The Impact Summit competition, held on the 19th & 20th May, features four dynamic young startups competing for a funded place on the FutureX Silicon Valley programme, along with a host of other exciting prizes.

Participants in the inaugural competition include two Scottish startups, LiberEat and SolarisKit. Both will be joined by tech for good startups from Denmark and Jordan.

Find out who’s who and what you can expect from the 2021 Impact Summit Competition here.

AKYAS

Jordan-based AKYAS specialises in sanitation solutions for water-scarce and emergency settings.

Co-founder and CTO, Bara Wahbeh, is a self-taught sanitation practitioner who found a passion for building sanitation facilities from local materials.

One of AKYAS’ flagship products includes a bag that serves as a wastewater treatment plant; and the best part – the bag will disappear, leaving behind nutrient-rich soil conditioner!

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The firm recently launched a pilot in an informal agricultural settlement, a public park, and are partnering with Oxfam to operate in the Za’atari Refugee Camp.

They are planning to validate market segments in various settings, and study further the impacts of their treated wastes on soil.

Develop Diverse

This year TechBBQ has been amazing! We got to meet really interesting people, talk about our work at @DEVELOPDIVERSE1 and moderated the panel on Technology Inclusion with @Matter @Gracehealth_ @wearehiveonline @tiimo pic.twitter.com/TnIUUNuzNx

— Develop Diverse (@DEVELOPDIVERSE1) September 21, 2019

Develop Diverse aims to use technology to create equal opportunities and improve diversity.

The company’s AI-powered inclusive writing platform enables companies to attract diverse and qualified talent. The platform detects biased language for different diversity groups: gender, ethnicity, age, neurodiversity, physical disabilities, and LGBTQ+.

Founded by Jenifer Clausell-Tormos, the Danish company workers with a host of organisations, including Amazon, which has experienced an increase in more qualified and diverse applicants since using Develop Diverse.

LiberEat

These #vegan and #gluten-free macarons as a snack for the warmer days are just the refreshments you’re looking for. Follow this LiberEat recipe to make your own: https://t.co/izSxIGi8kc pic.twitter.com/rpbQSlM94W

— LiberEat (@LiberEatApp) April 18, 2021

Aberdeen-based LiberEat will be hoping to capitalise on its recent success at this year’s Impact Summit, having just secured a place on the Tech Nation scale-up programme.

Founded by Barry Leaper and Louise Cahill as a result of personal experience, LiberEat aims to make food easier and safer for people with allergies, medical conditions or dietary requirements.

The company’s platform provides allergen identification which enables businesses to reduce the risk of harm to customers through errors in communication. The LiberEat consumer app also shows users what they and their families can have when grocery shopping or eating out.

LiberEat works closely with a range of partners, including Pret, All Bar One, Browns and Miller & Carter.

SolarisKit

The SolarisKit flat-packable #solar thermal collector can now be assembled in 15-minutes without any tools! Once assembled our collector can turn sunlight into energy savings while lowering #carbon #emissions. #cleanenergyhttps://t.co/V02N7JLT4Xhttps://t.co/NWekFZLWcm

— SolarisKit Ltd (@flatpacksolar) November 2, 2020

SolarisKit has developed the world’s first flat-packable solar thermal collector. The innovative IKEA-life device can be rapidly assembled without requiring a single tool.

Once assembled, the solar collector can convert sunlight into hot water for households and businesses.

Founded in 2019 by Faisal Ghani, a chartered mechanical engineer, SolarisKit aims to tackle the growing need for affordable and practical clean heating solutions and improve access to clean energy in the global south.

Faisal is a previous winner of the Converge Impact Challenge, recipient of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Enterprise Fellowship, and won the 2020 MSDUK Innovation Challenge Social Innovation category.