Giving Compass' Take:

•  Alex Amouyel, writing for B the Change, describes four startups leveraging technology to improve the lives of women around the globe.

• How can donors fund social entrepreneurs that are investing in advocating for women? 

• Read about the importance of women in impact investing. 

Investing in women is an investment in the world, and more investors are recognizing the importance of investing in gender-balanced teams. But achieving gender equity calls for more than agreement.

Less than 10 percent of these same investors build a strategy or set targets to fulfill this belief, and only 10 percent of women are in senior decision-making positions. In 2017, less than 3 percent of global venture funding went to female-led teams. However, at MIT Solve, we believe in putting women’s great ideas into action. MIT Solve is a marketplace connecting innovators with resources to solve global challenges.

From boosting the skills of garment workers to improving maternal health care to documenting sexual violence, these four startups are using tech to change lives and empower women in innovative ways. Each drives us toward reaching gender equality.

  1. Shimmy UpSkill The Shimmy Upskill learning software uses game mechanics and artificial intelligence (AI) to teach digital pattern-making and 3D modeling — both in-demand skills.
  2. E-Heza  Throughout Africa, existing eHealth solutions are inadequate, and many applications do not enable providers to deliver effective and affordable health care. Enter E-Heza, which takes a user-centered design approach to avoid traditional barriers to product adoption, making it easy for nurses to log health data while examining patients.
  3. MediCapt: Every year, tens of thousands of women are raped in conflict zones around the world. Most don’t report these crimes, and when some do, many cases fail due to poor evidence.
  4. Neopenda: Nearly 3 million newborns do not survive their first month in low-resource settings, but 80 percent of these deaths could be preventable with the right tools. Enter Neopenda, which builds medical devices for high-growth emerging markets — starting with an affordable neonatal monitoring device.

Read the full article about using tech to advance women's lives by Alex Amouyel at B the Change.