From Idea to Impact: What CoShun Taught Me About the Power of the Miller Center Network

You can’t support impact entrepreneurs without becoming one yourself.

That’s the mantra I whispered to myself about a year ago. I had spent years working at Miller Center for Global Impact, supporting entrepreneurs tackling the world’s hardest challenges – climate adaptation, clean energy, water access, and more. We gave them tools, mentorship, and strategies. But deep down, I knew there was something else I needed to do:

Build something.

I wanted to feel what it was like on the other side of the equation – the ambiguity, the setbacks, the thrill of making something from nothing. That desire became CoShun, a small clean water initiative that’s since grown into a real, community-rooted solution piloted in rural Kenya.

This journey wasn’t easy. But it was made possible – accelerated, even – thanks to the strength and generosity of the Miller Center Network.

Where It All Began

I can pinpoint the moment CoShun was born. I was in Nairobi, Kenya at the 2024 Sankalp Africa Summit, sitting under a tree with a friend who knew the water sector inside and out, and had been part of the Miller Center community for years. I shared an idea I’d been holding quietly: a low-cost, locally serviceable water filter designed for schools in rural communities.

That conversation turned my idea into motion. Within weeks, I was reaching out to partners, researching materials, and connecting with mentors across the network. A year later, we launched our first pilot in Kathangachini, Kenya, in partnership with CorpsAfrica and Engineers for a Sustainable World.

Learning by Doing

Here’s what building CoShun taught me:

Designing and engineering a product is one part.
Building trust and partnerships on the ground is another.
Fundraising, storytelling, and iteration never really stop.

And above all, you don’t do it alone.

Throughout this process, I leaned heavily on the Miller Center Network: entrepreneurs, mentors, water sector experts, and other partners who offered insights, pressure-tested ideas, or just showed up when I had more questions than answers. Their generosity was never transactional; it was rooted in the same values we try to instill in the entrepreneurs we support.

This wasn’t just theory. It was lived collaboration. And it reminded me that the magic of Miller Center isn’t just in its frameworks, it’s in its people.

The Role of the IDEA Grant

One of the early sparks behind CoShun’s momentum was the IDEA Grant, an internal professional development initiative designed to help staff at Miller Center explore projects, deepen their learning, and grow in their own social innovation journeys.

Getting this opportunity turned out to be more meaningful than I expected. It gave me something I didn’t even know I needed: encouragement to follow the spark.

How rare is it to work at a place that not only supports your big ideas, but invites you to build something from within? For me, it meant I could chase a passion I couldn’t ignore, without having to step away from the work I already loved.

That’s because Miller Center doesn’t just believe in entrepreneurship, it believes in intrapreneurship, too. What stood out most wasn’t just the opportunity, but the trust. The IDEA Grant wasn’t a checkbox or a perk, it was an invitation to lead from within.

To me, that’s the bigger story: a model for how organizations can turn ideas into action and spark innovation that starts right at home.

Momentum and Meaning: What CoShun Has Achieved So Far

In one year, here’s what we’ve built together:

The CoShun Water Filter: A low-cost, low-tech filter designed with community maintenance in mind.

Collaboration with Engineers for a Sustainable World: Talented student engineers brought technical expertise, and their work was recognized with the Highest Community Impact Award at the 2025 ESW Conference.

First Pilot Launched: We installed the CoShun filter in two schools, providing hundreds of children access to safe drinking water, while co-creating a model for scale.

A Short Documentary — “Uplifted”: We captured the story behind the pilot, the voices of the community, and the reality of building something new. We screened it in Nairobi, at Unseen Nairobi this July where it all began and submitted the film to Bloomberg Green Docs.

This isn’t the finish line. It’s just the first phase. We’re now looking to expand CoShun to more schools, build new partnerships, and continue working alongside communities to ensure the solution is truly sustainable.

Reflections on Building Inside a Network

Looking back, I realize how much of CoShun’s progress hinged on the ecosystem effect of Miller Center. The tools, yes. The frameworks, yes. But most of all – the people. The advisors who said yes to a 30-minute call. The entrepreneurs who asked hard questions and saw the early vision. The peers who reminded me I wasn’t alone.

This network isn’t a one-way street. It’s a living, breathing system of support that grows stronger the more we each participate.

If you’re part of the Miller Center community, whether as an entrepreneur, mentor, funder, partner, Santa Clara University faculty or student- I hope CoShun’s story shows what’s possible when we really engage. And if you’re sitting on an idea that won’t leave you alone, consider this your nudge.

Gratitude, and an Invitation

To everyone who’s been part of this journey so far, thank you. Your encouragement, questions, and belief have been fuel.

And to those wondering if they can take an idea and make it real: you can. But don’t do it alone.

Find your people. Tap into your network. And believe in the quiet power of building with care.

The Miller Center Network is here, and it works. Let’s keep building together.

Photos Descriptions:

1. First Coshun installation at Kathangachini secondary school
2. Before-and-after water quality results using the CoShun filter
3. CoShun Team – Alexander Tai, Ryan Scott, Joon Kim and Karen Runde