Welcome to the second issue of What’s Good in Tech, a monthly roundup of highlights and headlines from the tech nonprofit sector. This month, read about machine learning and marijuana, nonprofits leveraging for-profit financing, and the ways Fast Forward teams accelerated impact in the month of May.
When Passion and Technology Meet
The New York Times featured visionaries whose forward-thinking solutions are solving critical social issues. Learn how Crisis Text Line uses data to help more people in distress, how Farmerline empowers farmers using machine learning, and more. Read about them >
Okta Announces Partnership with Fast Forward
Okta announced Fast Forward as the next grantee of the Okta for Good Fund. This grant accelerates Fast Forward’s mission to scale the tech nonprofit ecosystem. Learn more about the good news >
This Climate-Change Tech Startup Raised Impact Growth Capital – as a Nonprofit
WattTime (FFWD 2015) has once again established residency at the cutting edge. This time, WattTime has raised $900k in impact capital. WattTime and RSF’s revenue-participation agreement sheds light on new ways for nonprofits to think about financing. The full scoop >
Online Harassment Pushed This Founder To Leave Her Job In Finance And Dive Into The Startup World
Founders with lived experience are best equipped to solve critical social issues. This month in Forbes we share the story of Liz Lee, Co-Founder of OnlineSOS (FFWD 2017), and the personal experiences that led her to build a tech solution to fight online harassment. Read her story >
By The Numbers – Inside Fast Forward’s 2018 Accelerator Applicant Pool
The data on Fast Forward’s 2018 Accelerator Applicant pool is here. The numbers signal that among other good news, co-founder diversity and tech nonprofit’s usage of AI is on the rise. Check out the full report >
Building With Your User – How Co-Design Helped JustFix Create a Killer Housing Justice App
Fast Forward kicks off Accelerate Good Ideas, a series focused on unlocking the distinct features that make the brightest tech nonprofit entrepreneurs excel. We talked to Ashley Treni, Co-Founder and Design Director of JustFix (FFWD 2016), about how their team co-designs products with the communities they serve. Learn all about co-design >
Meet 4 Women Changing the World
ELLE nominated MindRight (FFWD 2017) Co-Founder, Ashley Edwards, for their third annual Impact Awards. ELLE, in partnership with INCO, selects four entrepreneurs whose impactful solutions are tackling social problems. Meet the entrepreneurs >
This Algorithm is Quickly Clearing Old Marijuana Convictions in San Francisco
Code for America and the San Francisco District Attorney’s office are using machine learning to clear out old marijuana convictions. Dive into the legal tech innovation >
While Players Were Balling in NBA Playoffs (Go Warriors!), These Students Were Winning in NBA Math Hoops National Championship
The Detroit Pistons and Learn Fresh (FFWD 2016) hosted this year’s NBA Math Hoops National Championship! The event was a slam dunk for increasing diversity in STEM-related fields. Read more >
