t’s been a rough year for startups and CEOs. However, we have seen many startups thrive during 2020, despite the pandemic crisis and the consequences our society has faced this year.
Fortunately, social impact startups have also received fundings and managed to even provide solutions to the COVID-19 crisis. Also, institutions and organizations committed to the Sustainable Development Goals have been supporting non-profit startups that address at least one of the 17 global challenges.
In this article, we take a quick look at what social entrepreneurs have been creating and developing in the past few years, and how their projects are continuing to evolve despite the circumstances. These are the 6 social impact startups you should know:
This startup, founded in San Francisco in 2015, provides micro-loans to help entrepreneurs and small business owners in underserved communities. Kiva unlocks capital to people who don’t have access to bank accounts or financial services.
This non-profit organization operates in 76 countries. In 2019, Kiva deployed $1 Billion in loans to female entrepreneurs around the world and they recently included a special program to help individuals and businesses impacted by COVID.
Becoming a volunteer and making an impact in your local community is getting easier with DiveIn. This American startup wants neighbors to get involved and find a way to help by downloading a user-friendly app on their smartphones.
From helping at an animal shelter to supporting evacuees from fires, Divein suggests different volunteering programs that adapt to the needs and interests of each user.
CoderTrust
This Danish startup focuses on providing affordable education to help people in need to become successful independent freelancers. Codertrust was founded in 2014 and it has already reached 12 countries and helped over 11,500 students graduate from their courses.
The company recently developed a digital platform for online courses and raised 625K euros in a round of funding from JBO Invest Holding and VækstFonden.
eSolidar is a marketplace for charity founded in 2014 in Portugal and has expanded to the UK, USA, and Brazil. This startup created a platform where users can donate, participate or create auctions, and sell or buy products or services for their preferred cause or organization.
Over 900 charities are registered in their platform and it has raised over $730,000 for different causes around the globe, from organizations like G10 Favelas in Brazil to Animal Sanctuaries in England.
Another interesting social impact startup is Bayes Impact, a French initiative that wants to build citizen-led public services for a more inclusive and transparent society.
This non-profit group was founded in 2014 and in 2016 they developed a powerful tool, Bob, an AI-powered job counselor to help job seekers find the perfect position.
UpEffect
This company’s philosophy is that we already have the resources and funds to make a better world, but the capital is not reaching the right people or the right organizations. UpEffect is a crowdfunding platform that specializes in selecting and funding meaningful projects and social entrepreneurs who can make a positive impact in their communities.
This startup also provides social businesses coaching services and expert’s guidance to help social projects reach their goals and to successfully launch their products or services.
