Practical Insights on Fail Festival

Fail Festival DC is Dead. Long Live Failure!

Fail Festival DC is Dead. Long Live Failure!

Published on: Nov 08 2018 by Wayan Vota - 18 Comments
Way back in 2009, we organized a Twitter Chat on Failure with Michael Downey moderating the freewheeling discussion. Born from that conversation was Fail Faire,...
Well That Was a Failure

Well That Was a Failure

Published on: Oct 26 2017 by Wayan Vota - 3 Comments
In early 2015, I had a brilliant idea. I thought we could use sensors to have an impact on hypertension, which is a leading cause of heart attacks, stroke, sepsis,...
Lessons From a MERL Tech Confessional: It’s All About Assumptions

Lessons From a MERL Tech Confessional: It’s All About Assumptions

Published on: Oct 31 2016 by Guest Writer - Comments Off on Lessons From a MERL Tech Confessional: It’s All About Assumptions
It’s been said that good science is the art of getting less wrong over time. Maybe the same principle applies to the use of technology for monitoring, evaluation,...
When the First Step is a Failure…

When the First Step is a Failure…

Published on: Dec 14 2015 by Wayan Vota - 1 Comment
Last Thursday night, we had the 5th Annual Fail Festival DC, and by the tweets and photos it was an amazing event. Woven into the fun were several strong lessons...
Fail Festival 2014: Failure Happens and Flowers Grow From It

Fail Festival 2014: Failure Happens and Flowers Grow From It

Published on: Dec 15 2014 by Guest Writer - Comments Off on Fail Festival 2014: Failure Happens and Flowers Grow From It
At a typical development meeting, the person responsible for an epic fail would slip into a trapdoor and be consumed by sharks with freakin’ lasers. Yet at...
Please RSVP Now for Fail Fest DC 2014

Please RSVP Now for Fail Fest DC 2014

Published on: Nov 07 2014 by Wayan Vota - 2 Comments
Failure. No one likes to admit they failed. Yet, failure is normal. We all fail. More importantly, we must fail! Failure is the only true mark of leadership, innovation,...
Fail Fest DC 2013: Cathartic and Comedic

Fail Fest DC 2013: Cathartic and Comedic

Published on: Dec 09 2013 by Wayan Vota - Comments Off on Fail Fest DC 2013: Cathartic and Comedic
On Thursday night, Washington DC celebrated failure in international development as a mark of leadership, innovation, and risk-taking in pushing the boundaries...
RSVP Now for Fail Festival 2013: A Celebration of Failure in Development

RSVP Now for Fail Festival 2013: A Celebration of Failure in Development

Published on: Nov 12 2013 by Wayan Vota - Comments Off on RSVP Now for Fail Festival 2013: A Celebration of Failure in Development
Failure is the f-word of international development. Unspoken in polite company, but a reality in our work. We’re often in market failure environments,...