Bethnal Green Ventures is an accelerator programme for people who want to change the world using technology. Over the last three months Bethnal Green Ventures helped eleven new tech start ups solving social or enviromental problems.
I attended the recent Demo Day event where all eleven start ups pitched their organisations to an audience of 200+ people.
The Pitches
You can view the full list of start ups that were part of the Bethnal Green Ventures summer programme and pitched here.
Here are some of the organisations that stood out to me:
Before I Die Network: A peer-to-peer network to help unemployed graduates figure out what they want to do with their life and how to get there.
Inspired by Candy Chang’s Before I Die project, the Before I Die Network was started because of the Founders’ own experiences of being unemployed after finishing university. They were shocked by the limited support available, and decided to start the Before I Die Network to provide just that.
I remember how it felt to graduate from university without a job lined up. It was a scary experience, and I am sure if the Before I Die Network was around then it would have been a huge help to have the support of others who have been, or are going through, a similar experience.
If you (or someone you know) are struggling to know what to do with your life please get in touch with the Before I Die Network.
Change Alert: A new warning device which alerts carers when adult pads need to be changed.
The founders, Alberto Munoz and Monica Rodriguez’s personal experience led them to see the need to improve incontinence care for pads users. Their solution consists of a re-usable rubber band along with a moisture sensor, which sends a signal when the pads are wet, to a bracelet that the carer, nurse or user wears.
I was sat next to a friend of Monica’s, who told me that English is her second language. I wouldn’t have guessed that she had learnt English very recently from her pitch – it was excellent, and was delivered with passion and enthusiasm.
Supa Academy: A platform helping young people learn how to set up and run their own business.
At 14, Founder Bejay Mulen was bored of learning theory in his Business Studies class and convinced his school to let him and his friends start a school tuck shop. By the end of the academic year the shop had a turnover of £15,000!
Being bored of just learning theory and not being able to apply it is something I can relate to, so I really respect Bejay’s get up and go attitude, and it’s great to see an organisation that is promoting entrepreneurship to young people.
TalkLife: An app-based mental health peer-to-peer network for young people with a mental health condition.
Currently TalkLife has 100,000 users spanning 120 countries.
It isn’t always easy to talk to those closest to you, so it’s great to know an App like TalkLife exists for people to get the support they need.
Tech for Good TV: A media platform sharing stories about people using technology to make the world better.
The idea and aims of Tech for Good TV are similar to those of Good News Shared, so who knows, maybe we will be able to do some work together in the future..!
Here’s a photo at the end of the pitches with all the people who took part in the Bethnal Green Ventures programme:
Bethnal Green Ventures – Apply Now
You could be part of the next cohort pitching your organisation to an audience after an intensive 3 month accelerator programme.
Bethnal Green Ventures are currently looking for early stage technology start ups who are tackling an environmental or social problem. More information is available here.
