m2WorkFrom Millions of Tasks to Thousands of Jobs

What is microwork?

• Organizations transform problems into tiny tasks and distribute them over digital / mobile networks

• Problems cannot be automated / solved by machines• Microworkers earn money, e.g., in form of micropayments• Microwork has potential to create 100k+ jobs in developing

countries• Key is mobile technology• m2Work asks for innovative ideas for mobile applications

that enable people in the developing world to become microworkers

Ex.: Transcribing handwritten & scanned documents

3

Microtask Ltd

Microwork industry

• Emerging industry; some benchmarks for potential market size:– Paid crowdsourcing: $500 million (2009)– IT and business process offshoring: $92-$96 billion

(2009)• No negative externalities: 100% positive

contribution to society

Infrastruct. provider Microworker Work

aggregatorWork

transformer Client

Rewards Task size Source of workers

Workers’ tools

Skills

Crowd-sourcing (Howe 2008)

Mostly intrinsic motivation, no pay

From tiny tasks (2-30s) to large projects (days or weeks)

Open call on the Internet

Workers may require external tools

From basic computer skills to languages and professional skills

Microwork Microworker is paid, mostly immediately

Tiny tasks (2-30s)

Open calls, staff members, contractors, BPO providers, online games

All tools and information embedded into the workers’ user interface

From basic computer skills to languages

Microwork is a form of crowdsourcing, but…

Ways to upgrade mobile microwork

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Horizontal coordination Individual microworkers banding up to share resources and improve bargaining power

Product upgrading Producers expanding up/down the value chain

Functional upgrading Pushing higher-value-added products into the value chain, e.g. business intelligence

Inter-chain upgrading Using skills and experience to engage a totally different value chain, (e.g. microwork services for personal users: photo album tagging etc.)

Most Important enabler in least-developed countries:

mobile technology!

What is mobile microwork?

Infant industry – familiarize yourself with the key elements!a. Workers perform small digital tasks (usually taking a few seconds to a

minute or two)b. Workers do this work on their mobile phones (the simpler the better)c. Workers receive small payments (typically a few cents to a few dollars)

for completing these tasks on their phoned. Microwork employer pays for the tasks

More info & Hints to improve your submission:– Five key steps to a winning m2Work idea– m2Work Background– infoDev’s Knowledge Map of the Virtual Economy.

m2Work facts• www.ideasproject.com/m2work• Mobile microwork challenge, especially for developers,

entrepreneurs, and students• Total prize money: USD 40,000• More than idea contest: Best ideas should turn into mobile startups• Important dates

– Launch: 01 February, 2012– Submissions end: 2 April, 2012– Announcement of Finalists: 25 April, 2012– Announcement of Grand Prize Winner: 18 May, 2012– Global m2Work hackathon: 18-20 May, 2012 (linked to the

m2Work winner announcement)

Finalists compete for Grand Prize (refinement & pitching)Tie-in to mLab networks: One Finalist from each mLab region!

Winning criteriaGo to http://www.ideasproject.com/docs/DOC-8963!

Spot Prize Winners so far

http://www.ideasproject.com/ideas/164501.

2.

3.

http://www.ideasproject.com/ideas/16861

http://www.ideasproject.com/ideas/17277

”m2Work is not just an idea competition - Our network can guide the best

innovators all the way to the market...

Ideation Design

Chasm

Scale

Mature

Challenge

Acceleration

(Build)

Launch

A2F / A2M

Build

mLab: Pre-Incubation

... and we count on mLabs for the pre-incubation stage!”

m2Work Hackathon

• 48 hour global microwork hackathon organized in five mLab locations around the world

• Objectives: – Help best m2Work ideas to gain momentum toward a

sustainable business through a prototyping event– Help ideators to find complementary talent (especially technical

skills)– To identify talented team(s) to gain from pre-incubation services

offered by mLab• 18-20 May

– Pre-hackathon events will build momentum (for example a speed dating event to support forming teams)

Mid-challenge, still opportunities for submissions from all mLab regions!

East Africa:

East Asia & Pacific:

Eastern Europe, Caucasus, & Central Asia:

Southern Africa:

South Asia:

ROW

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160

• 2 spot prize winners from Rest of the World, 1 from East Asia & Pacific• Quality of submissions with room for improvement

What’s your idea? – Submit today!

?

m2Work Hackathon

• 48 hour global microwork hackathon organized at five mLab locations around the world

• Objectives: – Help best m2Work ideas to gain momentum toward a

sustainable business through a prototyping event– Help ideators to find complementary talent (especially technical

skills)– Identify talented team(s) to gain from pre-incubation services

offered by the mLab• 18-20 May

– Pre-hackathon events to build momentum (for example a speed dating event to support forming of teams)

Current development impact

• Compared to e.g. the global coffee industry ($70 Bn in 2002), the amount of real money circulating in the virtual economy is modest

• But most earnings in the VE are captured by the producers -> significant development impact– in the coffee industry, producing countries capture less than 10% of

total revenues

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Infrastruct. provider

<30%

Microworker0-70%

Aggregator10-30%

Transformer20-60% Client

Microwork value chain

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