Each award cycle we receive hundreds, sometimes thousands, of nominations, which are boiled down to just five winners. But, (and it's a big one) while it's important to celebrate the best, we don't believe the impact should stop there.

That's why the Design to Improve Life Fund, our micro-VC fund, invests into The Index Award pipeline. Over the past year, we've invested in 11 companies from the 2017 cycle spanning a broad range of industries and geographies. 

While our portfolio is always brimming with good news, each month we'll be presenting our top five picks.

what3words partners with Tata Motors, India’s largest car manufacturer. This will enable drivers to enter three-word address by voice or text and receive directions to that exact location. Drivers will be able to enter destinations in 36 languages, including Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu and Marathi.

Zipline adds a new, and rather recognisable, face to its Board of Directors. Last month, the crew revealed images of U2-frontman Bono launching a Zipline drone in the air in Half Moon Bay, California. “They’re making distance disappear,” new board member Bono said in a recent interview with FastCo.

Ignitia revealed as one of three winners of The Norrsken Award 2019. The Swedish award recognises the best impact startups in the Nordics and each winner receives a tailored-prize from the world’s leading advisors McKinsey & Co, Brunswick Group and Mannheimer Swartling.

Seaborg Technologies singled out as a new promising solution for nuclear energy. In the new documentary 'Inside Bill’s Brain: Decoding Bill Gates', the philanthropist makes it clear that nuclear energy could be THE clean (and safe) energy supply the world needs. Now, all eyes are on companies like Seaborg that are working to make this happen.

AVA recently featured in Closing the Gap, which details just how impactful the app can be across almost all areas of life. The article explores the benefits of the app in the workplace, for both employees and employers, how it improves the shopping experience, and even how it helps people worship.

Read more about the Design to Improve Life Fund and all our portfolio companies.

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Image: Peter Prato for Zipline