Caracas, November 11th, 2020 – For the fourth consecutive year, Impact Hub Caracas in alliance with the organization Technovation, will offer the Technovation Girls Venezuela program, whose mission is to encourage girls between 15 and 18 years of age, preferably from vulnerable communities in Caracas, in the field of technological entrepreneurship through the development of mobile applications.

Technovation Girls, is the world’s largest global technology entrepreneurship competition for girls. Operating in over 100 countries and offering girls the opportunity to learn the skills needed to emerge as entrepreneurs, business owners and technology leaders.

During 14 weeks and totally online, the girls will receive classes of coding, business plan and presentation of projects to finally show their mobile application to an international jury through the Technovation platform. In addition, they will be accompanied by people, who voluntarily and ad honorem, will assume the role of mentors. They will guide the young girls in the process of finding a problem in their community, developing a mobile application and a business plan to help solve it in an innovative way, while working as a team and in contact with different audiences.

Claudia Valladares, regional ambassador of Technovation Girls Venezuela and co-founder and president of Impact Hub Caracas -institution responsible for executing the program-, pointed out that it aims at bringing more young women closer to technology so that in the near future they will be motivated to study STEM careers (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), thus narrowing the existing gaps, especially in computer science.

“We want to train leaders through technology, and contribute to achieving gender equity, so we are sure that this program is one of the best ways to make this happen. In past editions in Venezuela, we have prepared more than 160 young girls as technological entrepreneurs. We managed to send seven Venezuelan teams to represent us in the semifinals and we received an award at the regional awards in Latin America in 2019.

Meanwhile, on a global scale in 2020, more than 5,400 girls in 62 countries identified and developed mobile applications designed to solving more than 1,500 community problems such as climate change, domestic violence and adolescent depression,” Valladares said.

The program will start in December 2020 and will end in May 2021. Teams must present their proposals before an international jury, and if selected, will have the opportunity to represent our country in San Francisco, California as participants in the global competition (World Pitch) in which the winning team of the Technovation Girls 2021 edition will be chosen.

Those who wish to participate in this program may apply until November 30, 2020 at: https://caracas.impacthub.net/en/technovation-girls/

Caracas, July 24th, 2020.- As a result of the Escalating Impact 2020 Program, implemented as part of UNICEF’s Response Plan to COVID-19 in Venezuela, together with Impact Hub Caracas, four innovative solutions were selected to help mitigate the consequences of the coronavirus in the country.

 

The ventures fall into four specific categories:

*Building Futures with their initiative Building Future, provides education at home, and brings an answer in the field of distance education for children in rural communities with no internet access.

*Hope Medical with its project Agua Tuya belongs in the category of community communication for behavior change and adoption of prevention and hygiene measures.

*Sonriu with their project Sonriu, is a solution that features 3D impression. They were selected in the category for design and local production of health supplies, hygiene and medical equipment.

*Vikua with their Humanitarian Support Supply Chain Tracking system will provide a solution to remote monitoring in the reception/utilization of health, education and hygiene supplies in hospitals and health centers.

Starting on July 27, 2020 and during two weeks, Escalating Impact 2020 will help teams fine-tune and leverage their venture through an intensive virtual development program that will tailor their solutions.

The program will have six learning modules and will be presented as webinars: (adaptation of business model for execution of pilots, strategy for pilot execution, adaptation of financial model for pilots and future growth, marketing campaign and alliances, short presentation and communication, and execution of pilot plan). Participants will receive personalized mentoring and networking, so it will be easier for them to grow their projects. 

Once development stage is complete, teams will have the chance to test their pilots for two more weeks in locations selected by UNICEF. They will get support from mentors and Impact Hub Caracas.

You are welcomed to follow all about this program through Impact Hub Caracas´s social media platforms @ImpactHubCaracas on Instagram and Facebook and @ImpactHubCcs on Twitter.

Caracas, June 29th, 2020. As part of its Response Plan to COVID-19 in Venezuela, UNICEF and Impact Hub Caracas are joining forces to carry out the Scaling Impact 2020 Program, designed to identify and select innovative solutions that will help to minimize consequences of the coronavirus in the country. Solutions fall into four specific categories:

• Distance education for children in rural communities without connectivity.  
• Remote monitoring of health services, education and hygiene supplies in hospitals and other health centers. 
• Communication to improve behavior and measures to promote prevention and hygiene. 
• Design and local production of health, hygiene and medical equipment supplies to deal with COVID-19 pandemic. 

Over a two-week period, Scaling Impact 2020 will help teams refine and enhance their minimum viable product through an intensive virtual development program that will tailor solutions to selected projects (pilots).

Program offers six learning modules that will be presented via webinars: (Adaptation of business model for pilot execution, Application of strategies for pilot execution, Adaptation of financial model for pilots and future growth, Marketing campaign and alliances, Short presentation, communication and execution of the pilot plan), personalized mentoring and networking to help innovators in growing their projects. 

Once development stage and webinars are finished, teams will have the chance of implementing for two more weeks their pilot plans in locations previously selected by UNICEF. Innovators will be accompanied by mentors and will receive follow-up from Impact Hub Caracas.

UNICEF and Impact Hub Caracas invite social impact entrepreneurs who are working with initiatives to reduce the consequences of COVID-19 and take advantage of this opportunity to scale up their projects and submit at: Caracas.impacthub.net and filling out the form and submit before July 10th, 2020. Program begins on July 20th.

Caracas, 15th june, 2020.- Four teams from the third cohort of Technovation Girls Venezuela represent our country in the semifinals of the global technology competition Technovation Girls. News was announced this Monday, June 15, 2020, by the organization through its web site TechnovationGirls.org.

After the first round of evaluation, these are the selected mobile applications that provide innovative solutions made under the scheme of the UN Sustainable Development Goals to problems detected in their communities:

???? @dpura.ve: led by Sofia and Antonella Loera, and Camila Ranilla, they seek to promote ocean conservation through weekly challenges and activities.

????? ?????? @live.betterve: Francys Michelena, Elibeth Yépez and Irianyeli Mendoza, whith their App of interactive games for children and teenagers teach them how to use resources such as water, electricity and also how to dispose of garbage in appropriate places, in order to educate responsible citizens to build a better world.

????????ó? @termocion: it was designed by Brachy Pérez, Dhana Passo and Liliana Dugarte to bring knowledge about emotions and tools to manage them effectively in children, adolescents and adults, promoting mental health and well-being.

♻️???? ????? @zero_trash_2020: an App created by Oriana Cantillo and Astrid Peña to help communities in issues concerning waste management with the support of municipal services, to eliminate environmental pollution.

The regional ambassador of Technovation Girls in Venezuela and president of Impact Hub Caracas, Claudia Valladares, said “in the next few days we will know the finalists and regional winners, and we wish to continue to be a part of this. Now, these young girls continue to advance in the competition to be among the 10 finalist in the world or the 10 regional winners. All of this will be announced in July 7th”.

The coordinator of this program, María Alejandra Hernández, highlighted the work done by the young girls, their teachers and the group of mentors – who voluntarily assisted the participants in this process. “Thank you for inspiring us with your passion and resilience. For continuing on this project until the end in spite of the circumstances. And for wanting to make a positive impact in your communities. You are already taking important steps to change the world, so please continue to develop your potential to turn your ideas into reality”.

For the third consecutive year, Impact Hub Caracas with the sponsorship of the United Nations Development Program in Venezuela (UNDP) and Total Oil and Gas Venezuela, among others, carried out this social program designed to train future entrepreneurs of vulnerable communities in the field of technology through the designing of mobile applications.

Caracas, May 18th, 2020.-  Impact Hub Caracas and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Venezuela have developed a campaign using their social media accounts to promote actions that put into practice social resilience, in order to promote people’s wellbeing through small actions that are within reach of everyone in their daily lives.

In this way, both organizations also seek to promote values such as co-responsibility and solidarity between different communities, as a sign that we can still be part of the solution, even in very complex and global contexts.

As part of its mandate, UNDP promotes Sustainable Human Development with the goal of having a positive impact on people’s lives through the creation of life options. Therefore it accompanies all State actors in creating actions, policies and in strengthening local capacities, to create such options and opportunities for the country’s population.

Meanwhile, Impact Hub Caracas, as a community of entrepreneurs that seeks to generate positive impact in society and create a better, more just and sustainable world; focuses on resilience as a basic element of its actions, thus presenting its Resilience Manifesto, which is part of the messages that will be advertised in this campaign.

With this alliance, both organizations have joined forces to make the current situation visible as an opportunity to emerge strengthened as a society through action. That is, starting from what we can manage to leave a positive mark on the social fabric within the framework of the pandemic.

This content can be viewed on UNDP’s social networks: @pnudvenezuela on Instagram and @pnud_venezuela on Twitter and Impact Hub Caracas: @impacthubcaracas on Instagram and @Impacthubccs on Twitter.

Caracas, May 15th, 2020.- We have reached our 6th anniversary and despite the circumstances, we are celebrating because we are a community of entrepreneurs who approach reality with optimism and hope. We will continue to put our talent and creativity at the service of our Impact hubbers and all of Venezuela. To transform problems into opportunities and create transformative impact.

With courage, collaboration and trust, we will accompany each other as a great family. To reinvent ourselves, knowing that our entrepreneurs will always find new ways to move forward.

It is also a time to be thankful for six years on the road. We know that we are not alone and that with collective action we will be able to continue building a sustainable and better country for everyone.

We wish to thank all Impact hubbers for their trust and their great spirit. And also, thank our team and our commercial and strategic allies who have been part of these six years. Today we embrace each other from a distance, but we are sure that we will soon meet again to continue creating extraordinary impact, TOGETHER.

Caracas, May 7th, 2020.- After 18 weeks of hard work, twenty one teams in Technovation Girls Venezuela program were able to register on the Technovation platform, the mobile applications they designed to respond to problems in their communities. Now the girls continue to the next phase where they will be evaluated by the members of a virtual jury on a global scale.

There were many obstacles. As we moved into the final weeks of the program, the pandemic of Covid19 arrived, and forced us to reinvent ourselves and look for new ways to achieve the goal. Under the guidance of teachers and voluntary support from mentors, we managed to continue the program online using WhatsApp, calls to each team, and paying for mobile data in their cell phones so they could complete activities and upload them to the platform. Many of the girls live in vulnerable communities such as Catia, 23 de Enero, Ciudad Caribia, Petare, and La Vega where they do not have computers or internet access.

This would not have been possible without the support from our partners at United Nations Development Program UNDP, and Total Oil and Gas Venezuela, who for the third consecutive year decided to support this program that seeks to educate girls in technology and teach them to develop mobile Apps that bring solutions to problems in their communities. So they can become agents of change and entrepreneurs of the future.

Congratulations to our girls and to all team members that made this possible. Working with such courage, enthusiasm and determination, is a sign of the great impact we can create TOGETHER, even in the most adverse circumstances. Please continue to be an inspiration and an example of resilience to keep on building the country and the world we want.

Caracas, November 26th, 2019.- For the third consecutive year, Impact Hub Caracas, in partnership with Technovation, will hold the Technovation Girls Venezuela program, which is designed to prepare girls between 14 and 18 years of age, who are coming from vulnerable communities in Caracas, in the field of technological entrepreneurship and the development of mobile applications.

Technovation Girls is the world’s largest technology competition for girls. And takes place in more than 100 countries. It offers girls the opportunity to learn the skills they need to emerge as entrepreneurs and technology leaders.

For 14 weeks, girls will take coding courses, will develop their own business plans and project presentations to finally showcase their mobile App in front of a local jury at our Regional Pitch. They will also receive assistance from mentors, who will voluntarily and free of charge guide them in the process of finding a problem in their communities, developing a mobile application and a business plan to help solve this problem in an innovative way. Girls will work in teams and in communication with different audiences.

The objective of the program is to bring more young women closer to technology so that in the near future they will be motivated to study careers in STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics) and eliminate existing gaps, especially in computer science. It is our goal to train leaders in technology, and contribute in promoting gender equality.

The program will start in December 2019 through April 2020. Teams are required to present proposals to local juries, and if selected, will have the chance to travel to San Francisco, California, to participate in the global competition (World Pitch) where the winning team of the Technovation Girls 2020 edition will be announced.

Did you know that during TechnovationGirlsVenezuela2019 Edition, the Venezuelan team (CleanUp Plastic) was recognized as the Regional Winner in Latin America?

Those who wish to participate in this program may register until December 4, 2019 in the following link Technovation Girls Venezuela https://n9.cl/xdji

Caracas, October 3rd, 2019.- In their commitment to preserve the environment and support quality nutrition, Automercados Plazas and Impact Hub Caracas – a community that promotes triple-impact ventures: financial, social and environmental – invited projects and companies to participate in Acuaponia, a sustainable challenge, starting Tuesday, October 1st, 2019. The objective of this program is to present preliminary projects for the Development of Aquaponia (a system that joins Aquaculture + Hydroponics). Projects presented must possess necessary potential to guarantee production suitable for consumption. In addition, selected teams will have the opportunity to implement their projects and access investors.

The president of the Plazas Foundation, Lisandro Rodrigues, said that: “this initiative goes beyond our commitment to social responsibility. We want to create sustainable impact in the communities. And we believe this is a good strategy to raise production rates, introduce Venezuelans to innovative techniques and also give them the opportunity to build sustainable businesses”.

Claudia Valladares, Co-founder and director of Impact Hub Caracas, highlighted the interest in continuing to promote joint initiatives between private companies and Venezuelan entrepreneurs. “Acuaponia, a sustainable challenge, is the best example of great things that can be accomplished when businesses and entrepreneurs work together. Acuaponia is an example of co-creation. Of how entrepreneurship can support agile and sustainable innovation in a corporation. And also, is an example of the opportunities business owners can offer entrepreneurs when they regard them as allies. We are convinced that by working together we can create triple impact, as we seek to generate financial, environmental and social value. We wish to demonstrate this by joining efforts between Impact Hub Caracas and Automercados Plazas”.

Impact Hub Caracas training and mentoring program manager, María Alejandra Hernández, explained the requirements to participate in Acuaponia, a sustainable challenge. “Proposals must respond to a green project: with low environmental impact when it comes to the types of energy they need. They must also demonstrate proper use of natural resources and raw materials. 

Projects must be sustainable and profitable. Their final products must provide significant nutritional value, and their facilities must be built in the city of Caracas and should be designed for an area of no more than 400 square meters.

“Projects must produce first harvest in a period no longer than 14 months from its inception. They need to be properly documented and have the capacity to be replicable,” said Hernandez.

What are you waiting for? Join this innovative challenge before October 31st, 2019. Please, register in our website https://caracas.impacthub.net/convocatorias-acuaponia/.

Caracas, September 18, 2019 – Venezuelan undertaking AgroCognitive was selected among ten others international finalists of Accelerate2030 – a hight impact global acceleration program focused in companies whose line of work falls within the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) – after a total of 150 participating projects and another round of 70 finalist from 16 countries around the world.

After three months of arduous preparation during the program -implemented by Impact Hub Caracas- and joining Aguaviva, Cuantix and Dawere (other local projects), AgroCognitive won its place among the ten finalists of the world that are now moving to the final phase of the program, which will take place at the Global Scaling Week from October 4th to 11th, in Geneva, Switzerland.

Photography: Digital Marketing Agency Piña Colada

Co-founder and Director of Impact Hub Caracas, Claudia Valladares, talked about the next steps: “AgroCognitive, along with the rest of the nine global finalists was invited to Geneva, Switzerland, for the Global Scaling Week, a week of intense networking, global exposure and further work on its international scaling plan. This year, the Global Scaling Week took place at the same time as the Swiss Sustainable Finance Week and the SDG’s Finance Summit (formerly known as the Social Good Summit) of the United Nations, at which AgroCognitive also had the chance to attend. After this week, all finalists will continue with a long and much more intense 9-month scaling program, working with coaches, mentors and experts determined to help them achieve their scaling goals. Whenever possible, the program will also provide research and support to enter new markets”.

In addition, Valladares stressed the importance of bringing this initiative to Venezuelan entrepreneurs. “Accelerate2030 is an acceleration program that accompanies entrepreneurs and provides them with specialized tools, mentoring and workshops so that their ventures not only remain in the niche or market they are currently serving. But also, enables them to strengthen their capacities to be replicated in any other market where those services or products are needed, thus amplifying and scaling up their sustainable impact”.

Also, María Alejandra Hernández, Coordinator of Accelerate2030 Venezuela highlighted the level of entrepreneurship in the program. “We were selected from a total of 150 projects from 16 Impact Hubs around the world. We feel very proud
that one Venezuelan venture was recognized on a global scale. It is an indicator of great level in innovation and impact in certain ventures in our country. In addition, I felt very pleased to have witnessed the great teamwork and commitment among members, not only at Impact Hub Caracas, but also in our team of facilitators and mentors who participated in the program”.

AgroCognitive is a precision service provider of analytics for agriculture. This venture processes photographic records of crops and provides small and medium farmers with precise analytics (descriptive, prescriptive and predictive data) at affordable cost. With the use of drones and satellite images, AgroCognitive offers reliable artificial intelligence and advanced analytics.

AgroCognitive uses descriptive analysis and artificial intelligence to help farmers monitor crops, calculate the CO2 balance and establish KPIs to better understand their analysis through a digital portal. Their goal is to improve productivity and sustainability in crops.

This was the third edition of Accelerate2030 held at Impact Hub Caracas. And it was made possible thanks to the support of the United Nations Development Program in Venezuela (UNDP) and the company Total Oil & Gas Venezuela.

Learn more about the ten Accelerate2030 global finalists.