10 impact startups collaborating with NGO’s
The third sector consists of a multitude of types of organisations like NGO’s, foundations or UN subsidiaries which all have a need to innovate, just like the private and public sector. This is where startups can come in: young, innovative businesses with the ambition to scale. Startups are an all-round source of innovation.
Yet, collaboration between the third sector and startups as a type of open innovation, haven’t been as evident as the ones between corporates and startups. Most of the startups that collaborate with the third sector work on one or another aspect of fundraising, crowdsourcing or big data, leaving so much potential to explore. Blockchain seems to be very promising technology to help the sector become more transparent and to solve some age-old challenges.
In the report we worked on with Nesta: ‘Better Together: How startups and the third sector can collaborate’, you can find recommendations on how to get startup-third sector collaborations going.
These are 10 pioneering impact businesses that are successfully collaborating with the third sector.
Field Ready
Field Ready makes humanitarian supplies locally available to population and aid workers. They manufacture supplies in the field so that people have what they need, where and when they need it. Field Ready also focuses on training and capacity building from a maker’s perspective. In Iraq, they set up programmes to develop makerspaces to improve employment prospects for Iraqi youth.
Gravity
Gravity helps to build digital identities for economic inclusion. They allow individuals and small businesses to bring together verifiable data about themselves in a digital wallet and build trusted digital identities. They can then share with organisations for access to services like humanitarian aid, finance, and education. The platform is used to help small business owners leverage their digital footprint to access affordable loans.
Needslist
Needslist’s solution is crisis relief for the 21st century. In times of crisis, it is extremely challenging to know what supplies, information, and human resources are needed on the ground. Needslist functions as a global B2B marketplace connecting local non-profits with government, INGOs, and corporate donors to create efficiency and transparency in crisis relief. They offer real-time information sharing and tracking tools to first responders from vetted charities and make this data available to public and private sector partners.
Minespider
Minespider uses blockchain technology to create sustainable & responsible supply chain tracking. They combat corruption, human rights abuses, and environmental devastation in the raw material supply chain. Minespider built a protocol designed to transform the entire raw materials industry so that dark money and illicit practices become a shadow of the past.
GoParity
GoParity is an online peer-to-peer lending platform that simplifies investment and connects citizens, by offering them the opportunity to get competitive returns by investing in sustainable projects, and making this possible from a very low initial investment sum.
They are driving the transition towards a more sustainable and inclusive economic system, by making investments in sustainable solutions accessible to all, from citizens to small enterprises. They are not as much collaborating directly with NGO’s as they are an actual form of development aid by funding projects in an innovative way.
Vandersat
VanderSat’s mission is to build the best satellite products to solve the global water and food crisis. They provide satellite observed water and temperature data, products and services and work with the world’s leading organizations to solve their water related challenges. They collaborate with humanitarian aid providers to improve the effectiveness of their programmes and help better anticipate natural catastrophes (droughts, floods) induced by climate change.
Aid Tech
AID:Tech brings transparency to donations. They are a Dublin-based startup that has been deploying blockchain solutions to aid international NGOs, governments, charities and corporates since 2016. They also enable donations to groups or even to individuals with a peer-to-peer option. Their blockchain technology allows for secure and transparent data for real-time notifications on donations.
Segovia
Paying people living in extreme poverty is hard, which creates an extra unfair barrier. Segovia technology facilitates payments across Africa and Asia through an integrated platform with support for both corporate payments and social programs. These payments are helping refugees restart their lives in Europe, help to rebuild communities after disasters, and support gig economy workers.
WorldCoo
Worldcoo helps to fund solidarity projects. They do this by integrating a check-box in ecommerce shopping carts, which allows customers to donate 1€ while performing any online transaction. They also developed ‘the Social Round Up’, an easy way for shopping establishments to offer their customers to round up their payments enabling them to make micro-donations every time a payment is made with their card.
eSolidair
eSolidar is a marketplace for individuals wishing to support causes in the third sector. They have been helping charities diversify their fundraising by connecting consumers with their social causes. The marketplace connects citizens with charities via charity chops, donations, and special auctions with celebrities and brands.
Want to learn more about how you can establish successful collaborations with NGO’s as an impact business?
