ABSTRACT
The comparison of Zipline and Impossible Foods gets at the heart of the challenge when trying to characterize ‘tech for impact.’ Technology is about striving to do things better and, in the process, making new and better normals for people and the planet. For Zipline, innovation comes in the form of drone technology, and for Impossible Foods, it comes in the form of the science behind a new kind of meat. Andela is building a network of technology leaders across Africa to help companies overcome the tech talent shortage and build better products, faster. Technology is designed to address problems and challenges, but many argue that those with the most power are typically the ones building the tech and determining which problems to solve. Some of the biggest challenges surrounding technologies are bound up in these age-old questions. Innovation, increased accessibility, and scalability are defining characteristics of many of Google Ventures’s social-impact-minded portfolio companies.
