Out of 300 applicants from all over the globe, ten startups have been selected to participate in the second cohort of the prestigious Morgan Stanley Multicultural Innovation Lab. The accelerator selects technology-based or technology-enabled startups working on innovative, sector-spanning solutions that have women or multicultural founders, co-founders, CTOs, or any other member of the C-suite.
New York-based CariClub is one of the ten and it offers a tech platform combining corporate citizenship and professional networking, enabling firms to better connect with their millennial workforces. It is the first technology platform that engages young professionals in philanthropy through associate board leadership positions at top nonprofits.
The CEO and founder of the company, Rhoden Monrose, moved to New York from his native St. Lucia when he was twelve, eventually earning a scholarship to Trinity College. Monrose’s personal experience with nonprofits led him to develop a philanthropy focused technology platform.
Monrose talked about being a part of this accelerator in a press release, saying that, “It further affirms our mission and belief that individuals deeply care about giving back to the communities in which they live and work, as well as forging a connection to their larger value in society. We have a unique opportunity to harness the power of technology to create an online ecosystem that allows individuals to connect while making a personal impact.”
The other nine startup members of the 2nd cohort are:
- Baby2Body: fully automates personal health and wellbeing via coaching app for pregnant women and mothers
- BeautyLynk: connects women with reputable on demand hair and makeup services, specializing in services for women of color
- Broadway Roulette: pairs consumers with surprise cultural events, beginning with the Broadway theater market
- COI Energy: using artificial intelligence via an integrated platform for electric utilities to eliminate energy waste, save on energy costs and protect the environment
- CoSign: provides an API for brands and an app for bloggers and influencers to create, distribute and monetize visual content by making their photos taggable and shoppable
- Goalsetter: a goals based gifting and savings platform for children and funded by friends and family to teach kids how to save for their own short and long term goals
- Hatch Apps: an automated development platform enabling businesses to deploy web, iOS and Android apps, without needing to write a single line of code
- myLAB Box: a direct to consumer platform for at-home health testing and treatment, delivering lab screenings and consultations offering convenience, privacy and price
- Shoobs: a go-to platform for urban content, culture and nightlife that creates a full urban events marketplace for the millennial generation
The six-month accelerator that begins in April culminates with the second Multicultural Innovation Lab Showcase and Demo Day during which CariClub showcases its technology to investors alongside other selected cohort members. The application process for this cohort ended in mid-January.
