In a world where the measurements of success in tech are pretty well established, members of TechSPARK’s meetup group are getting together for a Techie Brekkie at Bristol’s DeskLodge on 10 May to discuss what it means not only to be ‘successful’ as a business, but also socially or environmentally minded.
So what are the measures of ‘doing good’ in tech? How does this impact on how investors evaluate you? Can you really do well AND do good?
“The world is changing and business needs to change too or be left behind by increasingly conscious consumers”
Attendees of this latest Techie Brekkie will be joined by several successful social entrepreneurs offering their insights and experiences, including the co-founder of food-sharing app OLIO, Tessa Cook, the founder of Neighbourly – a social platform connecting community & charity projects to business – Nick Davies (pictured, left) and the co-founder of Crocodile walk-to-school app, Kevin Ramm.
We caught up with Nick and Tessa to find out their thoughts on socially and environmentally minded tech and what they hope to get out of the discussion. Nick tells us: “The world is changing and business needs to change too or be left behind by increasingly conscious consumers. As a tech business (without significant HR and complex operations) it’s easy to change… and become a B-Corporation for example.”
“At the Techie Brekkie, I hope to be inspired by the size, enthusiasm and ideas of the crowd and to use updates from Neighbourly to add fuel to the fire.”
“I’m very keen to get other attendees’ views on the measurement for ‘doing good'”
Tessa adds: “I think it’s really important for all companies to be socially minded, not just tech companies. I think increasingly people want to work for, shop from, and do business with companies that are about more than just making a profit.”
“I’m very keen to get other attendees views on the measurement for ‘doing good’. The measurement of ‘doing well’ has been defined and fairly universally agreed for a long time, but we don’t have such clear metrics for doing well (that I’m aware of). I’m not even sure if it’s possible, or even desirable, to have a single metric to measure something that has so many facets.”
Thought leaders in tech-for-good
Find out more about the special guests due to attend this Techie Brekkie below.
Nick Davies – Neighbourly
Nick is building a movement – calling on people not just to join Neighbourly, but to be more neighbourly. Launched in July 2014, Neighbourly’s social platform is already helping international businesses like M&S, Starbucks and Heineken engage more authentically with the communities they serve, inspiring and empowering colleagues and communities to come together to get more done. It’s a disruptive vision that won them the 2016 Bloomberg Business Innovators ‘Changing Thinking’ award. Nick will talk about what it means to be a Certified B Corporation and his thoughts on the evolution of SROI.
Find out more about Nick Davies and Neighbourly in his interview with TechSPARK.
Tessa Cook – OLIO
Tessa is the CEO and co-founder of OLIO Exchange – the app that connects neighbours with each other and local shops so that surplus food can be shared, rather than thrown away. OLIO was the winner of the SPARKies ‘tech for good’ and ‘People’s Choice’ awards at the SPARKies 2016 (pictured, right). Following its growth and popularity in London, the OLIO app was recently launched in central Bristol.
Find out more in TechSPARK’s company profile of OLIO.
Kevin Ramm – Crocodile
Kevin is the Managing Director and co-founder of Crocodile – an app for parents to connect and collaborate on shared journeys for their children. Be it walking, cycling or car-share, for the school run or other events, the app aims to help parents reduce the number of journeys made by car whilst also saving them time and money. Crocodile was the winner of the Bristol 2015 Green Capital Digital Challenge and has recently launched a pilot at a few schools in Bristol.
Check out Crocodile’s winning moment at the Bristol 2015 Green Capital Digital Challenge.
This brekkie is great for those thinking of starting up a socially or environmentally minded startup or business, as well as those who simply have an interest in the topic (and anything in between)! Tickets cost £5 each and include coffee/tea and breakfast to keep you fuelled for a great discussion.
The brekkie will be held on 10 May at 8:15am until 10am. If you can’t make it to this brekkie, you can stay up-to-date with TechSPARK’s other regular events and Techie Brekkies by joining the TechSPARK meetup group. If you want to stay-in-touch with the latest tech news, events and jobs in the South West, subscribe to the TechSPARK newsletter or follow us on Twitter: @TechSPARKuk.
