Tech For Good: The ventures blazing the trail forward

There are those who use technology for gain but there are also those who use technology for good. This month, we’re celebrating those who lean towards the latter. We want to shine a light on the people you walk past every day who are using technology in a positive way to change how we think, how we care, and how we read. Here is the lineup of teams that will join us at this month’s WineDown.

World Data Lab

The World Data Lab is a predictive and analytical NGO specializing in developing granular economic and demographic forecasts for every country at any point in time. Their products harness the power of social, econometric, and geospatial data modeling to help decision-makers in the public, private and international development sectors. Their most popular product, the World Poverty Clock, is a webtool that forecasts poverty rates in every country of the world from today through 2030. The goal is to monitor the progress of UN SDG Goal #1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere in real-time.

Humanizing Technologies

Humanizing Technologies are experts in robotics. They advise, sell, and develop applications for robots. You’ve probably seen them around the city with their robot Pepper. They offer retailers the possibility to seamlessly create, manage, and deploy content to multiple robots with one click–you can welcome, assist, provide recommendations, entertain your customers, and even give hugs to people. Humanizing Technologies’ main goal is to bring humans and technology together. One of their current projects is to explore how Pepper can help in caregiving for people suffering from dementia.

Tetragon

Tetragon is the inventor of the Braillering. It is a refreshable and mobile braille display for the visually impaired. Braille displays have been around since the 70’s but little has changed since. They are often large, limited in capability, and prohibitively expensive. If they are small, they are even more limited in capability, and even more prohibitively expensive. The Braillering will change all that. Costing little more than a smartphone, blind people will finally have the mobile braille reading solution they’ve been dreaming of.

Impact Go

Impact Go is going to be the next generation of giving. Their goal is to provide mothers and children in Africa with medical services. Donors will know exactly where their money is going and how they’ve created impact. Impact Go is the first Austrian start-up which cooperates with African start-ups.

refugees{code}

refugees{code} is an Austrian not-for-profit coding school for refugees whose goal is to integrate refugees into the job market. Participants develop coding and software development skills through an intensive 9-month training program that finishes with a job placement.

Vienna Data Science Group

The Vienna Data Science Group (VDSG) is a nonprofit association promoting knowledge about data science. Their goal is to establish a platform for knowledge exchange between data professionals from research and industry, data enthusiasts, and other interested parties enabling giving everyone the ability to seize opportunities and understand the risks lying ahead.

Don’t be afraid of tech. Embrace it like these ventures. Make the choice to use it for good. If you do, the possibilities are endless.

Header Photo Credit: Lea Fabienne