Draft:Syndicated Development

Syndicated Development is an emerging business model and growth strategy that combines elements of collaborative innovation, open-source development, collective buying power, and shared branding. This approach, as described by Liviu Olos in his forthcoming book "Syndicated Development: The Future of Business Collaboration" (2024), involves grouping top-notch entrepreneurs and experts in their respective knowledge areas from around the world into a collaborative network, fostering knowledge sharing, leveraging collective resources, and driving open-source-style innovation among participating businesses.

Concept
Syndicated Development builds upon the principles of co-opetition, where businesses simultaneously cooperate and compete with one another. By working together, similar businesses with aligned values can achieve more than they would individually, sharing their findings, best practices, and innovative ideas to create a collective knowledge base that benefits all participants. This model can be applied across various industries, such as a network of restaurants collaborating to refine a dining concept or a group of small construction companies working together to improve their processes and offerings.

The concept of Syndicated Development is rooted in the idea that our behavior and success are largely influenced by our social circles, the knowledge we inherit from our parents and ancestors, and our interactions with others. Just as we are the sum of our experiences and the wisdom passed down through generations, businesses can benefit from the collective intelligence and expertise of their peers.

In his book "Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World" (2019), David Epstein argues that individuals with diverse experiences and a broad knowledge base are better equipped to solve complex problems and drive innovation. Syndicated Development applies this principle to the business world, bringing together entrepreneurs and experts from various fields to collaborate, innovate, and adapt to changing market conditions.

Proof of Concept: Babban Gona
Babban Gona, a high-impact, financially sustainable, and highly scalable agricultural social enterprise in Nigeria, serves as a proof of concept for the Syndicated Development model. Babban Gona has developed and grown an agricultural franchise model in partnership with various organizations, including Nestle, DfID, AGRA, BMGF, Skoll, GIZ, USAID, The Mastercard Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, IFAD, Global Partnerships, and EDFI AgriFi.

Through its network of thousands of mini farmer maize and rice cooperatives across Northern Nigeria, Babban Gona has provided high-quality inputs, credit, training and development, and marketing services to over 200,000 smallholder farmers. This has enabled these farmers to double their yields and increase their net incomes 2 times greater than the average farmer, while maintaining a 99% loan repayment rate.

Babban Gona's success demonstrates the potential of Syndicated Development to drive impact, sustainability, and scalability. By leveraging the collective resources and expertise of its network, Babban Gona has empowered over 100,000 women through its Women Economic Development Initiative (WEDI) in 2021 alone, provided access to healthy food for 150,000 rural men, women, and children, and brought over 200,000 hectares under sustainable cultivation.

The Titanic and a Fleet of Small Ships
Syndicated Development networks can be compared to a fleet of small ships navigating economic uncertainty. While a large, centralized entity like the Titanic might struggle to adapt quickly to changing conditions, a distributed network of smaller, more agile businesses can pivot and support one another, increasing overall resilience.

Ducks Flying in Formation
Just as ducks fly together in huge collective waves towards the south, benefiting from the aerodynamic efficiency of flying in formation, businesses in a Syndicated Development network can leverage their collective strengths and knowledge to achieve greater success and navigate challenges more effectively.

The Wisdom of the Crowd
Syndicated Development taps into the wisdom of the crowd, harnessing the collective intelligence and expertise of top-notch entrepreneurs and experts from various fields. By collaborating and sharing knowledge, these individuals can generate innovative solutions and drive progress in their respective industries.

Advantages
In addition to the advantages mentioned earlier (Syndicated Buying Power, Syndicated Knowledge Sharing, Open Source Development, and Syndicated Branding), Syndicated Development offers several other benefits:

Values-Driven Collaboration
By bringing together companies with shared values, Syndicated Development networks can foster a strong sense of purpose and trust, leading to more effective collaboration and decision-making.

Adaptive Resilience
The decentralized nature of Syndicated Development networks allows participating companies to adapt more quickly to changing market conditions, supporting one another through challenges and capitalizing on new opportunities.

Collective Bargaining Power
In addition to leveraging collective buying power, Syndicated Development networks can use their combined influence to negotiate better terms with suppliers, regulators, and other stakeholders.

Syndicated Knowledge Sharing
Participants in a Syndicated Development network benefit from the collective knowledge and experience of all member companies. This sharing of information can lead to faster problem-solving, improved decision-making, and accelerated innovation.

Open Source Development
Syndicated Development encourages an open-source approach to innovation, where companies collaborate to develop new products, services, and processes. This collaborative approach can result in faster, more efficient development cycles and a greater diversity of ideas.

Syndicated Branding
Companies in a Syndicated Development network can benefit from a shared brand identity, increasing their visibility and credibility in the market. This collective branding can help smaller businesses compete more effectively against larger, more established competitors.

Implementation
Syndicated Development can be implemented through a platform that facilitates collaboration, knowledge sharing, and collective action among participating companies. This platform would provide tools for communication, project management, and resource sharing, as well as a framework for governance and decision-making.

Challenges and Considerations
Implementing a Syndicated Development model may present certain challenges:

Balancing Selectivity and Inclusivity
While it is important to ensure that participating companies share common values and goals, Syndicated Development networks must be careful not to create unjust barriers to entry or discriminate against potential members.

Maintaining Alignment
As Syndicated Development networks grow and evolve, it will be essential to regularly reassess and reinforce the shared values and goals that unite participating companies, ensuring continued alignment and collaboration.

Navigating Competitive Dynamics
While Syndicated Development networks are built on the principles of co-opetition, participating companies will need to navigate the complexities of collaborating with potential competitors and establish clear guidelines for managing conflicts of interest.

The platform could be owned and managed by the participating companies themselves, ensuring that it remains aligned with their shared values and goals. Alternatively, a third-party organization could provide the platform and support services, similar to how GitHub operates for open-source software development.

Potential Impact
Syndicated Development has the potential to revolutionize how businesses collaborate and grow. By empowering thousands of entrepreneurs to work together towards common goals, this model could lead to a more diverse, resilient, and innovative business landscape. As Liviu Olos, a proponent of Syndicated Development, states, "The future belongs to syndicated growth. Thousands of winners instead of one Elon Musk."

Conclusion
Syndicated Development represents a promising new approach to business collaboration and growth, drawing upon the principles of value-aligned communities, decentralized resilience, and selective membership. The success of Babban Gona in Nigeria serves as a compelling proof of concept for the potential of Syndicated Development to drive impact, sustainability, and scalability across various industries.

By fostering collaborative innovation, leveraging collective resources, and driving open-source-style development among top-notch entrepreneurs and experts with shared values, Syndicated Development has the potential to reshape the business landscape and create a more resilient, adaptable, and purpose-driven economy. Just as our behavior and success are influenced by our social circles and the wisdom passed down through generations, businesses can benefit from the collective intelligence and expertise of their peers, navigating challenges and seizing opportunities with the agility and resilience of a fleet of small ships or a formation of ducks flying towards a common goal.