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Could a Facebook competition encourage users to cut their utility usage? Can a mobile communication network help rural farmers share crop tips? Bringing together activists, world leaders and tech influencers, the second annual Social Good Summit seeks to answer these questions and more.
The summit, which kicked off on Monday in New York, aims to find new ways to use new media and technology to make the world a better place.
Presented by Mashable, the UN and New York nonprofit community center 92Y, the summit will host a number of events, including an inaugural “Startups for Good Challenge.” This competition showcases new businesses whose primary goal is to tackle, and solve, domestic and international issues. The organizations will compete for a chance to win a $10,000 cash prize.
The following eight finalists have been selected to pitch their idea at the Social Good Summit:
- Kopernik - For those living in remote areas, a lack of basic necessities may be due to a lack of accessibility. Kopernik aims to solve this problem by providing an online marketplace that offers such simple technology as a rollable water container or a portable filter that removes bacteria. Kopernik connects tech providers and investors to supply these items to NGOs.
- Simple Energy - When you show off your reduced utility bill on Facebook, you may win some rewards, thanks to Simple Energy. The organization encourages users to share their energy-saving ways and compete to see who can take on the most at-home green measures, such as switching to energy-saving lightbulbs, according to TechCrunch.
- Catchafire - Catchafire recruits volunteers with marketing and finance skills and pairs them with the nonprofits that need their help. Volunteers are matched with organizations based on their skills, interests and availability.
- Roseicollis Technologies - At just $10 a panel, the SunSaluter makes bringing the use of solar energy into the developing world an affordable possibility. The technology increases energy output by 40 percent due to its tilt,according to Dell Social Innovation, requires less maintenance than a motorized panel and has already improved the lives of 1,000 people in Kenya.
- em[POWER] Energy Group - em[POWER] Energy Group makes use out of waste by working with communities that rummage through landfills for food and shelter. It improves the sorting process of recyclables, turns organic and water waste into electricity and creates high quality compost.
- Awaaz.De - Awaaz De means “give voice” and this organization is doing just that. The India-based nonprofit enables people in emerging countries to get expert advice, just by dialing a toll-free number. Ranging from teachers to farmers, users can post, browse and reply to others’ voice messages to learn–and teach–how to best perform their trade.
- Sparked - Busy professionals chained to their desks have no excuse not to volunteer now that Sparked has arrived. Sparked invites do-gooders to contribute to a range of causes, without stepping away from the computer. One volunteer in Jordan, for example, helped the Ronald McDonald House Charities in America with an Arabic translation, according to Mashable.
- Prove My Concept - Prove My Concept is an educational software company whose goal is to inspire and support the next generation of young entrepreneurs. The organization provides a framework for high school students to analyze their business concepts independently, with teacher feedback.
Source :- http://www.huffingtonpost.com
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