North America
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The Knowledge Society
Nadeem Nathoo
Co-Founder
Problem
At school, we’re told very little about everything that has yet to be built, explored, or discovered. In many cases, traditional education models aren't optimizing human potential or empowering young people to tackle global issues such as hunger, climate change, or quality education.
Solution
TKS is a leading global mentorship program, which empowers 13 to 17yo to solve some of the world’s biggest problems using emerging technologies. Students are exposed to breakthrough innovations, develop real-world skills, learn about important mindsets, and get to consult for big companies such as Neuralink, Microsoft or the UN.
Impact
TKS currently holds in-person programs in North America and runs a Global Virtual program. As of March 2023, the company counts 2500+ alumni and students across 40+ countries and 200+ cities. TKS was notably recognized as a "School of the Future" by the WEF in 2019. (source: TKS, 2022)
Impaakt
Problem
Efficiently monitoring and measuring businesses' overall impact on people and the planet is essential to accelerate change, but it’s complicated. Which metrics to use ? Should we rely on data from the companies themselves or do we make our own assessments? How do we avoid green washing and measure the real impact of a company ?
Solution
In 2018, Impaakt launched a peer-review platform to measure the true level of sustainability of major companies worldwide. Thanks to ratings and analyses made by the +20’000 certified community members, they’re building company scores with the goal to create the ultimate resource of objective, quality impact information for investors and consumers.
Impact
Since 2018, 40’000 people joined the Impaakt community. 400k ratings have been made covering the impact of over 1500 companies.
Impaakt
Problem
Efficiently monitoring and measuring businesses' overall impact on people and the planet is essential to accelerate change, but it’s complicated. Which metrics to use ? Should we rely on data from the companies themselves or do we make our own assessments? How do we avoid green washing and measure the real impact of a company ?
Solution
In 2018, Impaakt launched a peer-review platform to measure the true level of sustainability of major companies worldwide. Thanks to ratings and analyses made by the +20’000 certified community members, they’re building company scores with the goal to create the ultimate resource of objective, quality impact information for investors and consumers.
Impact
Since 2018, 40’000 people joined the Impaakt community. 400k ratings have been made covering the impact of over 1500 companies.
La tablée des chefs
Jean-Francois Archambault
Founder
Problem
Approximately 60% of food produced in Canada is lost or wasted each year, which is worth more than 50 billion CA$ every year. And, at the same time, 1 in 8 households in Canada suffers from food insecurity, which represents 4.4 million people. The thing is, managing food surplus is a real challenge, especially for the hospitality industry.
Solution
La Tablée des Chefs is dedicated to feeding people in need and developing culinary education for youth. They collaborate with food surplus donors, such as hotels, restaurants, or companies. They help them store the food in proper conditions and connect them to local organizations or food banks that redistribute it to people in need.
Impact
Since 2002, LTDC has prepared over 13 mio meals and has helped over 45k young people across 175 schools to use food for social change. They received several awards including the Prime Minister's Award for Best Social Innovation, and received 5mio dollars of aid from the state of Quebec.
La Place Commune
Christopher Dubois
Co-Founder
Problem
In Montréal, 1/10 of people don't have the financial needs to access fresh and healty food. During covid, 1/4 of people were living in food insecurity. Nearly 40% of community organisations don't have the resources to collect all the food donations that are available to them.
Solution
La Place Commune is a non-profit solidarity cooperative created in 2015, which strives to encourage the involvement of the local population for greater urban food autonomy. They put in place numerous initiatives to help people put food on the table, develop their creativity, and learn the best practices in regard to sustainable cooking.
Impact
LPC notably installed a community fridge regularly filled with surplus or end-of-line products, offered free of charge to local residents. They offer room rentals at low prices, organize cultural events, and regularly hold workshops on sustainable cooking. (source: LPC, 2022)
build On
Marc Friedman
Chief Development Officer
Problem
At the end of 2022, around 244 million primary school-age children were out of school. In numerous developing countries, many factors prevent children from attending school. These include the costs associated with education, long distances to the closest school, child labor, cultural beliefs, and gender and ethnic discrimination.
Solution
BuildOn was founded in 1991 with the mission of breaking the cycle of poverty, illiteracy, and low expectations through service and education. In the US, BuildOn put in place Service Learning Programs in underprivileged schools. Abroad, they focus mainly on 3 scopes: school construction, adult literacy, and re-enrollment programs.
Impact
BuildOn has helped build over 2k schools in countries like Burkina Faso, Guatemala, Haiti, Malawi, Mali, Nepal, Nicaragua, and Senegal. Over 300k children attend BuildOn schools, with a new one breaking ground every 2 days. 26k adults have completed the Adult Literacy Program, 78% of which are women.
Producers Market
Keith Agoada
CEO & Founder
Problem
The agricultural value chain is largely dominated by intermediaries, such as packers and processors, wholesalers, exporters, distributors, and retailers. For every dollar spent on food, less than 9 cents go to the farmer, who's also often the last to be paid, as financial institutions usually prefer to give loans to large intermediaries.
Solution
Producers Market is a digital marketplace dedicated to uplifting farmers worldwide, directly connecting farmers to consumers. On the platform, each producer gets to communicate their mission, describe their products, and share their story. The goal is to align stakeholders around common values of transparency, trust, and economic equity.
Impact
Currently, there are around 3600 products for sale on the platform, from about 970 producers across 86 countries. This new kind of marketplace allows these producers to increase their income and provides more transparency along the value chain. (source: Producers Market, 2022)
Ilumexico
Morgan Babbs
Chief Innovation Officer
Problem
In Mexico, almost 300k households live without electricity, and most of them are located in rural areas. Running basic household activities like cooking, conserving food, lighting your home, charging your phone, listening to the radio, or studying remains very challenging.
Solution
Iluméxico is a solar service provider which delivers high-quality energy access to off-grid homes In Mexico and Colombia. They provide affordable energy solutions through the installation of solar home systems (SHS) for homes, schools, clinics, and small businesses, located in under-served areas of the country.
Impact
To date, Ilumexico has reached about 120k people in over 2k rural communities thanks to the installation of over 25k solar systems. The extra light time generated often translates into additional study hours for children and increased income for small businesses (up to 6 times higher). (source: Ilumexico, 2022)
Smartfish
Javier Van Cauwelaert
General Manager
Problem
In Mexico, overfishing, has had dramatic effects on the environment. It doesn't only affect the life balance in the oceans, but also the social and economic well-being of local communities who depend on the fishing industry. About 40% of Mexican fishermen live below the poverty line, mainly because of the long value chain (up to 12 middlemen).
Solution
Smartfish restores México’s marine ecosystem by helping fishermen increase their income while adopting eco-friendly practices. Smartfish brings more steps to producers, allowing fishermen to get paid 40% to 250% more. In exchange, they impose a greater commitment to suppliers in terms of fishing techniques and traceability.
Impact
To date, Smartfish collaborates with around 700 fishermen, and purchased over 70 tons of sustainable seafood in 2021 only. They won the "Best Small Business" award at the UN Food Systems Summit in 2021.​​​​ They're currently the only organisation selling 100% certified sustainable fishery products. (source: Smartfish, 2022)