Hello Tractor: a pioneering solution to global food and income security

Hello Tractor is a first of its kind agricultural technology company responding to the needs of resource-poor farmers. Starting in Nigeria, the company designed an innovative, low-cost “Smart Tractor” specifically to meet the unique needs of small farmers. Smart Tractor owners can tailor its use for a variety of crops and stages of the production cycle. Hello Tractor tracks usage and gathers data on location, market trends, and uptake. A cloud powered booking system allows farmers to request, schedule and prepay for tractor services from nearby Smart Tractor owners through SMS messaging and mobile money. Hello Tractor has global scale potential for the #NeedEconomy!

OkHi: a physical address should not be a luxury

So much of our daily lives and our identity is tied to our address – the street name and number that defines where we live – from applying for a job to banking and gaining access to health care. Nairobi, Kenya based OkHi wants to provide a physical address to the estimated 4 billion people in the world who don’t have one. It is defined as a new generation address system based on mapping technology. Beyond simple identification, it is at once a solution for improved commerce, logistics and emergency services! #NeedEconomy #beincluded

PlanGrid: construction industry disrupted

PlanGrid brings time, cost and user efficiency to the construction industry. Architects, designers, individuals and general contractors alike can use the cloud based service to upload, share, update and store blueprints and documents on iPads, Android tablets and smart phones. Entire teams can access, update and share information, as well as address & fix problems quickly and efficiently, with the security of knowing that everyone is literally on the same page of any given project whether in the field or in the office, on or offline. PlanGrid is the largest blueprint repository in the world. Available for Windows, iOS and Android #NeedEconomy #DesignTech

SOLBEN: Mexican pioneer in bioenergy

SOLBEN is México’s leader in biodiesel technology and a global pioneer in non-food, renewable and clean energy production. The company developed its own proprietary, patented technology – a single machine which facilitates the creation of biodiesel using more than 70 raw materials. Its decentralized business model has seen the proliferation of plants throughout México where customers not only implement SOLBEN technology, but also benefit from a suite of training, testing and other products to support them throughout the biodiesel production process. Boasting the largest biodiesel production capacity in México, SOLBEN technology is making its way around the world (Costa Rica, France, S. America). Solving local needs, enabling global solutions. #GreenTech #CleanTech #NeedEconomy

Josephine: economic agency through cooking!

Headquartered in Oakland, CA, Josephine is a community based platform for home cooks to sell their specialty cuisine to their neighbors, who order and pay online and then pick up in person. Its ambitious mission addresses three identified needs with a view to catalyzing sustainable growth economies within neighborhoods: (Labor) providing retirees, stay-at-home parents, immigrants and historically underemployed groups with dignified, profitable and self-sufficient work; (Food Justice) cooks turn cultural and family know-how into a vehicle for a living wage while providing cross-cultural food exchange, community bonding and uplift with a nutritional value-add; and (Tech Equity) technology becomes more inclusive through food, as vetted cooks who may not normally have access to or be comfortable with computers/smartphones are trained to manage, maintain and grow their businesses via the platform. #NeedEconomy

hearZA™: S. Africa’s 1st national hearing test!

Developed and validated by the Univ. of Pretoria, hearZA™ addresses a vital issue: millions of S. Africans suffer from hearing impairment without knowing it and heretofore without easy/affordable access to audiological testing and care. Specifically for S. Africa, the app tests ones hearing in under 2 minutes and provides normative data in all 11 of the country’s official languages! A normalized hearing score is provided against your score, and you are connected with an audiologist near you if a hearing problem is detected. Downloadable for all Android and iOS smartphones. Use with any headphones. #NeedEconomy

Milingual: you have to live a language!

Español, Français, English, Deutsch? The first of its kind Milingual offers a shared economy platform for learning a language in everyday life settings. The platform connects local native speakers who want to earn a living teaching in natural settings with students, and mutually beneficial partnerships with local businesses who play host to linguistic exchanges. Private group, company or individual classes available. In a bar, on a walk or out to dinner – A language must be lived!/Los Idiomas No Se Estudian, ¡Se Viven! Currently serving the #NeedEconomy in Madrid.

Cross Dakar City: gaming to highlight child poverty

Can an app inspire impact investors, industry leaders and policy wonks to champion sustainable solutions to cyclical child poverty? This entry into activist gaming is brought to the world by Senegalese engineer, Ousseynou Khadim Bèye. The app, compatible with most devices, highlights the perils of life as lived by a Talibé child who, often exploited, must beg for money. The objective of the game is to get him safely to his parents while surmounting a number of obstacles in the city of Dakar, Senegal. #NeedEconomy

LinkNYC: the coronation of a Smart City as leader in public service tech!

This pioneering communications network replaced over 7500 public pay phones across NYC’s five boroughs with structures known as Links. LinkNYC provides New Yorkers and visitors with super fast, free Wi-Fi hotspots + free phone calls within the USA. Also: device charging and a tablet for internet browsing, access to city services, maps and directions. For the first time in the world, one experiences a Smart City as both traveler and local public service provider. With the deployment of LinkNYC, the Big Apple continues to live up to its much deserved reputation as the world’s premier international city. Funded by advertising. Free for everyone. #NeedEconomy

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