Pol.is is an open source platform that facilitates group decision-making by allowing large numbers of people to share ideas and opinions on a topic. Polis' real-time system gathers the contributions of large groups, and then leverages advanced statistics and machine learning algorithms to analyze the collective input and surface points of consensus and where areas of dissent occur. Unlike some social media platforms, Pol.is aims to encourage constructive dialogue and bridge-building rather than amplify existing divides. Pol.is helps groups identify common ground and reach collaborative solutions in areas like policy development, market research, and community planning. As an open-source tool available to all, Polis is already adopted by various groups including governments, academics, independent media outlets, and everyday citizens. Anyone can access, modify, and contribute to the Pol.is code base, ensuring transparency and fostering continuous development.
- democracy
- digital platforms
- gift economy
- governance
- participatory decision-making
NatureMetrics is a global nature intelligence technology company providing an end-to-end nature monitoring and impact reporting solutions for nature-based data. NatureMetric's Nature Intelligence Platform, utilizes environmental DNA (eDNA) technology for efficient biodiversity data collection. Their platform analyzes this data to generate insights on a company's impact on nature. This approach converts the complexities of nature into simple insights to inform effective biodiversity management, measure and manage business impacts and dependencies on biodiversity at scale, and inform decision-making.
- artificial intelligence
- data
- digital platforms
- nature tech
The Ocean Cleanup is a non-profit environmental engineering organization dedicated to developing and implementing technologies to extract plastic pollution from the oceans and rivers. For over ten years, The Ocean Cleanup has been researching, extracting, and monitoring plastic pollution in oceans and rivers globally – with millions of kilograms removed to date. Its technologies supporting ocean cleanup act as large-scale floating barriers, designed to concentrate plastic debris within a specific area for collection. They utilize ocean currents and wind to move through the water, gathering plastic along their path. The systems are also equipped with solar panels and wind turbines to power their operations. It also deploys floating barriers in rivers to intercenpt and prevent plastic from entering the oceans. The Ocean Cleanup also closely monitors and analyzes impacts, provides a dashboard and data insights, and is engaged in research on improving envrionmental impact analyses. The Ocean Cleanup aims to tackle plastic pollution in order to protect and restore marine and riverine environments and the wildlife they contain – as well as benefit the human communities living alongside these areas, and reliant on these ecosystems for their livelihoods.
- bioremediation
- conservation
- data
- nature tech
- oceans
- rivers
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
Biohm is a research and development company working on broader applications of biotechnology that harmonize cultural and natural systems. Driven by the simple philosophy of allowing nature to lead innovation, Biohm's biotechnologies, which are patented in almost 60 countries, combine mycelium technology, organic refuse biocompounds, bioremediation and triagomy into high-performance materials, products and systems designed for local contextualization, social connection, and global scale.
- biopolymers
- biotech
- circular economy
- construction
- green chemistry
- material science
- open source
- plastics
Olio a free app to reduce household and food waste by fostering a hyper-local sharing economy. People can list unwanted but usable items, including surplus food, as well as clothes, books, and furniture. Neighbors can browse listings and arrange free pickup, giving unwanted items a second life and saving it from landfills. This approach combats waste, promotes sustainability, and fosters a sense of community by encouraging people to share and connect with those around them. Because it diverts far more greenhouse gasses across the 49 countries it operates in than it produces, Olio is a carbon-negative company.
- circular economy
- digital platforms
- marketplaces
- reduced food waste
- sharing economy
- social media / community
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
Silicon Ranch is a solar energy company that approaches, constructs, and manages solar project development designed for community impact and environmental stewardship. They offer a platform called Clearloop to help businesses offset their carbon footprint through solar energy investments. Beyond generating clean power, Silicon Ranch works collaboratively with local communities to create jobs and boost the local tax base to ensure the region's long-term economic health. Installations also focus on regenerative land management practices, designing strategically placed interconnected solar panels to maximize the capture of sunlight and integrate with sheep grazing or pollinator-friendly plantings to improve soil health and biodiversity. Throughout the Southeastern US, Silicon Ranch makes solar a force for positive change, owning and operating all projects to benefit both the environment and the communities they partner with.
- concentrated solar power
- distributed energy storage
- distributed solar photovoltaics
- energy storage optimization
UrbanFootprint is a web-based software platform specifically designed for urban planning and climate resilience. It provides access to comprehensive data on land use, environmental factors, pollution, mobility patterns, buildings, economic patterns, and demographics across the United States. UrbanFootprint allows planners to analyze trends and create simulations of future development projects, analyzing potential impacts on areas like housing costs, energy use, and transportation. This helps urban planners, designers, and decision-makers make informed choices about city development, growth, sustainability and community.
- artificial intelligence
- data
- digital assets
- digital platforms
- satellite image analytics
- software as a service
- urban planning
Ooooby is an digital platform that functions as a decentralized network for local and small-scale food producers, empowering independent farmers and artisans to sell directly to consumers through strategically placed packing hubs. This approach bypasses traditional distribution channels, giving producers greater control and a larger share of the profits. Ooooby utilizes technologies to enable local producers to set up their shopfront and streamline the ordering and delivery process, offering convenience to customers of fresh, local, and sustainable food options. Their mission is to rebuild a food system centered around small-scale community-oriented producers using ecologically sound approaches to food production and consumption. Ooooby also partners with local institutes to support market gardening education and learning opportunities.
- digital infrastructure
- digital platforms
- marketplaces
- reduced food waste
- sharing economy
- social media / community
Coral Vita is a company that works on restoring coral reefs by growing resilient corals and transplanting them to degraded reefs. They operate commercial land-based coral farms, using microfragmentation techniques to cultivate a diverse range of coral fragments which accelerates coral growth up to 50 times faster than natural rates and and assisted evolution, which trains corals to be resistant to the effects of climate change such as ocean acidification. Along with cultivatation of coral, Coral Vita also partners with local communities, eco-tourism operators, corporations, foundations, governments, mitigation banking, and other restoration organizations to design and accelerate projects supporting the restoration of vital marine ecosystems.
- agricultural tech
- coastal wetland restoration
- conservation agriculture
- coral
LoamBio is an agricultural tech company whose technology harnesses the power of microbes, specifically endophytic fungi, to create seed coatings which improve soil health and sequester carbon, which support greater crop yields, and potential income for farmers through carbon markets.. These coatings, applied during planting, boost the natural ability of plants to store carbon in the soil and promote their growth and resilience against environmental stressors like drought, disease, and high temperatures. Loam positions itself as a farmer-centric company offering programs like SecondCrop, which helps farmers earn additional income through carbon credits for the carbon sequestered in their soil, and CarbonBuilder, to enable farmers to integrate soil health analytics seamlessly with existing practices.
- agricultural tech
- bioremediation
- biotech
- computational biology & chemistry
- conservation agriculture
- nature tech
