Lenovo Partners with Ashoka’s Network of Changemakers to Create Kinder, More Innovative Cities

MANILA, September 2022 – Ashoka, a worldwide network of social entrepreneurs, and Lenovo recently launched a collaboration to support changemakers around the world and power digital transformation and innovation. . With a $100K USD (more than Php 5M in PHP) grant that Lenovo awarded to Ashoka, the organization will provide assistance in four different regions including Puerto Princesa, Palawan.

The Lenovo Kind City initiative, a crowdsourced vision for a more compassionate and empowering future, serves as the foundation for this project. Lenovo employed artificial intelligence (AI) to translate worldwide submissions into 10 fundamental principles of a more inclusive and kinder city—made possible through technology. But the Kind City was always dedicated to more than just a bold reimagining of the future: Lenovo wanted to drive fundamental transformation.

The Kind City supports Ashoka's mission to create a society where everyone is a changemaker and has the empathy, autonomy, and leadership abilities to bring about positive change in their neighborhoods. In more than 95 countries, Ashoka has assisted more than 4,000 system leaders (Ashoka Fellows), 100 young changemakers serving as ambassadors of the "everyone a changemaker vision," 250 change institutions, and 300 partners. 

“We are proud and excited to partner with Ashoka and directly support socially conscious innovation,” said Calvin Crosslin, Lenovo’s Chief Diversity Officer and President of the Lenovo Foundation. “This partnership puts our Kind City vision into action and embodies our commitment to delivering smarter technology for all, prioritizing sustainability, and being a force for innovation.”

These regional centers, or Ashoka chapters, devoted to encouraging cooperation and elevating the most impactful ideas, will be hastened by Lenovo's sponsorship. Ashoka changemakers may network, share knowledge, question conventional wisdom, and collectively advance their radical ideas. Each chapter will choose four changemakers, who might be existing Ashoka Fellows, up-and-coming changemakers, or regional technology leaders. The chosen changemakers will also take part in a worldwide initiative to encourage individuals to make a difference in their local communities.

“For more than 40 years, Ashoka has empowered local changemakers all over the world to boldly reimagine and shape the future,” said Jeanine Buzali, director of Changemaker Companies in North America, a global Ashoka initiative that seeks to co-lead social change with the private sector. “We are thrilled to see Lenovo make this investment in kindness, equality, and inclusion, and I know that our shared commitment to entrepreneurial innovation will have a long-lasting impact in these communities.”

This partnership expands on Ashoka's conviction that social entrepreneurs have the ability to unleash the transformative potential of people and shift how they perceive the world from one of the problems to one of the opportunities.

“We need courageous companies to join us in breaking through existing paradigms and mobilizing the next generation of changemakers,” Buzali said. “We’re grateful for Lenovo’s support and collaboration, and we cannot wait to see the ideas we bring to life.”

Follow along throughout the year for updates on changemaker activity, new collaborations, and the pioneering work enabled by this partnership.