Best in beauty (tech) 2020, getting a grant for your business, investing in clean tech, how AI is shaping design + more WoW news
Your go-to place for latest news and updates from the world of emerging technologies and diversity in tech.
Hello there!
Thank you for reading this newsletter and for tuning in this Monday!
‘The idea of “crisis management” requires no explanation right now. Something unexpected and significant happens, and our first instincts are to defend against — and later to understand and manage — the disturbance to the status quo. The crisis is an unpredictable enemy to be tamed for the purpose of restoring normality.’, write Martin Reeves and Jack Fuller in their article for HBR, published last week.
But we may not be able to return to our familiar pre-crisis reality. Pandemics, wars, and other social crises often create new attitudes, needs, and behaviors, which need to be managed. We believe imagination — the capacity to create, evolve, and exploit mental models of things or situations that don’t yet exist — is the crucial factor in seizing and creating new opportunities, and finding new paths to growth.
All crises contain the seeds of opportunity. Many businesses, struggling now, will likely find a second life during and after the crisis, if they can keep alive and harness their imaginations. Imagination may seem like a frivolous luxury in a crisis, but it is actually a necessity for building future success.
To conclude, we need imagination now more than ever. So stay hopeful, stay imaginative!
Happy reading! :)
If your startup or small business is looking for funding, one option is to apply for a business grant. However, there is usually a strict eligibility criteria and fierce competition for getting funds, so what are some key things you need to to consider before applying?
Join us in May for our webinar where we will discuss opportunities for getting a grant for your business with three grant experts!
Topics we will cover:
1) What is a grant and can your business get one;
2) Where can you find out about startup and small business grants, as well as what grant opportunities are available through EU funding (Horizon 2020), Innovate UK, government grants and more;
3) How to apply for startup and small business grants + hear from startup founders who have received one;
4) Other sources of startup or small business funding.
Upcoming WoW virtual events
WEBINAR - What’s Next For HealthTech? (23 April 6:30pm BST / 1:30pm ET / 10:30am PT
WoW members monthly gathering (+ brain power workshop with Daria Tsvenger to reduce anxiety and increase focus) - FREE for members and non-members, 6 May / 6pm BST / 1pm ET / 10am PT
WEBINAR - From Investor’s Perspective: fireside chat with Juliana Garaizar, VC and angel investor, Portfolia lead investor, Kauffman Fellow; 13 May 6:30pm BST / 1:30pm ET / 10:30am PT
WEBINAR - Investing in Sustainability & CleanTech, 27 May 6:30pm BST / 1:30pm ET / 10:30am PT
We are currently working on planning WoW webinars for summer 2020, please reach out if you’d like to speak or partner with us. Get in touch!
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WoW community news, updates and resources
The Vogue Beauty Awards 2020, now in its third year, puts the power in your hands to decide who the winners are. With the support of the Vogue beauty team, you can choose the products, brands and innovations that excite you the most, and, of course, live up to their promises. Our favourites are Ohne 100% Organic Tampons in BEST AT SAVING THE PLANET category and Dove Be Real campaign for encouraging positive attitudes towards body image and ageing in LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FOR INCLUSIVITY category. Submit your vote here. You can meet Nikki, co-founder of Ohne 100% Organic Tampons, at our webinar this Wednesday!
We have recently partnered with Neat, who provide multi-currency business accounts to startups & SMEs, specifically those with customers, suppliers or staff in Asia. As a special perk for the WOW community, those who sign up successfully here will receive £100 following their first transaction.
Our friends from Bioself Technology have launched new Sensate - coming soon on Indiegogo, the next-gen Sensate! Sensate calms the mind and body after stress, deactivating “fight, flight, freeze” and bringing your body back into balance. Sign up now to be first to get Sensate at up to 50% off!
Are you an ethnic minority business or a founder with a new idea that can make our world a better place? Apply for the MSDUK Innovation Challenge to bring your ideas to the front, get noticed by industry and the business world and win exciting prizes that will help you bring your ideas to life. Previous prize winners have been offered scholarships to attend Ivy League Business School, corporate mentoring and product introductions. Application deadline is May 29.
With the help of amazing NHS nurses from the ICU, Kim Palmer and Clementine app team designed a set of hypnotherapy sessions to help support everyone in the medical and caring professions. Kim was one of our panelists at our ‘From Founder’s Perspective’ panel in February.
Join Data Privacy and Ethics expert Ivana Bartoletti and The Guardian's John Crace as they discuss power, politics and AI at this special online launch of Ivana's new book, AN ARTIFICIAL REVOLUTION, 20 May. Ivana was one of our panelists at our ‘AI in Healthare’ panel last year, done in partnership with Babylon Health.
Innovative 3D printing hubs launched to drive protective equipment production at scale, including our WoW woman and Women in 3D Printing UK lead Kadine James.
Tech Will Save Us are building a generation of digital creators and have created a play-led, home learning system focused on creativity & technology for 4-12-year-olds, which delivers fun and long term learning advantages. You can now pre-register for exclusive early access to their crowdfunding campaign on Seedrs!
Latest WoW women interviews on our blog:
WoW Woman in Sustainable Fashion | Kristy Chong, founder and CEO of Modibodi, a reusable, sustainable range of tops, singlets and sweat-proof undies, created to liberate us all from endless amounts of landfill.
WoW Woman in Med Tech | Rachel Fallon, CTO at Sky Medical Technology, developing a reusable multi-use wearable device for the homecare.
WoW Woman in VR | Shanna Clement, Marketing Manager at TG0, an IP-focused start-up specialising in novel tactile human machine interface technology.
WoW Woman in Health Tech | Eszter Ozsvald, founder and CTO of Notch, a motion-tech company building products and apps to either help improve health-related or sports-specific physical fitness.
Industry events, news and updates
Lunch and learn: Identifying consumer trends and new consumers, webinar by Enterprise Nation, April 20
Remote work: how to stay connected & organised, webinar by General Assembly, April 22
London Internet of Things Meetup #98, April 21
LDC x INTERLACED: Who Fashion Forgets, April 23
Only 3% of Business Investment Goes to Women, and That’s a Problem for Everyone / by Rachel Sheppard, Crunchbase
Navigating A Recession: Q&A With Investor And Stanford GSB Lecturer Robert Siegel / by Mary Ann Azevedo, Crunchbase
Is the future of the events industry virtual? / by Amy Lewin, Sifted
The Founder's Field Guide for Navigating This Crisis — Advice from Recession-Era Leaders, Investors and CEOs Currently at the Helm / via FirstRound Review
31 Best work-from-home apps / via Clockify
Ultra thin, flexible solar cell could revolutionise wearable tech / by Blake Matich, pv magazine
Microsoft is giving workers 12 weeks of paid parental leave because of school disruptions / by Rishi Iyengar, CNN Business
Why Covid-19 is different for men and women / by Martha Henriques, BBC Future
What Do Countries With The Best Coronavirus Responses Have In Common? Women Leaders / by Avivah Wittenberg-Cox, Forbes
Consumer genomics company 23andMe wants to mine its database of millions of customers for clues to why the Covid-19 hits some people harder than others / by Megan Molteni, Wired
Stanford teams up with Fitbit to develop wearables that detect coronavirus symptoms / by Thomas Macaulay, The Next Web
Coronavirus pandemic sets up potential breakout moment for virtual mental health care / by Rebecca Robbins, StatNews
From 2000 to 2017, the number of registered clinical trials featuring CGMs, apps and other connected devices rose at a 34% CAGR, according to new data from Harvard researchers / by Dave Muoio, MobiHealth News
Brooklyn artist turns food waste into sustainable fashion / by Katie Mather, ITK
How Artificial Intelligence Will Shape Design by 2050 / by Eric Baldwin, ArchDaily
Competitions, awards, challenges, grants
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