Entrepreneurs know best: Innovation is born in a crucible. And there is no crucible quite like our present moment, when a global pandemic is pushing innovators to their limits.
Here to support those innovators is Social Enterprise Greenhouse (SEG) via its completely virtual Covid-19 Response Incubator, a seven-week program that welcomed its first (and hopefully, only) cohort on June 22. The industry-agnostic incubator, which SEG announced just last month, is designed to help entrepreneurs identify needs, develop solutions and launch and test pilots so startups can get off the ground while the world’s need is at its greatest.
“For this specific incubator, our hypothesis was, there are a lot of new social challenges and needs that are emerging; meanwhile, there are more people at home or who have been recently laid off, who might have the time and inclination to explore new opportunities,” SEG CEO Kelly Ramirez told Rhode Island Inno when SEG opened applications.
A total of 15 startups have joined the incubator. Most are based in Rhode Island, but as Ramirez said last month, SEG wanted to use the virtual component to expand beyond the Ocean State. Startups from Connecticut, New York, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and even Minnesota are all represented in the cohort.
The projects are wide-ranging. Some are geared specifically toward health, like a mental health program for youth and a disposable membrane that covers keyboards. Others are designed to boost vulnerable people in the aftermath of Covid-19, via a donation app, a personal concierge service and a business-focused nonprofit, for example.
Read about the participants and their projects below. Descriptions provided by SEG.
David Ahlborn, Junia Janvier, and Beyanca Guilme, Providence “Liberational Arts Collective,” a virtual “crash” course for youth ages 14-19 in design thinking, entrepreneurship, community organizing/ activism and civic engagement with the goal to nurture, sustain and scale a grassroots movement of youth to advocate for community needs in the (post-)Covid world.
Susan Ahlstrom, Ridgefield, Conn. The SAMSEL (Stress and Anxiety Management for Social Emotional Learning) program, which provides youth and teens with self-care and mental health skills and strategies through SEL-based experiences and curriculum.
Lauren Alvarez, Providence A greengrocer with a pop-up model that can deploy to neighborhoods as needed, providing fruits and vegetables to supplement the staples that are available at convenience stores and corner markets, focused on being cost-effective, mobile-ready and scalable when needed.
Joann Ayuso and Kei Soares Cobb, Providence West End Raices, a movement to gather and educate middle school and high school students of the West End to identify suitable land/containers for building a garden and the step-by-step skills needed to sow seeds, cultivate, harvest and process immune system-supportive vegetables and herbs.
Martha Donovan, Barrington, and Wendy Black, Warwick Bilingual play-based learning kits that provide engaging materials for children, help families support children’s developmental growth, creativity and critical thinking during play, and provide teachers with activities aligned to the RI Early Learning Domains.
Dorian Harding-Morick, New Haven, Conn. A disposable membrane (and dispenser) which provides a barrier between a user and a keyboard.
Jennifer Jimenez-Wheatley, Saint Joseph, Minn. A food truck that will enable refugee and immigrant women to build economic capital that can lead to social capital and leadership.
Jo Lee, Providence An extension to the PopUp Rhody marketplace service to enable businesses to engage with existing and new audiences virtually.
Jeffrey Matteis, Cranston Cooperative resource sharing for farmers, along with multimedia content that tells a new story around local food and demonstrates resilience and hope, further shifting the culture towards a more regenerative way of being.
Luisa C. Murillo, Providence Sandy’s App, a donation app that can be used by nonprofits to request pet food donations and feminine hygiene products for sale, similar to an online store but with donated items.
Stephanie Nitka, Pawtucket Intensive community engagement that taps the local talents of local people to identify issues/solutions, using creative arts as one tool for engagement and creating employment opportunities by building partnerships.
Ned Roosevelt, Sugar Hill, N.H. My Grandson, a personal concierge service that caters to those most vulnerable to COVID-19 and helps to bridge the gap between generations.
Bradly VanDerStad, Providence Providence Growing Businesses Coalition, a private community-focused nonprofit that functions to promote Providence as a business destination, connects businesses to college graduates and much more.
Rishma Vora, Manlius, N.Y. Project Olas, which offers online Spanish practice taught by moms in vulnerable Central American communities for high-impact language learning via WhatsApp.
Kian Xie, Uxbridge, Mass. Corporate Hidden Gem, which develops frameworks, processes, and analytics that enable patient care delivery teams to standardize their innovation process, make data-driven, patient-centered decisions as to which programs and partnerships to develop, and ensure resources are spent in alignment with strategic goals.
