Circle Unveils Fourth ‘Unlocking Impact’ Pitch Competition at UN Summit

Today
marks
a
significant
event
as
Circle
launches
the
fourth
installment
of
its ‘Unlocking
Impact’
pitch
competition
series
at
the
UN
Headquarters’
SDG
Media
Zone.
This
initiative
aligns
with
the
UN
Summit
of
the
Future
and
aims
to
highlight
innovative
solutions
leveraging
Circle’s
technology
to
address
the
UN’s
Sustainable
Development
Goals
(SDGs),
according
to

circle.com.

Expanding
Global
Impact

The ‘Unlocking
Impact’
series,
which
debuted
in
New
York
in
2023,
has
evolved
into
an
international
event
that
unites
the
humanitarian,
corporate,
and
tech
sectors.
The
goal
is
to
foster
the
development
of
new
applications
and
services
utilizing
digital
dollars
and
open
blockchain
networks
to
aid
vulnerable
populations,
offering
benefits
traditional
financial
services
cannot.

Previous
winners,
such
as
Ensuro
and
Rahat,
have
already
made
significant
strides.
Ensuro
uses
blockchain
and
smart
contracts
to
enhance
the
efficiency
and
inclusivity
of
insurance,
while
Rahat
employs
similar
technologies
for
rapid
and
accurate
aid
delivery,
directly
to
beneficiaries’
phones.
Together,
they
have
reached
nearly
200,000
people,
providing
essential
services
to
small
farmers,
climate
disaster
victims,
and
other
at-risk
groups.

Today’s
Competitors

The
current
competition
features
several
promising
projects:

• 
  ATLANTE:
  Focused
  on
  financial
  inclusion
  in
  frontier
  markets,
  ATLANTE
  offers
  microloans
  to
  entrepreneurs
  in
  the
  Kakuma
  refugee
  camp,
  promoting
  sustainable
  economic
  development
  and
  transforming
  aid-dependent
  regions.
• 
  Etherisc
  Impact
  B.V.:
  This
  project
  leverages
  blockchain
  to
  create
  accessible,
  transparent,
  and
  efficient
  insurance
  solutions,
  addressing
  global
  challenges
  like
  climate
  risk
  and
  financial
  exclusion.
• 
  Kshetra:
  Kshetra’s
  ImpactCred
  marketplace
  connects
  social
  enterprises
  with
  impact
  investors
  to
  facilitate
  bridge
  financing
  and
  working
  capital
  loans,
  driving
  innovation
  towards
  the
  UN
  SDGs.
• 
  Moja:
  A
  Techstars
  alumnus,
  Moja
  provides
  a
  platform
  for
  group
  savings,
  lending,
  and
  investment
  using
  USDC.
  The
  company
  operates
  in
  Cambridge,
  USA,
  Nairobi,
  Kenya,
  and
  London.

Judging
Panel

The
competition
will
be
judged
by
a
distinguished
panel,
including:

• Dante
  Disparte,
  Chief
  Strategy
  Officer
  and
  Head
  of
  Global
  Policy,
  Circle
• Taha
  Bawa,
  Co-founder
  and
  CEO,
  Goodwall
• Timothy
  Rann,
  Managing
  Partner,
  MercyCorps
• Erica
  Moret,
  Director,
  United
  Nations
  Affairs
  &
  International
  Organisations,
  Microsoft
• Amina
  Tirana,
  Professor
  of
  Public
  Service,
  New
  York
  University
• Bernhard
  Kowatsch,
  Head
  of
  the
  Innovation
  Accelerator,
  UN
  World
  Food
  Programme
• Ruben
  Galindo
  Steckel,
  CEO,
  Airtm
• Ana
  Rold,
  CEO,
  Diplomatic
  Courier
• Ranuak
  Mittal,
  Director,
  Technology
  and
  Innovation
  Lab,
  World
  Bank
  Group

The
next ‘Unlocking
Impact’
pitch
competition
is
scheduled
for
October
26
in
Washington,
DC,
during
the
2024
Annual
Meetings
of
the
World
Bank.

Image
source:
Shutterstock