As impact investing gains traction in the market, a new accelerator for tech nonprofits calledFast Forwardhas raised $2.2 million in philanthropic funding from the nonprofit arms of some of the worlds largest companies and financial services firms.
BlackRock, Google.org, Comcast NBCUniversal, and AT&T joined Zendesk, Twilio.org, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, the Nasiri and Rita Allen Foundations and the Omidyar Network in the financing. The not-for-profit accelerator said that the funds would be used to continue to build products that apply technology to the nonprofit world.
While industry has the benefit of access to the latest technologies, the philanthropic world has lagged behind. Fast Forward has set itself up with a mission to help launch products and services that address the needs of the nonprofit sector.
The accelerator has launched programs likethe first Job Board exclusively for tech nonprofit jobs, board positions, and volunteer opportunities; the Global Tech Nonprofit Community; and the first tech nonprofit summit, Accelerate Good Global, according to a statement.
So far, the accelerator has worked with 23 alumni companies, which have raised $28 million in follow-on funding to support projects that have influenced 18 million people, according to a statement.
Corporate participants in the program include HPE, and Bloomberg in addition to the investors listed above.
We are excited to continue supporting Fast Forward and their mission of using technology to solve pressing social problems, said Jody Kochansky, head of BlackRocks Aladdin Product Group, in a statement.
BlackRock began as a startup itself, combining industry expertise with the power of new technologies. Having the advice and guidance of experienced professionals can be the deciding factor in a startups success, Kochansky said in a statement. By dedicating our resources and the expertise of our employees to Fast Forwards Summer Accelerator, we have the opportunity to help a new crop of startups develop solutions for some of the most significant problems in our communities.
Services companies in Fast Forwards latest batch include:
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Beyond 12 a mentorship service for first-generation college students
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Concrn an alternative to the 911 dispatch service
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IssueVoter a nonpartisan information service for political issues
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LibreTaxi an open-source ridesharing app for remote communities
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MindRight an SMS-based coaching service for teenage mental health and support
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MyHealthEd a text-based sex education application for middle schoolers
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Online SOS an automated support service for victims of online harassment
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Onward an employer-directed benefit platform to help low-wage workers in times of financial instability
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Raheem.AI a chatbot to rate and report police interactions
Kevin Barenblat and Shannon Farley launched Fast Forward in 2014 to apply the lean startup and minimum viable product model to technologies applied to the non-profit sector.
The nine companies in Fast Forwards latest cohort will receive a $25,000 grant, mentorship from vetted veterans of the business and non-profit world, and introductions to other non-profit founders and financiers, according to a statement from the organization.
Fast Forward participants build their services during a three-month program that culminates in two demo days one in San Francisco and one in Silicon Valley, where founders will be able to pitch their ideas to philanthropic donors to raise additional capital.
