One Step At A Time

 

Adventure. Excitement. Danger. Charity?  

The Put Foot Rally combines these aspects and more into their philanthropy. The organization calls on adrenaline-seeking teams to travel 9,000 kilometers across six African countries in 18 days. Barcelona will be sending its own team, the Hot Chili Chicas, to journey their way through the sights and sounds of Africa.

 

You can help send them off in style at the BRAVA Summer Evening event this Thursday, June 7th at the Skyview Bar and Lounge, Gates Hotel starting at 19:00. Tapas, dancing, drinks, live performances and guest speakers will celebrate these four women before embarking on their journey.

 

If you are looking for a trip with a tour guide, luxurious amenities and gourmet food,  then leave the adventure for the Hot Chili Chicas.

 

The Put Foot Rally is Toms meets The Amazing Race. While journeying through South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique, participants give shoes to young African children, often their first pair of shoes ever. The teams are completely un-assisted. So if your car breaks down, you injure yourself, or you get lost, it’s your problem. This charity event is not for the weak or quitters and has a “legends only” policy.

 

So, now that you’re convinced and have your bags packed with your travel toothbrush and an extra pair of underwear, what else do you need?

 

Transportation. Teams in the past have travelled on vehicles old and new, small and large. Some have made the journey on motorcycles, while others opt for a customized, Mad Max inspired vehicles.

 

In each country, the four women will travel to checkpoints where they literally “put foot” by placing shoes on African kids. Afterwards, a themed party kicks off the festivities. The crews meet up at each one, celebrate, and continue to the next point from there.

 

While traveling through these countries, the Hot Chili Chicas will get to experience Africa authentically. With more than 2 different languages spoken in each country, participants juggle language and cultural barriers as well as wildlife hazards like potential lion maulings.

 

Now that you understand the tumultuous nature of the Put Foot Rally, the Hot Chili Chicas are going to need your support.

 

At the BRAVA Summer Evening charity event, guest speakers, music performances, drinks and tapas will help send off these “brava” women. What’s that? You want even more philanthropy? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Your ticket also benefits AADAS, a Barcelona-based charity that supports abused women and children in Catalonia.

 

You can RSVP, get more information, and buy tickets here: https://www.facebook.com/events/2087636794850763/

 

See you there. (no Mad Max vehicle necessary. Just take the metro).

4YFN Highlights

This year’s 4YFN was full of inspiring and innovative startups who are on their way to revolutionizing how we use technology for the better. Below are 10 of our favourite startups:

  1. A-muse

This company uses music and technology to help health centres increase motivation for therapy in patients. Through personalized music therapy patients can improve their motivation, self-confidence, and social skills. For more information, visit their website at http://www.amusetech.co/.

2. Bwom

Bwom is a smartphone app for women’s health that allows users to create personalized health plans in order to boost their physical and emotional health. It tackles the questions of women’s intimate health, including those related to pregnancy and sex. For more information, check them out at https://www.b-wom.com/en/.

3. Viisights

This startup innovates video processing for behavioural recognition. Their technology uses neural networks that are programmed to analyze data and automatically recognize the behaviour of subjects in the video. This technology has the potential to revolutionize how video surveillance is used for security purposes by automating the analysis of video files in order to determine the behaviour of subjects in the videos. To learn more about viisights, visit their website at https://www.viisights.com/solutions/.

4. Nous4Health

This startup uses advanced technology to create health-related products and services which are personalized according to each user’s requirements. They have developed a children’s role-playing game that teaches children with illnesses such as diabetes about making healthy choices. By empowering those with chronic illnesses, Nous4Health aims to promote healthy living. For more information on Nous4Health and their products, visit their website at http://nous4health.com/.

5. Mediktor

This advanced medical aid smartphone app uses AI to evaluate your symptoms in order to conducts a prediagnosis by evaluating your systems. AI allows the user to describe how they feel in their own words while also asking questions in order to determine your illness. It also allows you to connect with a specialist. Check out this innovative app which you can try at https://www.mediktor.com/en.

6. Childcare On

Childcare On is a communication platform for kindergarten and nursery school teachers, students, and parents to connect with one another. The app and design can also be customized by the school. By facilitating communication between teachers and parents this app allows parents to monitor their children’s educational progress and easily resolve issues. To learn more, visit Childcare On at https://childcareon.com/.

7. The Valley

The Valley is a digital business school and digital ecosystem that connects talent, knowledge, and innovation. While offering programs to business directors and senior and young professionals, they also provide a co-working space for digital startups. Another program, The Valley Talent, also is a headhunter for digital profiles. For more information on The Valley and their services, visit https://thevalley.es/.

8. Ethical Time

Ethical Time is the first smartphone app to focus on sustainable fashion. The user first can navigate using a map or with search criteria such as location, price, or age. They can then select options such as vegan clothing, clothing made using natural dyes, second-hand clothing, or clothes that are part of the circular economy. Check out this innovative startup at https://www.verkami.com/projects/19276-ethical-time-la-1a-app-de-moda-sostenible.

9. Yo También Leo

This smartphone application focuses on teaching children with Down syndrome to read in an accessible manner. Yo También Leo aims to personalize the reading education that children with Downs syndrome receive by tailoring it to their own needs and learning pace. Learn more about Yo También Leo at http://yotambienleo.com/wp/.

10. reCircula

This startup aims to boost recycling by equipping recycling bins with solar-powered meters that reimburse users for recycling via a smartphone application. The meters also provide local authorities with user data for improving existing recycling programs. Check out their website for more information: https://recirculasolutions.com/en/.

Be sure to check out their websites for more information. We are already looking forward to next year. See you there!

World Mobile Congress and 4YFN Week

Mobile World Congress (MWC) week is just around the corner! From February 26 to March 1, tech giants will be exhibiting new and exciting products and hosting numerous conferences, workshops, and keynote presentations at MWC. From February 26 to 28, 4 Years From Now (4YFN) will also be alongside MWC showcasing startups with opportunities for startups, investors and corporations to connect.

We wanted to provide you with some of this year’s topics and trends that will be featured at MWC and 4YFN. This year’s hot topics and themes include disruption and innovation in Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, virtual reality, net neutrality, and conscious leadership! Below are some of our must-see themes and speakers:

 

  1. Conscious Leadership: How To Embody Conscious Leadership & Embrace Diversity To Get Results

   Speakers: Kim Arazi from IN3 and Mariana Lucia Marquez from Metaspeech

   Time: Wednesday, Feb. 28, 13:00 – 14:00

   Location: Hall M8 – Fira Montjuic, Workshop 02

 

  1. AI Ethics

  Speakers: Rob High from IBM Watson, Aurélie Pols from OX3 Analytics, and Clara Neppel from IEEE

  Time: Monday, Feb. 26, 13:30 – 14:30

  Location: Hall 4, Auditorium 4

 

  1. Women in Tech: How To Implement Gender Diversity and Equality in the Tech Sector

  Speaker: Sasha Twining from the BBC

  Time: Monday, Feb. 26, 12:45 – 13:15

  Location: Congress Square, Broadcast Village

 

  1. State Of The Crypto, Token And Blockchain Market

  Speakers: Brendan Eich from Brave Software, Julio Faura from Banco Santander, Richard Muirhead from Fabric Ventures, Henok    Tekle from Alphachain, and Carlos Domingo from SPICE VC and Securitize

  Time: Monday, Feb. 26, 15:00 – 16:00

  Location: Hall M*, Fira Montjuic, Banco Sabadell Stage

 

  1. Is a Cashless Society on the Horizon?

  Speakers: Jeffrey Bower from Bower & Partners Consulting Services, David Parker from Polymath Consulting, Meredith Spatz from  Citigroup Inc., Jit Bhattacharya from Fenix International, Andi Dervishi from IFC, Rachel Balsham from MFS Africa, Anne Boden from    Starling Bank, Mike Tuckett from Transport for London, and Bill Gajda from Visa Inc.

  Time: Tuesday, Feb. 27, 14:00 – 15:00

  Location: Hall 4, Auditorium 3

 

  1. Virtual Reality in Education

  Speaker: Bum Jun Lee, CEO of Fairip

  Time: Wednesday, Feb. 28, 13:00 – 13:20

  Location: Hall M*, Fira Montjuic, Airbus Stage

 

  1. Local Heroes (100% Green electric company that provides with fair and transparent bills)

  Speaker: Carlota Pi from Holaluz

  Time: Monday, Feb. 26, 17:00 – 17:30

  Location: Hall M8, Fira Montjuic, Nestlé Stage

 

  1. Emerging Trends in Cybersecurity

  Speakers: Liz Fleming and Nico Goulet from Adara Ventures, Carles Solé from CaixaBank, David Barroso from CounterCraft, and  Karel Obluk from Evolution Equity

  Time: Tuesday, Feb. 27, 15:20 – 16:00

  Location: Hall M8, Fira Montjuic, Banco Sabadell Stage

 

  1. Digital Innovations and Humanitarianism

  Speakers: Kyla Reid from GSMA, Rachel Way from Ignitia AB, Nick Sparks from Pawame Limited, Alastair Westgarth from Project    Loon, Google X, Aysem Ertopuz from Turkcell, Magdalena Banasiak from UK DFID, Joakim Reiter from Vodaphone Group Services    Ltd., Robert Opp from the World Food Programme, and Yazen Altimimi from ZainCash Iraq

  Time: Wednesday, Feb. 28, 14:30 – 16:00

  Location: CC1 Room 1.5

 

  1. Leading and Disrupting

  Speaker: Andrew Bolwell from HP Tech Ventures

  Time: Tuesday, Feb. 27, 12:30 – 13:00

  Location: Hall M*, Fira Montjuic, Banco Sabadell Stage

 

  1. The Positive Impacts of Technology in Overcoming Global Challenges

  Speaker: David Tennenhouse from VMware

  Time: Tuesday, Feb. 27, 11:00 – 11:30

  Location: Hall M8, Fira Montjuic, Nestlé Stage

 

We will also be hosting a networking event for Tech Tribe on Wednesday, February 28 at the

Barceló Raval from 19:00 – 00:00. For more information, check out the link below!

https://www.facebook.com/events/1047531155388256/

 

We are looking forward to attending MWC and 4YFN from February 26 to March 1 here in Barcelona! See you all there!

The Slow Fashion Movement

Having already discussed the slow movement in a previous blog, we thought it would be interesting to delve into the world of slow fashion. After all, whether or not we are all style experts, we all wear clothes at one point or another. Most of us buy from big brands, the fast fashion industry, usually for convenience. Emerging in the later half of the twenty-first century, the Fast Fashion industry is represented by the giants such as Zara, H&M, and Joe Fresh. Their low prices and fast cat-walk to rack ratio means that people can be stylish at lost cost, but also low quality. It’s designed to move quickly, and make you feel like you need to buy something new every week to stay in style.

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Buzzword: Artificial Intelligence

This week we are continuing our buzzword blog series with Artificial Intelligence.
AI has been making waves for quite a while now. It had been the subject of many a science fiction novel or film, the kind where machines have gotten so smart they rise against the human race. But in all honesty, the term artificial intelligence is nothing that should strike fear into your heart.

Continue reading “Buzzword: Artificial Intelligence”

Using Music As A Productivity Tool by Randy Rogers

Who doesn’t love music? At some point in your life, odds are you’ve found at least one song that has meant the world to you. Did you know music can also be helpful in a work environment? This week we are featuring a guest blog about music and productivity by Randy Rogers from Musiciansbyte, a website dedicated to the world of music.

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The Business of Social Media Part 2

Last week, we addressed how social media makes money through advertisements, discussing how, exactly, companies such as Facebook and Instagram have made their millions. That is only one side of the story. In the age of social media, there are also users who make a living through their various accounts. That’s right, people who sign up for personal accounts can quickly find themselves getting paid. Today, we’re going to take a look a how you could be making money from it too.

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The Business of Social Media

Social media. Everyone has it, everyone uses it. In the past couple of years, it has seemingly dominated the internet, with mega-platforms such as Facebook, Youtube, Instagram, and Twitter getting the most attention. They are immensely popular, generating hundreds of millions of users from around the globe. The companies are worth billions and their CEOs are among the richest people in the world. Between July and September of 2016, Facebook saw $7 billion US in revenue. Since their services are free to users, you might wonder how they actually make money.

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Buzzword: Innovation

Continuing our Buzzword series, this week we are looking at the word innovation. More and more, the word gets tossed around and overused by businesses trying to seem like they’re on the forefront of something. But what does it really mean? Well, according to Merriam-Webster, it means to “introduce something new,” or “a new idea, method, or device.” Continue reading “Buzzword: Innovation”

Why Are Communities So Important?

As a direct result of the social human nature, we have always been prone to finding those who are like us. Through friendship, shared interest, or even business, we form small communities of like-minded people. You live in a physical community of houses and neighbours, you work in a professional community of business and experts, and your friends represent a social community.

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