Socialbnb is an online platform that allows people to book accommodations that support social and environmental projects around the world, and connect travelers with local communities in ways that directly support local economies and causes. Each overnight "Impact Stay" supports a social or ecological project and travelers can also book "Impact Trips," which are multi-day trips that combine socialbnb accommodations with activities. Socialbnb currently has 6 different types of projects: Nature conservation, animal welfare, education, health, equality or sports.
- digital platforms
- marketplaces
- rentals
- sharing economy
- travel
BackMarket’s digital marketplace for refurbished electronics helps coordinate stakeholders to close the loop on e-waste and open up access to reliable tech for all. The platform connects buyers and sellers of smartphones, laptops, TVs, wearables, gaming, e-mobility, and countless other devices from all the leading manufacturers. Promising “better than new,” it partners with certified refurbishers to repair electronics for resale, at a ~70% lower price than new. The digital platform helps coordinate discovery, customer service, payment, logistics, tracking, a 25+ point quality assurance verification of authenticity, functionality, security, data erasure, battery, testing, cleaning, and more; and manages partners to refurbish products. Refurbished devices reduce an average of ~90% raw material extraction, emissions, water use, and waste relative to new devices.
- circular economy
- digital platforms
- e-waste
- electronics
- mobile devices
- refurbishment
DepolarizingGPT is a political AI chatbot that gives three answers to every prompt: one from a left-wing perspective, one from a right-wing perspective, and a third answer from a depolarizing or "integrating" perspective. DepolarizingGPT was created by data scientist David Rozado and political philosopher Steve McIntosh. DepolarizingGPT's left-wing responses have been fine-tuned with content from left-leaning publications and writers, while its right-wing responses have been fine-tuned with content from publications and writers. The model's depolarizing responses have been fine-tuned with content from the Institute for Cultural Evolution think tank, from McIntosh's inclusive political philosophy. The model's depolarizing responses are designed to transcend centrism and reach a "higher ground" balance by exposing users to multiple views across the political spectrum.
- civic engagement
- decision-making
- politics
- sensemaking
Fairphone is an electronics manufacturer that produces smartphones and headphones, focusing on social and environmental improvments across the entire mobile device value chain: mining, design, manufacturer, and lifecycle. They are focused on circumventing the use of conflict minerals and mining practices by prioritizing ethical sourcing of materials and fair labor practices and using recycled materials wherever possible; on designing for modularity, circularity, longevity and easy repair; and on reducing electronic waste. They also prioritize transparency, openly sharing information about suppliers and working conditions, enabling new relationships between people and their products, and prioritizing user data controls.
- circular economy
- electronics
- mobile devices
- modularity
Apolitical is a global digital platform that provides tools and resources to help public servants and government officials build their skills and knowledge, connect with partners, and improve their effectiveness in serving the public good, while remaining neutral on political stances. Through online courses, online events, and a social learning network, they foster exchange of ideas and best practices from public servants across 170+ countries on a range of issue areas, including climate, equity, digital & data, healthcare, transporation, and more.
- democracy
- digital platforms
- e-learning
- gobal
- localization
Kumu is a digital social mapping tool for visualizing and understanding complex relationships by creating visualizations of data sets of people, systems and networks. Kumu allows users to create interactive maps that represent systems, stakeholders, networks, and nodes between relationships. Kumu's intuitive interface and drag-and-drop functionality provides a platform for users and groups to build and customize visually appealing maps that can be used to tackle real world problems. By visualizing data in a clear and concise manner, Kumu helps users identify patterns, connections, and potential areas for development.
- artificial intelligence
- data
- digital platforms
- social media / community
Fairbnb is a short-term rentals marketplace platform that aims to provide an alternative to traditional vacation rental platforms like Airbnb. It focuses on promoting sustainable tourism, social impact, and community development. Fairbnb prioritizes properties that are owned by locals rather than investors, and it allocates a portion of its revenue to support local community projects chosen by residents. The platform aims to address concerns related to overtourism, gentrification, and the negative impacts of short-term rentals on local communities by fostering a more responsible and sustainable approach to travel.
- community development
- cooperative
- hospitality
- tourism
Loliware is the world’s first seaweed resin company providing products to replace single-use plastics. Loliware is a woman-owned firm partnering with experts in regenerative aquaculture from Maine to New Zealand to expand the ‘blue economy’ with its proprietary SEA Technology® resins. Made from compostable seaweed, Loliware’s Ocean Blue straws, utensils and other products are currently used by famous chefs, restaurant chains and eco-chic hotels. Their new category of materials are “Designed to Disappear”, offered to help advance our planet to a plastic-free, decarbonized future.
Twelve is an bioengineering company using deep tech in carbon transformation to make electrochemical-based materials and products. Their Opus Carbon Transformation System converts air into hydrocarbons, the building blocks for chemicals, materials and fuels, which require zero fossil fuels, zero net new emissions and no trade-offs in quality and performance. Focused on sustainable aviation and jet fuels, their currrent products tout 90% lower lifecycle emissions than conventional jet fuel.
- bioremediation
- biotech
- computational biology & chemistry
- renewable technologies
Notpla is a biotech company focused on fully biodegradable packaging solutions derived from seaweed and other plant-based materials. Notpla’s product portfolio includes a range of solutions, from a completely edible seaweed-based capsule for water consumption, as well as alternatives for single-use containers and shipping materials, and plant-based coatings that can replace plastic film and extend the shelf life of perishable items.
- biodegradation
- biotech
- circular economy
- material science
- packaging
- plastics
DoNotPay utilizes artificial intelligence to help consumers fight against large corporations and solve their problems, like beating parking tickets, appealing bank fees, and stopping robocallers. DoNotPay’s goal is to foster equity and equality by making legal information and self-help accessible
- artificial intelligence
- cloud
- data
- digital assets
- edge computing
Liquidonate is a digital platform which helps retailers sustainably manage excess inventory and facilitates donations of unsold products to nonprofits, schools, or upcyclers. The platform offers retailers matching algorithms based on inventory and customer return information, a personalized dashboard and API integration into their existing systems, tax reciept automation, negotiated shipping rates, as well as a dedicated customer support agent. By facilitating the donation of excess inventory, Liquidonate’s approach benefits both retailers, who save on disposal costs and reduce environmental harms, and non-profit recipients, who gain access to valuable resources for their programs and beneficiaries.
- charities
- circular economy
- donations
- inventory management
- liquidation
- nonprofits
