pioneer, Harper McConnell, explores the impact non-profits can have in the business world through managing risks to create economic opportunity in emerging economies.


Harper McConnell lived in the Democratic Republic of Congo for nearly a decade, where she pioneered an approach investing in economic development programs and Congolese non-profit organizations during a period of war.

With her expertise in the Great Lakes Region of Africa, she bootstrapped the organization, Eastern Congo Initiative, for founder, Ben Affleck, awarding more than 80 grants to Congolese organizations working in economic development, health and education.

With her Congolese colleagues, Harper structured and implemented ECI’s coffee and cocoa initiatives with cooperatives and businesses through building sustainable, traceable, and bankable value chains, reaching the specialty U.S. consumer market for the very first time through retail outlets including Starbucks and Theo Chocolate. Congolese farmer-led businesses, with no previous access to credit, now have a 100% loan repayment rate with a correlated increase in income.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx