20 projects selected to receive crowdfunding support: how do they intend to improve the world?

Energy savings, sustainability, education, and reducing ecological footprints are the key areas of focus among the 20 projects selected by a global jury to receive support from Santander X Explorer in a crowdfunding campaign.

In the initial phase, 30 ideas were chosen and received intensive training on this form of financing. Now, 20 of them are moving on to the next stage: very soon they will be launching a campaign to raise funds and, in this way, try to get these projects off the ground. We present them to you one by one:

- Agricultura4Data (Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Spain): By installing sensors that collect real-time data, this project aims to analyze, automate, and optimize pre-, during-, and post-harvest processes in agriculture.

- BrainyBoard Board Games Store (Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Brazil): Educational and personalized board games to support student learning in public and private schools.

- Cézo (University of Greenwich, UK): Comfortable clothing inspired by African fashion, made from soft and comfortable materials suitable for everyday wear.

- Clínica Matria (Universidad Miguel Hernández, Spain): Comprehensive women’s care center focused on pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum stages.

- Cowia (Universidad Ort de Uruguay): Using machine learning and camera vision to detect problems in the legs of dairy cattle.

- Dom-Us (Universidad de Cantabria, Spain): Platform that collects real-time data (temperature, air quality, speed, humidity…) through smartwatches and mobile devices to automatically adjust building systems such as climate control, lighting, or ventilation, achieving maximum comfort while reducing consumption.

- Leadership School for Girls (Universidad del Rosario, Colombia): Education in leadership skills, analysis, women’s history, and argumentation to help young girls understand from an early age that they can participate in politics and that their opinions matter.

- Foodhy (Pontificia Universidad Javeriana Cali, Colombia): A platform that offers data focused on healthy products and recipes. It’s gamified to promote motivation and education on a healthier lifestyle.

- Gart (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México): This platform helps emerging artists gain more visibility. Restaurants, Airbnb accommodations, hotels, and venues can exhibit artworks for free, in exchange for having the artwork available for sale with a QR code. The artwork can also be purchased directly from the platform without needing to see it first in a venue.

- Helpapp (Universidad de Jaén, Spain): A platform where people needing occasional assistance to care for their adult relatives can connect with others offering help (transportation, companionship, entertainment…).

- Incluit (Argentina): Translates voice to sign language in real-time to enhance the inclusion of students with hearing disabilities.

- Incommon (Universidad Pública de Navarra, Spain): Social media with chat, image, and video where communities or groups can be created with either open or restricted access. Users have full control over their content thanks to blockchain technology, which also creates an internal economy within each community through tokens: groups can use them to reward their members.

- Kidag Solutions (Universidad Continental, Peru): Machine that separates wastewater from solids, thereby reducing pollution generated by these.

- Komuni (Universitat de Barcelona, Spain): Online platform offering reservations for community-based and sustainable accommodations and tourist experiences.

- La Femme (Universidad de Palermo - Centro de Desarrollo para Emprendedores y Exportadores, Argentina): Design and production of textile items made from surplus production materials. The dyeing of raw fabrics or natural fibres is done with food waste.

- Lightu (Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Spain): Collaborative platform providing effective and safe guidance to students at various levels to help them make informed decisions about their educational and professional paths through shared user experiences.

- Mova - Healthy Ventilation (Universidad Tecnológica Nacional-Facultad Regional Haedo, Argentina): Intelligent environment management device specifically aimed at hospitals. In addition to measuring CO, CO2, temperature, and humidity, it also allows for action on these variables through a forced ventilation system.

- Neuroplastic Lab (Chile): System comprising a data processing platform, an interaction interface and materials repository, and a set of haptic technology. It provides tools and strategies to promote mental health, with a special emphasis on neurodiversity.

- Optimuuu (Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Spain): Automated system that adapts to the needs of each livestock farm.

- Relatidos (Universidad de Jaén, Spain): Geolocated audio tour guide aimed at municipalities affected by rural depopulation. A digital map on our mobile device will guide us to various points of interest in the area, where we can play audio recordings that compile oral testimonies from long-lived locals, recounting memories of ancient life.

Very soon we will see the launch of their campaigns and see how far these world-improving ideas will go. For now, they continue to move towards the goal of becoming viable businesses.