Meet our Spring 2021 cohort

We’re pleased to announce the most recent teams joining Bethnal Green Ventures portfolio of amazing tech for good businesses driving positive outcomes and profit at scale. These eleven teams were selected from a record-breaking 315 applications, which we received for our Spring 2021 programme.

‍As of today, they are embarking on their 12-week journey as part of BGV’s flagship Tech for Good programme to launch and scale their businesses, contributing to a sustainable planet, a better society and healthy lives. As part of our ongoing WorkerTech partnership with the Resolution Foundation (RF), we are investing in two companies, Curo Carers and TaskHer, shaping a fairer future of work for all.

This cohort is working to solve a whole host of challenges. From solutions for climate-resilient societies, to guiding unpaid carers with personalised support. Meet our Spring 2021 teams below.

1 Brave Friend

‍Founder: Paul-David PerryImpact theme: Better Society1 Brave Friend (1BF) is a social growth platform that helps people learn and grow with friends. 1BF offers curated content, intentional connections, and collective action for personal growth.

‍Website

‍Coyosy

‍Founders: Fady Tarek Selim, Alina Iigilikova and Daniel RifaterraImpact theme: A Sustainable PlanetCoyosy is on a mission to shift the consumer electronics industry towards optimal financial and environmental sustainability for the consumers and the planet.

‍Website | Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook

‍Curo Carers

‍Founders: Matt Pullen, Krishani Ranjan and Hannah Lavender-JonesImpact theme: WorkerTech, Healthy LivesCuro is a digital carer coach that guides unpaid carers through a personalised curriculum of support along their caring journey.

‍Website | Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook

‍EcoSpot

‍Founder: Maya LingamImpact theme: A Sustainable Planet, Better SocietyEcoSpot is an app for community-driven climate action, developing lasting sustainable behaviours amongst young people and their families.

‍Website | Twitter | LinkedIn

‍Neumind

‍Founders: Dr. Ellis Parry and Rufus RussellImpact theme: Healthy LivesNeumind help people with cognitive impairments live more independent, fulfilling and happy lives.

‍Website | Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook

‍PreActiv

‍Founders: Dr. Alec Snow and Rebecca AllamImpact theme: Healthy LivesPreactiv is an evidence-based programme, prepared by medical doctors to prepare patients undergoing surgery or cancer treatment physically and mentally in order to have the best possible health outcomes.

Website | Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook

‍Skinlync

‍Founders: Yigit Akar, Atiqah Zaki and Cemal BilgicImpact theme: Healthy LivesSkinlync is a digital health platform that provides AI-powered patient journey support and care services for common skin conditions.

‍Website | Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook

‍TaskHer

‍Founders: Anna Hernandez and Paul MoynihanImpact theme: WorkerTech, Better SocietyTaskHer is an online platform which empowers  users to find, book and pay experienced tradeswomen, whilst addressing the gender imbalance in the trades industry.

‍Website | Instagram

‍Tendelo

‍Founders: Bernard Ohemeng-Baah, Mitravid Pattnaik, Andrew GrayImpact theme: Better SocietyTendelo's speech-based bookkeeping empowers small businesses across the African continent with financial insights and helps them build data to access financial services.

‍Website | Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook

‍The Science Writing Revolution

‍Founders: Ivy Cavendish, Algernon BloomImpact theme: Better SocietyThe Science Writing Revolution is a B2B and B2C scientific software startup that built a game-changing digital solution to writing scientific papers.

‍Website

‍VoltShare

‍Founders: Sheng Liu and John ZhengImpact theme: A Sustainable PlanetVoltShare help people in the UK adapt to cleaner transports by overcoming electric range anxiety through a community-driven platform that encourages collaboration around EV charging.

‍Website | Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

‍The cohort diversity at a glance

‍In a first for BGV, we’re also excited to share more diversity and inclusion data ranging from age, gender, ethnicity, other socio-economic factors, and more about the founders on our programme. We’re incredibly grateful to all the founders who’ve provided us with more data, not only helping us be accountable and publish who we fund in a time where access to capital for underrepresented founders is increasingly hard to come by. But it also enables us to shine a light on the diverse talent coming through our virtual doors, because representation matters. And as investors we want to act with integrity when it comes to driving diversity not only in outcome, but crucially in providing more access to capital to founders from all walks of life. Here’s a snapshot of the results. For a full overview, visit our Diversity and Inclusion at BGV page here.

• 62.5% of founders are aged 25-34, closely followed by 25% of founders aged 35-44 years, and
• The majority of founders identify as men (66.3%), with 33.3% identifying as women.
• 50% of founders self-described as coming from a Black, Asian, Ethnic Minority or mixed background.
• 45.8% identify as white, 25% as Asian or Asian British, 12.5% as Black, African, Caribbean or Black British, 8.3% as mixed or with multiple ethnic groups and 4.2% from other ethnic groups, with 4.2% preferring not to disclose their ethnicity.
• 8.7% of founders indicated that they consider themselves to have a disability (visible or invisible).
• 12.5% of founders identify as being part of the LGBTQ+ community.
• 13.9% of applicants are immigrants, and 16.7% are 1st generation citizens.
• 91.7% are university educated. 11.1% said they are the first one in their family to go to university.
• 22.2% of applicants have caring responsibilities for children or a family relative.
• 79.2% have no previous experience founding a business.