This October, we are celebrating Global Diversity Awareness Month by checking in with, and paying tribute to, a few of the amazing women founders (and their companies) we had the pleasure of meeting during last year’s Empower Women in Shared Mobility Program. We had applicants from almost every continent, each one striving to make our planet a better place to live, by helping us move around easier and safer.
Here at movmi, we are very lucky to be part of a multicultural team, so we understand the value of having co-workers with different nationalities. Each team member has a unique point of view based on their individual background and experience, which means that we can only gain a more comprehensive understanding of any subject matter – not just shared mobility. This is why we try to extend our network as far and as wide as possible, to connect with partners, clients and of course, our EmpowerWISM applicants from across the world.
Keep reading for an international update on some of our EmpowerWISM applicants! Read more about last year’s EmpowerWISM program here.
Singe Network – Powering voices to create the future
Singe is a multi-media production company that develops hybrid live+tech solutions for overlooked markets with a focus on gender equality and migration. We first met Founder Susie Kahlick and her company Singe, when they came first place in our Empower Women in Shared Mobility program last year. In support of their main product, Pretty Deadly Self Defense, they are developing digital Safety Cards — like the kind found on airplanes – to be delivered via an API key that integrates into mobile apps.
Their vision is to create in-app Safety Cards – illustrated instructions that provide clear, simple direction in emergency situations. Pretty Deadly Safety Cards can fill the Safety App Gap. Pretty Deadly Safety Cards provide information users can access immediately, for subways, taxis (and Ubers, Lyfts, et al), and even for first- and last-mile journeys with the safety tips needed to create space, and get safe while waiting for help during the 7 minute emergency response time.
Learn more about Singe from Founder and CEO, Susie Kahlick and how they are empowering women with the tools to manage their own safety whilst commuting, by watching the video below.
Earth Rides – Modern Electric Rideshare
Earth Rides is the first all electric ride share fleet to hit the US with a focus on safety and quality. Earth Rides is committed to offering transparent pricing and payouts by committing to never surging riders and always giving drivers visibility into each cost of the ride. The company uses a mixed model of employment to allow for those who own their own EV to drive on the platform as I9 and those who do not as W4 with an hourly rate + tips.
To date, Earth Rides has expanded to three cities, Austin, Nashville and Phoenix and serves 300,000 passengers. CEO and Founder, Raven Hernandez has also raised two million dollars in outside funding so far. The vision for the company is to expand into all major metropolitan areas in the United States within the next 5 years, and further expand to Latin America. To also assist in creating pathways to electric vehicle ownership regardless of socioeconomic status.
To learn a little bit more about Earth Rides, check out this clip from the Today Show where they interview the company’s inspiring female founder, Raven Hernandez.
eWaka – Revolutionizing the way your business moves
eWAKA, Africa’s new market entrant spearheading sustainable mobility options, launched a fleet of electric vehicle options in March this year, in a green response to Africa’s expanding transportation requirements. The fleet includes electric bodas, the backbone of Africa’s local delivery sector, and rideshare options including electric kick start scooters and bicycles available on demand.
Additionally, eWAKA will be offering clients robust IT capabilities to support transportation management efforts through an online and mobile-based app that enables real-time tracking of vehicles, performance metric monitoring and geofencing for remote immobilization if needed for security options.
“We are extremely pleased to have officially launched eWAKA as there is tremendous growth potential in providing Kenya and the region with increased access to electric vehicle options. eWAKA’s planned services will address frustrating and disruptive mobility experiences by offering a sustainable solution that will increase connectivity, improve efficiencies and offer safe environmentally-friendly transportation. For 2022, we are excited about signing new customer agreements, expanding our offering and securing a strategic investor to accelerate eWAKA’s growth plans that include setting up a local assembly facility.” – Celeste Vogel, Co-founder, Chief Executive Officer & General Counsel of eWAKA
eWAKA’s offering consists of a comprehensive line of electric vehicles for multiple customer segments in different sectors, including delivery companies, healthcare providers, hotels and universities. ewaka was also recently shortlisted as one of the top 10 technology companies in the Building Back: Women Innovators in Technology Pitch Competition!
Hydroplane Ltd. – Decarbonizing air Travel
In the race for carbon-free air travel, Hydroplane Ltd. is developing a hydrogen fuel cell powertrain that can be swapped into existing general aviation aircraft.
In June this year, Hydroplane announced that it had won its second U.S. Air Force technology contract – worth $750,000 – to demonstrate its hydrogen fuel cell technology in aircraft both on the ground and in the air. At the same time, the company announced it closed a funding round that raised $2 million from unidentified angel investors.
Founder Anita Sengupta, is hoping to hold the first rigorous flight tests using the hydrogen fuel cell technology in Piper Aircraft Inc. general aviation planes sometime next year. The ultimate goal is to get Hydroplane’s hydrogen fuel cell technology certified for use in existing general aviation aircraft; the company is targeting the sizable mid-range flight market of 200 to 600 miles.
UpGirl – Safety and peace of mind in every journey
After two and a half years, the 2020 startup, UpGirl, led by women has more than 30 people employees, 10,000 female passengers and almost 2,000 registered drivers in the Metropolitan region of Valparaíso, where they have started their operation.
The app has two modes for requesting trips or shipments: UpGirl on-demand, which is the traditional punctual and occasional trip that can be immediate or scheduled for up to seven more days, and UpGirl Match, which responds to scheduled trips with a minimum of four trips per month, with the assigned driver.
“At UpGirl we give the opportunity to women drivers who want to be financially independent and develop in a safe, flexible environment, with better working conditions, incentives and offering a unique travel model of recurring programming that allows them to organize their time. and long-term income.” Founder and CEO, Kim Maturana
This app has a unique verification model, becoming the only one that verifies documentation, identity and criminal records for passenger accounts as well as drivers. Its CEO also says that pro-security functions have been implemented in addition to the SOS button, a unique OTP code that prevents identity theft and the “favorite driver” code that strengthens the bond of trust.
Despite the pandemic the app has grown at an average monthly rate of 12.5% in terms of registers already 103% in trips. The financing for its start-up has been mainly thanks to private financing, starting with its own funds, then escalating to capital funding with family & friends rounds and angel investors.
They are currently in an open round of seed series capital raising, partly covered by the award of the InnovaChile-CORFO Consolida y Expande fund and the recent entry of two investors and strategic partners from the C-lebel of two successful startups, one of them from the field of electromobility and an expert in Growth.
We will be launching Empower Women in Shared Mobility 2023 very soon! Make sure you follow us on social media for updates.
