Happy Friday readers! 

I am currently in the process of moving house. Like many of my millennial counter-parts, one of my top priorities when deciding where to move is access to public transport links.

In a city like London, the underground and bus routes are an efficient way to get about. But it’s what happens outside of these central zones that creates the greatest challenges, and opportunities for innovation. This is referred to as first-last mile connections.

Prior to the pandemic, digital technologies such as increased automation and smart tech were set to have a profound impact on mobility and transport. We also saw increased interest in MaaS (Mobility-as-a-service) and the MaaS alliance formed in 2015.

Fast-forward to 2021, and the pandemic has deeply affected the way we work and preferences for our commute. While it once seemed perfectly acceptable to be crammed together in a carriage with hardly any ventilation, it seems unlikely that many of us will go back to that way of travelling any time soon. The frequency of how often we commute will also be impacted by the hybrid working solutions many companies are thinking about. 

Other events of the past year, like Sarah Everard’s devastating murder, have put women’s safety when travelling in the spotlight, and safety apps have seen a surge in downloads as a result. 

With all this in mind, for today’s highlights, I’m running through some of the most exciting trends happening in transportation and tech for good.

Hope you enjoy, and have a great weekend!

Liv 
Tech for Good Global Team

#Technology, Transportation and Trends 

🚀 Check out these 15 startups transforming mobility in the UK, including CityMaas, which has created an app to improve inclusive travel for disabled users, as well as their friends and family. 

✍️ Organise have a petition calling The UK Health Secretary and all transport providers to keep masks mandatory on public transport. Sign it here.

🚗 From driverless cars to drone delivery: Which and The Conversation take us through some of the biggest trends informing the increased interest in mobility technologies.

🔮 Public transport often falls behind private vehicles when it comes to tech advances. But what upgrades can we expect to see in the future?

🌟 This piece speaks to how digital solutions are a key part in the ‘new normal’ way of traveling and in achieving Sustainable Mobility for All.

💫 This article was written before any of us had any idea of how a pandemic could alter the way we travel. However, I think it provides really interesting insights into the different layers we have to consider, including traffic and inclusive design. 

🛴 Tier mobility was recently selected as part of London’s e-scooter trial. Read here how they are attempting to use technology to drive sustainable and inclusive mobility.

💨 The CEO of electric vehicle manufacturer Arrival, speaks to Wired about how they built an R&D lab with a mission to cut emissions on their production line. 

🗺 Commonplace, an online engagement platform, has launched a partnership with UN Women UK to collect data on safety in public spaces. By providing an in-depth understanding of the problem, hopefully women will be safer as they go from A to B.

🏙 “Smarter does not alway mean easier.” Check out this piece on how Accessibility Tech will be a key trend for European startups, investors and cities. 

🚲 We have seen bike hire schemes around for years. But this feels new - Swapfiets lets you subscribe to a bike rather than buy a new one, in an effort to support responsible consumption. Their app lets you schedule a repair or swap it for another bike.

📦 XeroE is on a mission to improve the quality of urban air across the UK by providing an 100% emission free courier service. 

🔋 Voltshare has created an app for connecting electric vehicle drivers to nearby home EV chargers - think AirBnb but for electric car charging! 

Social media platforms have been created one after another, without learning from past failings or prioritising the safety of marginalised groups. Now prominent women all over the world are calling for the CEOs of Facebook, Google, TikTok & Twitter to prioritise the safety of women in this open letter. Add your name here.

News in tech for good:

🤳 Fairphone is the world’s first ethical and modular smartphone. Their 2020 Impact Report is now live. Check it out here.

💻 Mozilla has found that the YouTube algorithm is leading people to misinformation, scams and graphic content. It may even suggest videos which violate the platform’s own content policies. Check out this video to see what they propose YouTube should do to keep people safe.

💥 The Change issue from the MIT Technology Review is here. It features their annual list of the most promising young people working in technology. 

📚 Stormzy’s publishing venture Merky Books are getting ready to release ‘Superheroes: Inspiring Stories of Secret Strength’, celebrating those from underrepresented communities to challenge representation in children’s books. It includes some of the UK’s top Black startup talent. Meet the 50 British icons here.

🔗 This is a great long-read from the Atlantic, diving into how the internet is rotting away, and the attempts being made to archive websites. 

🤖 PetaBencana is an Indonesian Disaster Bot, which turns tweets into life-saving information during floods and other natural disasters. Find out more from ‘rest of world.’

The Tech for Good Newsboard 📍

• ConnexUs is a project from Search for Common Ground. They are a global networking and coordination platform for peacebuilding, humanitarian, development, and public health actors working in conflict-affected settings. The site has a detailed resource library and users can build personal profiles, utilize direct messaging, and participate in discussion forums.

• Pro Bono Economics is offering charities support with ad hoc data needs. This may range from data analysis or visualisation, spreadsheet tasks or short pieces of research. Find out more and apply for support here.

• As a result of the pandemic, many were motivated to set up a side hustle. This piece provides practical advice on how to run your business finances and help you get started. And we recommend the new ‘The Everyday Hustle’ podcast covering: “Technology, money management, entrepreneurship and how to push through 'closed doors'.”

• Rolling invitation for anyone interested in joining our Slack community. Connect with more than 300+ peers passionate about tech for good. 

#Opportunities and Funding

If you have a funding challenge, grant opening, speaking gig or another opportunity that you want to share - let us know!

• The Ministry of Justice Specialist Fund is inviting proposals from organisations supporting survivors or victims of domestic abuse, who are led: ‘by, with and for’ communities facing racial inequality, disabled people or LGBTQ+ communities. There are up to 25 investments, ranging from £5,000 to £70,000 available. Find out more and apply here by 20th July.

• Applications for the Environment programme from The Enterprise Development Programme close on 13th July. Find out more here.

• Blue Bio Value is a startup accelerator dedicated to bringing ocean-based and sustainable solutions to a blue bioeconomy. Apply by 26th July here. 

• Life+ has launched the Life+ Breakthrough Grant to support founders who want to build innovative consumer companies. Grants are worth up to £20,000 and come with three months of support to help you build your company. Apply by 21st July. 

• Subak is the world’s first non-profit accelerator that scales climate impact through data, policy and behaviour change. Applications for their September cohort are open now until July.

• She Loves Tech is a global competition for women and technology. The winner gets $50,000. Apply by 31st July.

• Techstars Sustainability Challenge is open for applications until August 2nd. Their focus is on startups focused on working towards the goal of net zero. Find out more and apply here.

• The Community Infrastructure Fund is a learning project which supports organisations to develop mutual aid infrastructure. It accepts proposals via the JustFund Portal. Find out more and apply by 15th July here.

   

What’s going on? 📅

• Every month, the Venture Studio from Crisis hosts an Entrepreneurship Forum event. Last month they were joined by four speakers all building solutions to tackle social injustice. Read the insights from the event
  here.

• Join Nesta’s event: “Helping London Bounce Forward” on 13th July, where you will have the chance to meet the 10 start-ups that are developing new ways to support London’s recovery from Covid-19.  The event will also host experts discussing their views on London’s future prospects and opportunities.
• The UnFound Accelerator aims to launch a wave of fairer, ethical and co‑operatively owned tech platforms before the end of the year. Six teams have been selected and they are working towards a pitch event on 21st July. If you are interested in attending, sign up to the UnFound newsletter.
• Join the UK Ecosystem Assembly talking about ‘Tech for good: How to set up a social enterprise’ on 14th July.

Working in tech for good 💼

We’ve trimmed the job section to new arrivals and featured ads only. For the full list head to our website.

• Overleaf is hiring a Product Manager (Technical). Find out more and apply as soon as possible here. 

• Work for Good Ltd is looking for a Chief Technology Officer to support their team over the next 6-12 months in an advisory capacity. Find out more and apply by 5th August here.

• Goodfind is a startup with a vision to disrupt ethical consumption looking for a technical co-founder. Apply by 8th August.

• The Finance Innovation Lab is looking for a freelance consultant to manage the online delivery of their Fellowship programme for bankers who are trying to accelerate climate action inside large financial institutions. Apply by 19th July.

• The Center for Effective Philanthropy is looking for a Technology Consultant for near-term advice. Find out more here and apply by 16th July. 

• Impact Box is hiring a Solutions Officer to work alongside Project Leads and the wider Impact Box team on project delivery. Apply by 27th July.

• FutureLearn is hiring an Engineering Manager to join their team. Apply by 7th August. 

• Ryalto are looking for a Dev/Tech Ops to oversee their back-end infrastructure and look after the development schedule. Apply by 31st July.

• The Ada Lovelace Institute is looking for a Public Engagement Researcher to join their team. Apply by 13th July.

• accuRx is looking for a Senior Fullstack Engineer to help shape the future of their product. Apply as soon as possible here.

   

If you have an opening or know of a job opportunity to do with tech for good, please head to our website and we can look into adding it to the jobs board.

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