Meet These Social Entrepreneurs on Stage at SOCAP23
With products designed to expand and enhance global health and wellness, social entrepreneurs are creating positive impact in communities around the world. In the SOCAP23 Entrepreneur Program, the health and wellness innovations create impact in numerous ways — from providing access to fresh produce in marginalized communities to eliminating menstrual waste to creating affordable assistance products for people with disabilities.
With their business models and sustainable solutions for health and wellness, the SOCAP23 Entrepreneur Program cohort members in this article are tackling social and environmental challenges around the globe. In the months leading up to SOCAP23, these innovators participate in six months of virtual programming, learn from one another, and get access to investor connections. The entrepreneurs selected this year — meet them in our lookbook — will share their solutions to pressing social, cultural, and environmental issues at SOCAP23, where they will pitch their ideas on the main stage.
Below we share more about 11 entrepreneurs making a difference in the health and wellness sector. Register for SOCAP23 to hear more from them and others in the Entrepreneur Program bringing innovative solutions around the globe to scale.
Frederic Laforge, The Farmers’ Truck
North America
Our mission is to provide affordable mobile market trucks for organizations that serve food deserts in their communities while creating a market-style experience that fosters dignity. We partner with food banks, pantries, and other health organizations that share our vision of fresh food access for all.
If you had to sum up the impact you create in the world in a one-sentence tagline, what would it be?
Fresh, accessible food in every community.
What is your call to action for the SOCAP community?
Food is medicine — let’s make sure everyone has a chance to be healthy.
What, specifically, are you looking for in terms of funding?
$5 million to $7 million in a SAFE, convertible note, forgivable loan with deliverables, and/or grants.
Claudiu Hidas, Munevo
Europe and United States
Munevo is an assistive technology company that uses smart glasses to help people with disabilities become more independent in their mobility and life. Millions of people need wheelchairs, and sometimes they cannot be controlled in a standard way due to ALS, SCI, or other muscular conditions. Currently, there are only mechanical solutions that are hard to adapt, do not connect to other devices, and are stigmatized.
If you had to sum up the impact you create in the world in a one-sentence tagline, what would it be?
Munevo helps people be more independent in their mobility and life.
What is your call to action for the SOCAP community?
Design and provide the latest assistive technology with smart glasses for everyone.
What, specifically, are you looking for in terms of funding?
We are looking to raise our Series A (in grants or equity investment) after having completed FDA and Medicare/Medicaid coverage milestones and equipping the first users in the U.S.
Aditya Kulkarni, CareNX
Asia and South Pacific
CareNX is a healthcare startup launched in 2015 in India with a vision to become a technology partner that helps health institutions deliver doorstep pregnancy care more efficiently and effectively. The team consists of an interdisciplinary team of computer scientists, biomedical and public health experts, and management. CareNX products have been in use by more than 700 institutes, with more than 300,000 pregnancies in four countries, and have generated cumulative revenue of US $1 million.
If you had to sum up the impact you create in the world in a one-sentence tagline, what would it be?
Providing access to pregnancy care to all of the developing world.
What is your call to action for the SOCAP community?
Make health care accessible for all through digital technology.
What, specifically, are you looking for in terms of funding?
We are seeking $500,000 in grant funding to scale up a proven fetal heart monitoring solution to reduce infant mortality in partnership with the National Health Mission (NHM) in India.
Simon DeBere, Afya Pamoja (Health Together)
Africa
Afya Pamoja is a Tanzanian digital health nonprofit. Together with the government, they’re building a digital citizen feedback platform for the healthcare system to drive accountable decision-making. Using an evidence-based, tech-led approach, their goal is to replicate research showing that feedback platforms can reduce child mortality by 38%.
If you had to sum up the impact you create in the world in a one-sentence tagline, what would it be?
Putting citizens’ voices at the center of government decision-making in Africa.
What is your call to action for the SOCAP community?
Support social entrepreneurs’ work with governments to deliver impact at scale for citizens.
What, specifically, are you looking for in terms of funding?
We are looking for $400,000 in grant capital to expand our operations from one region in Tanzania to a national-scale platform across 10 regions. We are looking to connect with large foundations or philanthropic investors for pure grant investments. Our preferred type of funder is one opening to offering multi-year or recurring grants.
Naom Monari, BENA Care Ltd
Africa
Bena Care offers affordable preventative, rehabilitative, and therapeutic in-home care to people with life-limiting illnesses. By using an online platform to connect buyers of medical equipment with sellers of used and affordable home-care equipment, Bena Care helps patients and their families save more than 50% in care costs.
If you had to sum up the impact you create in the world in a one-sentence tagline, what would it be?
Tackling the economic and emotional costs of long-term hospital stays for chronically ill patients and their families.
What is your call to action for the SOCAP community?
Urgently end health care inequities.
What, specifically, are you looking for in terms of funding?
We are looking for $500,000 in grants/convertible notes to introduce a new service offering, expand to new counties, and advance our technology.
Emily Ewell, Pantys
Latin America and Caribbean
Pantys is transforming the feminine care industry with its comfortable, high-tech, and sustainable solutions to replace disposable pads and products for menstruation, maternity, and incontinence. We are a mission-led company and Certified B Corporation dedicated to social and environmental impact.
If you had to sum up the impact you create in the world in a one-sentence tagline, what would it be?
Transforming women’s health and retail through innovation and sustainability.
What is your call to action for the SOCAP community?
Eliminate menstrual waste and period poverty.
What, specifically, are you looking for in terms of funding?
We are looking for $3 million in funding to support our team structuring, store expansion, and commercial growth plans in Brazil and Latin America. We are also interested in $200,000 in grants to support our work to combat menstrual poverty, including a new donation platform for expanding our reach to Indigenous women and girls in the Amazon and Cycle Foundation, our open-source education platform for girls, women, and people who menstruate in Brazil.
Ricardo Gerardo Rodríguez Torres, Pixed Corp
Latin America and Caribbean
Pixed Corp creates, designs, and manufactures biomedical devices like prostheses for upper limbs and exoskeletons for rehabilitation. Every user and their family gets an integral program (medical and psychological) to ensure a correct adaption of the device.
If you had to sum up the impact you create in the world in a one-sentence tagline, what would it be?
We create more than technology; we create new opportunities for people with disabilities.
What is your call to action for the SOCAP community?
Achieve true inclusion in the world using technology, empathy, and heart.
What, specifically, are you looking for in terms of funding?
We are looking for $900,000 in grant or venture (for equity or revenue-based financing) capital to expand our operations throughout Latin America. We would like to connect with large foundations or investors that seek and share the purpose, not only the ROI.
Keoke King, Participant Assistive Products
Africa
Our social mission is to improve the participation of people with disabilities by making high-quality, affordable assistive products like wheelchairs. We sell to large NGOs and distributors in low- and middle-income countries, and we optimize our designs for users’ unique needs and price requirements.
If you had to sum up the impact you create in the world in a one-sentence tagline, what would it be?
We all understand participation. It’s knowledge from school, money from work, meaning from trips out with friends and worship events. We offer the mobility that makes that possible.
What is your call to action for the SOCAP community?
Do you include people with disabilities in your vision for impact? #InclusionForAll
What, specifically, are you looking for in terms of funding?
We are raising $1 million in risk capital on a SAFE note for our seed round. We’re seeking impact investors interested in the health sector, lower-income countries, and rapid scaling.
Mohammed Rashed, Folia Water
Asia and South Pacific
Folia Water Global Inc. is a social enterprise that uses material innovation to solve the safe drinking water problem for low-income communities. We developed, manufactured, and promoted the Folia water filter, an antimicrobial filter paper containing silver nanoparticles. It removes more than 99% of bacteria, protozoa, viruses, iron, dirt, and larger parasites. One filter provides 20 liters of safe, germ-free water.
If you had to sum up the impact you create in the world in a one-sentence tagline, what would it be?
Bringing material innovation and human-centric product design to solve the safe drinking-water problem for low-income households around the world.
What is your call to action for the SOCAP community?
Provide safe drinking water for the 500 million people in emerging countries.
What, specifically, are you looking for in terms of funding?
We are looking for $750,000 in funding (grants or equity) to complete our seed round.
Jaden Risner, Family Proud
North America
Family Proud is a platform designed for care, connecting people who care with people in need to give support that matters. We make it simple to give and receive support and empower organizations to better serve their families. Our platform and family liaisons make intelligent recommendations on the best way to support someone based on health conditions, geography, and community variables.
If you had to sum up the impact you create in the world in a one-sentence tagline, what would it be?
Designed for care, making it simple to receive and provide support.
What is your call to action for the SOCAP community?
Let’s create a world in which technology aids our natural desire to support and care for one another.
What, specifically, are you looking for in terms of funding?
We are looking for $2 million in seed investment to support product delivery and expand our partnership outreach. We also welcome non-dilutive grant funding as well. Ideally, we are looking for mission and values-aligned investors who seek the opportunity to transform how we support our loved ones and community.
Andrea Escobar, Soydoy
Latin America and Caribbean
Soydoy supports the empowerment of women and youth to adopt healthier and sustainable food practices, actively promote them in their families and communities, and thereby become agents of food change. For each woman who enters the program, the system is changed through the contribution to her empowerment, the development of knowledge, and the replicability of the model.
If you had to sum up the impact you create in the world in a one-sentence tagline, what would it be?
Assist women in their nutri-empowerment to transform food systems within Colombia and worldwide.
What is your call to action for the SOCAP community?
Address food insecurity by changing the food system.
What, specifically, are you looking for in terms of funding?
We are in the phase of scaling our model. Initially, we are looking for $500,000 in grants to impact the lives of 35 communities in remote regions of Colombia in the next two years and replicate our model in Haiti.
Other posts in the series:
• Innovative Services That Build Financial Inclusion
