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Spiders, Butterfly Wings Inspire New Solutions for Urban Ag, Renewables
An international team based in New York City has developed a prototype product that mimics the way living systems capture, store and distribute water, which could be deployed to help meet growing demand for sustainable, local food production. Designed by NexLoop, the prototype has been awarded the $100,000 Ray C. Anderson Foundation Ray of Hope Prize in the 2017 Biomimicry Global Design Challenge, an international design competition and accelerator program that crowdsources nature-inspired climate change solutions for issues such as food systems, water management and alternative energy.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Energy, Technology
- Tags
- renewable energy
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SkyAlert: Millions of Mexicans turn to earthquake early warning app after deadly quakes kill 460
Since two massive earthquakes hit Mexico in September and claimed more than 460 lives, an early warning start-up called SkyAlert has doubled its users to 5.8 million, making it one of the country’s most downloaded apps.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Latin America
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New World Bank-UNHCR joint data centre to improve global statistics on forced displacement
“The scale, complexity and speed of today’s refugee crises mean we can no longer afford to respond through humanitarian action alone. It is more important than ever to mobilize resources and plan for the longer term from the beginning. This is why early access to reliable data for development partners like the World Bank is so important,” said United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi.
- Categories
- Technology
- Tags
- data, global development, refugees
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The Entrepreneurial Case for Tech Investing in Emerging Markets
Africa’s tech ecosystem is huge, yet it barely scratches the surface when compared with those of China, India, Brazil and other emerging markets. In 2006, India and China accounted for only 2 percent of global-deal value. More than a decade later, the two biggest emerging markets now account for nearly 25 percent, with India and China firmly on the list of the top 20 startup ecosystems in the world.
- Categories
- Finance, Investing, Technology
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Press release: MIT’s Inclusive Innovation Challenge awards over $1 million to organizations harnessing technology to create greater economic opportunity for workers
The MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy has awarded over $1 million in prize money in its second annual MIT Inclusive Innovation Challenge (IIC) in recognition and celebration of for-profit and non-profit organizations using technology to improve economic opportunity for base- and middle-level income earners.
- Categories
- Technology
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Techstars launches an impact accelerator for companies focused on social and environmental impact
In a blog post, the international accelerator network’s newest managing director, Zoe Schlag said that the new accelerator will back “for-profit, mission-driven founders building technologies to solve our most pressing social and environmental needs.”
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- North America
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Google announces $1b commitment to tech education
The search giant said $10 million of the $1 billion commitment will be provided to Goodwill, a workforce development non-profit, to launch the Goodwill Digital Career Accelerator. It is the largest grant Google.org has awarded to a single organization, the company noted.
- Categories
- Education, Technology
- Region
- North America
- Tags
- nonprofits, philanthropy
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Bharti Airtel to acquire Tata’s money-losing mobile unit for nothing
India’s telecoms market, with 1.2 billion mobile subscribers, is in the midst of a wave of consolidation as smaller debt-laden players seek exits after overspending in airwave auctions.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- South Asia
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