With COVID-19 vaccines changing the tide of the pandemic, the world focused on a new challenge: the largest vaccine distribution campaign in history. Fast Forward alum Nexleaf Analytics is protecting vaccine supply chains by equipping countries with the technology and data they need to effectively deliver vaccines and save lives.

Without cold chain equipment that provides the right temperature conditions, vaccines are at high risk of spoiling. Nexleaf’s ColdTrace sensor technology delivers real-time data on cold chain equipment, ensuring vaccines remain potent and provide the intended immunity.

In 2021, Nexleaf partnered with 27 countries to help them keep their vaccine distribution plans on track. Like in Kenya and Tanzania, where ColdTrace is working with Ministries of Health to protect COVID-19 vaccines for their citizens. Nexleaf’s global impact is significant: the tech nonprofit is protecting vaccines for 1 in 10 babies around the world.

Nithya Ramanathan and Martin Lukac were grad school classmates when they discovered their shared vision of leveraging affordable sensor technology to support global health. 12 years later, they’ve realized this vision at scale. By putting data and strong partnerships at the center of their work, Nexleaf is improving health outcomes for communities across the world.

Ready for some good news in the climate change realm? Meet WattTime. WattTime's AI-driven tools empower people, companies, and governments to choose cleaner energy. Put simply: WattTime “bends the curve” of emissions reductions to realize faster benefits for the planet.

WattTime built Automated Emissions Reduction (AER), a software that allows IoT devices - everything from smart thermostats to entire buildings - to automatically run on cleaner energy. In 2021, WattTime teamed up with Google Nest to bring this technology to buildings across the world. Together, they launched Nest Renew, a technique that’s already lowering the carbon footprint of smart thermostats across the U.S.

When building renewable energy plants, location matters. WattTime’s Emissionality program identifies renewable energy projects that, because of their location, will reduce the most emissions. To date, these analyses have reduced over 5 million tons of CO2. WattTime also launched Climate TRACE in partnership with Al Gore, a global coalition of climate groups using satellites and AI to measure the greenhouse gas emissions of every country in the world…from space.

With a deep background in renewable energy and economics, Gavin McCormick developed the vision for WattTime while he was a PhD student at UC Berkeley. The idea was so promising that he decided to walk away from the PhD to build WattTime. And good thing he did. Today, WattTime is driving us towards a zero-carbon future.

When it comes to learning math, memorization and practice problem drilling don't always work. It shows: just 30% of 8th graders are proficient in math, and this number is dropping due to the pandemic. Almost Fun is on a mission to unlock every student's math potential through interactive and relatable learning.

Almost Fun’s digital library of math lessons help learners - from middle schoolers up to college students - build a conceptual understanding of math through culturally relevant content. Think: a Marvel superhero brings the concept of multiplying decimals to life. Or memes that illustrate rational and irrational numbers.

In 2021, Almost Fun served over one and a half million students, 70% of whom are students of color. And it’s not stopping there. Now serving 200,000 students every month, Almost Fun is scaling by reaching students where they are - like Snapchat. Through a recently-launched partnership with Snap, students can access Almost Fun’s learning resources with friends directly on the app.

Lisa Wang was a product manager at Google when she became a volunteer SAT prep instructor. From geometry to reading, she realized the way concepts were presented in the textbooks wasn’t clicking with her students. Lisa knew she had to create something better. She quit her job at Google and founded Almost Fun. Today, she’s empowering millions of underserved students to build math skills. And it’s fun - almost.