The Watch List is a new department in which we identify potentially viral new products, services and companies emanating from the Wharton community. In this case, we present ventures with a social responsibility thrust.
Humanistic Robotics Inc.
Samuel Reeves, W’05, and company first made a name for themselves focusing on technology to deal with landmines and IEDs but the broader vision is to make “the world a safer place through engineering.”
Pledge4Good
Vikram Bellapravalu, WG’12, is leveraging a People’s Choice Award from the 2012 Wharton Business Plan Competition and ample media attention to grow Pledge4Good, a platform that allows users to give small donations for small feats.
OwnEnergy
With a background in energy at Goldman, Jacob Susman, WG’04, founded his own firm in 2007 to help people and organizations generate their own renewable wind power.
Omaze
Support social missions while getting in the running for a chance to win once-in-a-lifetime experiences like playing tennis with Andre Agassi or being a CIA spy for a day? It’s been a win-win for Omaze users and founder Matt Pohlson, WG’11.
World Housing Solution
At World Housing Solution, Ron Ben-Zeev, W’86, is aiming to tackle the global housing crisis and provide safe housing for the billions of people who currently lack it.
Hydros Bottle
The company started by Aakash Mathur, W’09, C’09, and Jay Parekh, ENG’09, along with Winston Ibrahim, is more than just their innovative filtering bottle. It’s about fighting the global water crisis.
TutorChatLive
Co-founders Diana Kattan, W’12, and Matthew Capeletti, W’12, are passionate about the idea of removing barriers for students to receive help with schoolwork.
Spark
We first wrote about Spark co-founder Chris Balme, C’03, W’03, in our Winter 2012 issue. Since then, the youth-apprenticeship organization has expanded into such places as Philadelphia.
Editor’s note: Know of a new product, service or company for the next Watch List? Tell us: magazine@wharton.upenn.edu.
