Belfast-based start-up Esther has won an all-expenses paid trip to New York to showcase its app and business that aim to make a real dent in poverty worldwide.
The wealth divide between the richest and poorest in our society has widened at an alarming rate in recent years, and the number of people living in poverty is on the rise. Belfast-based start-up Esther aims to make an impact on poverty with its "pocket-to-pocket giving app."
The app allows users to give funds directly to an individual living in poverty, and these funds reportedly can't be spent on anything harmful. The app recently won a prize in Digital DNA's upstart pitching competition, which includes an all-expenses-paid trip to New York to showcase the business and investigate the potential to launch in New York following its London launch.
Chief Executive Carol Rossborough commented on the impact the app could have: “Looking ahead, we aim to launch in London at the start of 2020. After that, the plan is to move into the US market. There is a real wealth divide in major cities such as New York and San Francisco, so it’s important for us to learn what is happening in the American third sector."
Digital DNA's Start-ups Programme Manager Alastair Cameron had positive things to say about the new company: “With a real emphasis on innovation, coupled with the potential to scale and grow, Ailis and Carol’s impassioned pitch saw them deservedly pick up the win at upSTART 2019. We said from the offset that this competition has a habit of finding the top tech talent in Northern Ireland and this year was no exception.”
Source: Written based on press release
About the author
Brendan is a Sync NI writer with a special interest in the gaming sector, programming, emerging technology, and physics. To connect with Brendan, feel free to send him an email or follow him on Twitter.
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