In previous articles I introduced the concept of Endemic Innovation (EI) and I’ve been genuinely surprised—and thrilled—by the stir it’s caused among scholars of innovation studies, economics, and sustainable growth particularly in developing countries. Conversations with colleagues from Chile, North America, and Europe crystallized a restless thought that’s kept me up at night: the global innovation handbook has a serious geographic flaw. Traditional models—the ones we all know, the ones plastered across MBA slides and startup pitch decks—seem to originate almost exclusively in the "Global North". Think glittering tech hubs in North America, Europe, and parts of Asia, where R&D races forward at breakneck speed, birthing AI, quantum computing, robotics, biotech, and nanotech startups that dazzle the world. Meanwhile, down here in the "Global South", we’re left feeling out of sync, peering up at a party we’re not quite invited to.This geographic bias isn’t just a feeling—it’s baked into the dominant innovation paradigms. Context is treated as a footnote, overshadowed by mantras like “Move fast and break things,” “Fail fast, fail often,” “Iterate, iterate, iterate,” or the omnipresent “How fast can we scale?” Speed, scale, high-tech, and disruption are the queens of the party, while the geophysical quirks, deep local wisdom, vibrant cultures, and unique ecosystems of a region are sidelined. The result? Innovations as bland and interchangeable as airport bathrooms—blind to the unrepeatable richness that makes each corner of the world its own universe. Here’s the twist: the Global South might lack the sprawling innovation campuses of Palo Alto or Zurich, but we have something else—an embarrassment of riches in geography, climate, culture, biodiversity, and natural resources. For too long, we’ve taken these for granted, undervalued them, or worse, "exploited" them in the oldest sense—extracting raw materials, selling them cheap to nations with the tech to turn them into breakthroughs, while we pocket pennies. But when I say "exploit," I mean something bolder: flipping the extractivist mindset on its head. The Global South has everything it needs to birth sustainable innovations with local roots and global reach. What’s missing is a model to map our terrain, spot opportunities that don’t exist elsewhere—endemic opportunities—and craft world-class solutions from these singular conditions—endemic innovations.Operationalizing this isn’t about chasing intangibles like cultural identity or ancestral wisdom with vague platitudes. It demands tactical tools to extract, decode, refine, and scale what makes a place, community, or ecosystem unique. Endemic Innovation flips the script. Instead of chanting Silicon Valley’s greatest hits, it asks:

1. What does this place know that no other does?

2. Who here has been solving these problems for centuries?

3. What’s the ancestral knowledge beneath the surface?

4. How can exogenous technology amplify—not replace—that wisdom?

Take Ibuku, the Balinese firm that turned bamboo—once dismissed as primitive—into a hallmark of sustainable luxury architecture. Their success wasn’t just creativity, a eureka moment, or a sprint through an agile playbook. It was a meticulous decoding of Bali’s cultural and environmental DNA, blending the ancestral mastery of local builders with two endemic bamboo species, then supercharging it with digital design, 3D simulation, and cutting-edge engineering.

Stage 1. Mapping the Territory and Portfolio of Endemic Opportunities

Why This Stage is Foundational:
Before you can innovate, you must see—not just observe, but deeply understand—the invisible assets around you. This stage is about unearthing the raw materials of endemic innovation: rituals, species, crafts, and stories that competitors can’t copy. This involves mapping the territory to identify endemic opportunities that can be transformed into sustainable global value.

Operationalizing the Stage:

• Cultural Audits: Deep analysis of cultural and historical resources. Partner with anthropologists to conduct interviews, record ceremonies, and map social hierarchies. Use AI tools like Otter.ai to transcribe and tag themes.

• Resource Mapping: Many endemic innovations rely heavily on a specific resource, unique to a particular area of ​​the world. We often overlook or simply don't know what unique resources we have around us. Detecting them, mapping them, and studying them in depth constitutes the basis of the endemic innovation process. Deploy GIS (Geographic Information Systems) tools like ArcGIS or GRASS GIS to map endemic species and ecosystems. Score each asset on axes like uniqueness, availability,  scalability, cultural significance, and carbon sequestration potential.

• Painspotting Community Workshops: These workshops provide highly relevant, first-hand information about a particular community of a specific region in the world. The idea is to understand from within the community itself how they have historically faced the challenges and restrictions imposed by their environment. In this way, unique activities, knowledge, tools, designs and innovations emerge that can give rise to modern solutions with a sustainable scaling capacity. Host workshops with farmers, elders, and NGOs. Use Miro boards to cluster pain points and rank them by urgency.

Key Questions: 

“What exists here that the world needs but doesn’t yet know?”  

“In our region, is there a unique resource that can be transformed into sustainable global value?”

Stage 2. Sustainable Strategy Design

Why This Stage is the Bridge:

Ideas alone don’t create unique solutions or change systems. This phase transforms raw assets into actionable sustainable strategies that balance tradition and modernity. Here we are going to focus on crafting a strategic plan with a long-term vision, including stakeholder collaborations (local community, government, industry, academia), and financing strategies. It's the bridge between endemic opportunities and global markets, proposing an adaptive R&D model combining basic science and practical sustainable applications.

Operationalizing the Stage:

• Stakeholder mapping: Identify and classify key actors based on their influence, interest, and potential contributions (funding, expertise, networks). Use tools such as the Power-Interest Matrix or the Salience Model to prioritize and categorize actors.

• Workshops and co-creation sessions: Organize meetings (in person or virtual) where stakeholders define objectives together, express expectations, and agree on their roles. Implement methods such as Open Space Technology to foster inclusive and creative dialogues. Use digital tools such as Miro, Mural, or Microsoft Teams for virtual workshops, real-time collaboration, and documentation.

• Engagement plan: Prepare a formal document detailing each stakeholder’s responsibilities, communication channels, and mechanisms for ongoing collaboration. Use Asana, Trello, or Monday to assign tasks, roles, and deadlines to stakeholders.

• Market Analysis: Research global trends relevant to endemic opportunities, using data on consumer behavior, regulations, and technological advancements. Access platforms such as Statista, IBISWorld or Euromonitor for market data and sector reports.

• Scenario Planning: Anticipate future market developments using structured methods and adjust strategy to different possibilities. Use tools like Decision Explorer, Scenario Wizard, or Futures Platform to model possible futures. Perform a PESTEL (Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental, Legal) analysis to assess macro-environmental factors.

• Expert Consultations: Interview industry leaders and analysts to validate findings and gain deep insights. Design structured and semi-structured interviews and guides, use software such as NVivo to qualitatively analyze expert opinions.

• Identifying funding sources: Investigate options such as government grants, private investments, impact funds, or crowdfunding.

• Projections and budgets: Develop detailed financial models for the short term (1-2 years), medium term (3-5 years), and long term (5+ years), including revenue, costs, and capital needs.

• Funding strategy: Design a phased plan with milestones, timelines, and risk mitigation strategies (e.g., contingency funds). Use GIIN or B Analytics to connect with investors aligned with sustainable projects and innovations.
• Adaptative Integrated Model: Develop an adaptive model that links basic research (R&D) with practical technologies and applications. Identifying the basic science related to the discoveries of this phase and the previous one and how this basic science can be linked to endogenous (local) or exogenous technologies and patents. In the next phase this mix of knowledge and technologies must be assembled in a unique synergy that results in an endemic technology.