For the past month, much of the world has been on lockdown in an attempt to 'flatten the curve'. While the negative impacts are immeasurable, this has been a critical opportunity for us to rethink our priorities, reflect on our privilege and, most importantly, be grateful for the people working to improve and save the lives of our most vulnerable.
When it comes to acting quickly to emerging issues, our portfolio companies are stellar examples. We hope this month's positive headlines give you a small boost in these uncertain times.
Zipline drones deliver first coronavirus test samples in Ghana. In a world-first, Zipline drones transported COVID-19 test samples from rural town Omenako to Accra, the capital city, for testing and analysis. It's the first time autonomous drones have been used to make regular long-range deliveries into densely populated urban areas, and the first time that drones have been used to deliver COVID-19 test samples. Zipline is also working with American government regulators to launch a similar initiative in the US as soon as possible.
Destacame grants loans for Chileans struggling with growing financial security. The recent economic fall has hit Chile hard, particularly low-to-middle-income households struggling to make ends meet. Due to increasing job losses, many of these households are drowned in interest rates, resulting in unfavourable credit ratings and exacerbating an already difficult situation. Destacame.cl is helping these households resolve their delinquent cases by giving them credits to consolidate their debts and move their loans to the Destacame platform, which require a significantly lower interest rate.
Iris.ai opens to researchers during COVID-19. To do their part in combatting the pandemic, this month, Iris.ai made an important PSA: "For anyone working on any aspect of research around COVID-19, whether on the epidemiology, virology, biology, psychology or anything else, and whether you are an academic or a concerned citizen, we hereby invite you to join Iris.ai." Provided their research is on the current pandemic and findings through Iris.ai are shared publicly, users will be given free premium access to the platform and added to the COVID-19 research group.
Ava's technology gets a serious update from the worldwide working-from-home experiment. For some, working remotely has been a curse, but for Ava, it's been a blessing. The time has enabled them to test and improve several aspects of their speech-to-text technology, initially designed for the deaf and hard-of-hearing. Their key products Ava Pro and Ava Campus have been enhanced specifically for all online meetings. The platform is also doubling the Ava Pro and Campus free trial time to 30-days to ensure accessibility in these difficult times.
Circuit Scribe promoted for at-home teaching. If you're a parent and have been feeling guilty about the amount of screentime at home, this is an article for you. Circuit Scribe, along with several other DIY projects, has been featured as a key educational activity for children to do while in lockdown. The projects aim to "engage your minds, activate their problem-solving skills and super-subtly encourage a career in a lucrative STEM career so they can afford to take care of you when you’re old".
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Image: Nathaniel Abadji
