WITNESS, a nonprofit focused on documenting human rights abuses, has long been distributing cameras and training citizens to use them. But with cameras now available as software on smartphones, WITNESS has an opportunity to create a camera specifically designed to capture photos of human rights abuses, war crimes, and social justice issues. The first version…
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As society increasingly replaces face-to-face communication with social media, e-mails, and text messages, it’s plausible to assume that we’ll begin to lose our ability to pick up on non-verbal cues (i.e. gesturing and facial expressions). After all, if you don’t use it, you lose it. The prospect of our EQ (emotional intelligence) taking a blow at…
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Did you know that purpose is rapidly becoming the 5th “P” of marketing? According to the Edelman 2010 goodpurpose Study, 86% of global consumers believe that business needs to place at least equal weight on society’s interests as on business interests. In response to this shift in people’s mindsets, Chicago-based GoodPays.me is applying the consumer…
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The Apps for Communities Challenge announced the winners of $100,000 in prizes to developers who created community-focused apps. A partnership between the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Federal Communications Commission, the national contest attracted 368 apps submissions. The winners – many of them with very interesting backgrounds – created straightforward, useful…
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If you are struggling to find a stylish gift for your vegan sister or animal-rights- activist brother, head on over to Fashioning Change, a just-launched Netflix-type recommendation site for stylish green shopping. Co-founded by Adriana Herrera, who has married her marketing and product development background with her interests in human rights, environmental, and education causes,…
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The Pipeline Fellowship, an angel investing bootcamp for women, announced today 2 investments to boost the role of women investors. PhilanTech received $50k from the fellowship, and anothoer $55k from the fellowship’s alumnae network, Pipeline Angels. It is no surprise that the number of women in leadership positions at startups is small. While recent studies…
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For a while now, new companies have been cropping up with a mission to do some good while generating profits. It’s a great marketing tactic as well, since so many of us enjoy giving a little bit back when we can. BucketFeet is a Chicago-based startup selling artist-illustrated shoes and raising money for three children’s…
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I have a passion for startups with a mission to do good. They combine two of my favorite things – (1) creating something from scratch and growing it into a useful product or service, and (2) working to solve a social or environmental problem. So, anytime I come across a social entrepreneur, I get excited….
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This morning, NYC-based startup Honestly Now announced they closed their Series A financing round led by Golden Seeds and Canrock Ventures. The team, led by CEO and co-founder Tereza Nemessanyi, has been completely revamping their online product and their mobile apps, and they are relaunching today as a social game that helps reduce the stress of…
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How would you like to spend a day on the set of Modern Family? Or hang out with scientists at the MIT Robotics Lab? Or win a chance to meet with X-Prize founder Peter Diamandis? You can enter a sweepstakes to do all of the above thanks to a brand-spanking new (literally, it’s like 2…
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I recently wrote about three sites that make trip planning fun. But not every trip is planned; sometimes you get stranded, sometimes you decide to take an impromptu trip, and finding a hotel can be hard even when you have time to plan. RoomSailor , an iPhone app, uses geolocation to search for hotels nearby. You can…
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Daily deals are all about getting what you want, from discounts at your favorite Thai restaurant to free money on Amazon. But now you can use them to help others, too. Deals for Deeds is a DC-based deal site that donates 5-15 percent of purchases to local nonprofits. After launching last year in DC, it…
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Mobile apps are taking over the world. We are covering more and more of them here at Tech Cocktail, and they all seem to be amazingly clever and useful. And now they are arriving in a big way on the restaurant scene. At yesterday’s Wall Street Journal-sponsored D: All Things Digital Conference, Flip Video founder…
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When exercise is fun, we’re more likely to do it. That’s the idea behind Explorence, a mobile app that turns outdoor recreational activities into real-life video games. Video games are great, but they keep you on the couch. With obesity in the United States carrying a $147 billion price tag, just over 9% of medical spending,…
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TroopSwap, a startup based in Hampton Roads, VA, has announced the upcoming launch of their daily deal site exclusively for members of the military community, following a round of private funding from investors. The $585,000 infusion of cash is taking the company from conceptual to actual, with a launch date in Hampton Roads expected before Memorial Day Weekend. The…
Read MoreClean water is something that is definitely top of mind this Earth Day weekend. Most of us take clean water for granted, yet one non-profit, Charity: Water, has leveraged the powers of social technology to capture people’s attention and fulfill its mission of providing clean and safe drinking water for those in need. Charity: Water…
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There are a number of startup accelerator and incubator programs in the United States. We are fans of these programs (not to be confused with... Read More
Two months after the iPad 2 debuted in March, around 40% of users surveyed said their iPad was their primary computer, up from around 30%... Read More
With our Startup Mixology Conference coming up next week followed by our classic Tech Cocktail DC Summer mixer which will showcase a handful of early-stage... Read More
Coming off of one of our biggest Tech Cocktail mixer events in Chicago this past week, which showcased 14 early-stage start-ups, we thought it would... Read More