Good Tech Lab 2018 Program Overview

PROGRAM OVERVIEW | February 2018
@goodtechlab
hello@goodtechlab.io

Society is at a crossroads, facing not one but two singularities.The first one is an intensifying
system crisis driven by wicked problems: climate change, rapid urbanization, or meeting the
needs of 10 billion for healthy food, clean water and good education. These are just a few of 17
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2030 agreed by the UN.
The second one is the acceleration of exponential technologies like synthetic biology, artificial
intelligence, blockchains or the internet of things. This “Fourth Industrial Revolution” brings many
promises but also novel challenges like the future of work, ensuring the benefits are distributed,
preserving democracy, or building more ethical and circular supply chains for electronics.
We believe that purpose-driven technology pioneers can help us tackle the world’s biggest
challenges—harnessing one singularity to tackle the other one.
In our inaugural 2018 exploration, we are looking at two interconnected questions:
1. THE FRONTIERS OF IMPACT TECH: How can technology make the biggest difference in
tackling the SDGs? What are the most promising opportunities and inspiring pioneers?
2. THE FRONTIERS OF IMPACT ECOSYSTEMS: What are the most significant trends in the
innovation industry that will shape how we address the “Impact Tech” opportunity?
→ What is the new landscape of startup acceleration?
→ What is the future of VC and the funding of innovation/tech?
→ How can startups and corporates collaborate to build a prosperous future?
To achieve this, we will interview key industry experts and practitioners (investors, accelerators,
startups, corporates, experts) from the five continents from July 2017 to July 2018, and publish
our findings in two final reports, to be published in September 2018.
“We are all passengers on spaceship earth” as Buckminster Fuller famously said.
Join us in the control room, to explore these new frontiers together!
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Good Tech Lab explores
the frontiers of technology,
entrepreneurship and
venture finance, where
pioneers tackle the world’s
biggest problems.

TABLE OF
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
Manifesto: The Frontiers of Impact
FRONTIER TECHNOLOGY
How Technology Can Help Tackle The SDGs
FRONTIER ECOSYSTEMS
Startup Acceleration: Beyond The Hype
Venture Finance: The New Landscape
Corporates & Startups: Unlikely Allies
OUR EXPLORATION PROGRAM
Program Overview (scope, timeline, results)
Execution Plan (team, partners, advisors)
APPENDIX
04
07
15
22
30
05
08
16
18
20
23
27
TABLE OF CONTENTS
This document is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

We are approaching the Double Singularity.
A singularity is a place (in time or space) where change becomes exponential and
linear models do not apply anymore—like gravity in a black hole.
The first singularity humanity is facing, is a system crisis. Indeed, while our living
conditions have greatly improved over the last two centuries on average, the
system we built to deliver this progress is now failing us in many ways.
This system crisis is felt through a number of wicked problems. By 2050, there
will be 10 billion people on earth, and 70% will be in living in cities. This means the
needs for healthy food, clean water, good education, quality housing, and reliable
infrastructure will explode, while today 700M still lack access to clean water.
Planetary boundaries are being crossed, with climate change threatening the
future of our civilisation. All the while eight men alone own as much as the
poorest half of the world, and scientists predict the rise of super-microbes which
are resistant to antibiotics we have over-consumed.
Addressing these wicked problems is the challenge and the opportunity of our
times. The United Nations defined 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for
2030 offers a framework for action. Achieving the SDGs is a $12 Trillion market,
according to the Business and Sustainable Development Commission. Or, as
sustainability pioneer John Elkington puts it:
The Sustainable Development Goals are a purchase
order from the future—a market agenda for the 2020s.
The second singularity is a technological one, driven by the acceleration of
digital and exponential technologies. Over the last 25 years, the digital revolution
has reshaped entire industries like media and commerce, and is now entering
finance, transportation, agriculture, healthcare. Connectivity has changed our
behaviours, even our brains, but this may only be the tip of the iceberg. Emerging
technologies are now advancing quickly in fields like synthetic biology, machine
learning, robotics, digital fabrication, the internet of things or blockchains.
Not only are these technologies exponential, but also combinatory. In what the
World Economic Forum calls “the Fourth Industrial Revolution”, there seems to
be many promises, but also new challenges. What is the future of work when
automation is everywhere? How do we ensure that the benefits reaped are fairly
distributed across society? Will our consumption of natural resources be
exponential too, or will circular economy principles prevail? How do we guarantee
the safety of biotech, nanotech, or AI?
Inspired by many pioneers from around the world, we believe
purpose-driven entrepreneurs can help us tackle the world’s
biggest challenges by steering the forces of technological
acceleration in the right direction.
However, we should be careful not to fall into techno-solutionism — the idea that
any problem can be solved with the right piece of code. By thinking in systems,
we believe entrepreneurs can target the root causes of problems, embed their
solutions within the larger system, anticipate side effects and think long-term.
And by thinking in systems, we aim to map the key components of an emerging
venture ecosystem which can help mission-driven tech entrepreneurs to thrive,
and identify how to fill the gaps. These are the new frontiers we are exploring.
MANIFESTO : WHY GOOD TECH LAB

“ The changes are so profound
that, from the perspective of
human history, there has never
been a time of greater promise
or potential peril. ”
THE GREAT ACCELERATION
Emerging technologies are advancing and
converging quickly, from synthetic biology to
machine learning, the internet of things,
autonomous vehicles or blockchains.
DIGITAL APPS
& PLATFORMS
DATA & MACHINE
INTELLIGENCE
INTERNET
OF THINGS
AUTONOMOUS
VEHICLES
DIGITAL FABRICATION NEW MATERIALS CLEAN TECH
LOW TECH
ROBOTICS BIOTECH BLOCKCHAINS
VR / AR / MR
Klaus Schwab, The Fourth Industrial Revolution
Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum

Tech and Impact Entrepreneurship are converging.
Around the world, a growing number of pioneers harness
technology to tackle the world’s biggest challenges:
the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Drone-Based Reforestation
One Billion Trees at a Time.
wider Impact Tech panorama available in appendix.

Data-Powered Urban Farming.
Machine Learning + Hydroponic/Aeroponic

Animal Products.
Without Animals.
with Synthetic Biology.

Blockchains For Humanitarian Response.
10 000 Syrian refugees redeem WFP cash transfer immediately.
WFP pilot will be expanded to identity and supply chain.

Startup accelerators, incubators and studios are in
the thousands globally. What are the key trends in
the space, and how can they support Impact Tech?
With the boom of the startup scene over the last decade, the
accelerator model has spread over the globe since the early days
of Y Combinator (2005). All incumbents want to have their own,
and many new models have emerged since.
Some of these programs seem to show consistent results while
the value provided by others is unclear. Some are massive and
industry agnostic while others focus on a vertical. Some are
moving upstream while others go downstream. Many experiment
with new offerings, business models or geographies.
To effectively support the growth of Impact Tech ventures, we
need to cut through the noise and look beyond the hype.
STARTUPS ACCELERATION: BEYOND THE HYPE

IMPACT TECH:
Programs focusing on tech
for impact / SDGs
SEED ACCELERATORS:
Top accelerators are now
“seed funds with benefits”
VERTICALIZATION:
Programs focusing on a
specific industry or tech
HYBRID BUSINESS MODEL:
Including consultancy,
spaces, events, education
STARTUP STUDIOS:
Also known as company /
venture builders
SCIENCE BASED:
Rise of deep tech and
science driven programs
CORPORATE PROGRAMS:
Programs driven by, or
sponsored by corporates
PRIVATE NETWORKS:
Selective startup clubs with
various long-term benefits
STARTUPS ACCELERATION: BEYOND THE HYPE
SELECTED TRENDS IN ACCELERATION.

VENTURE FINANCE: THE NEW LANDSCAPE
There is an annual $2.5 Trillion gap to achieve the
SDGs by 2030. As the way we fund innovation is
changing dramatically, can we hope to fill that gap?
This change is happening on at least four dimensions:
THE RISE OF IMPACT CAPITAL: Impact investing is growing and
diversifying: from huge asset owners like Blackrock demanding
social purpose, to millenials launching their own impact fund
VENTURE CAPITAL REINVENTED: VC as an industry is going
through massive transformations, driven by the constant need for
differentiation, as well as an attempt to overcome its most ardent
critics and structural limitations.
FINANCIAL INNOVATION: There is a lot of creativity right now
for new ways to allocate capital: from social impact bonds to
entirely new stock markets focused on the long-term.
TECHNOLOGY: Crowdfunding, ICOs, platforms, automation and
machine learning, are some of the key examples

ANGEL SYNDICATES A syndicate is a group of angel investors
who collaboratively invest in a single company, for amounts
comparable to Series A (ex: AngelList, AgFunder)
CORPORATE VC Corporate VC can focus on strategic and
long-term synergies rather than maximizing profit
GIGANTIC VC FUNDS VC Funds with over $2B to invest on a
given investment period (ex: Softbank Vision Fund)
DEPLOYMENT CAPITAL Project financing for infrastructure
and deployment, for instance in the cleantech sector. Can be
blended with venture capital (ex: Spring Lane Capital)
REVENUE-BASED INVESTMENT When VC funds do not take
equity, but invest in companies that can be profitable quickly, in
exchange for a dividend or royalty (ex: Indie.vc, Omidyar)
STEWARD OWNERSHIP Separation of voting and dividend
rights, to keep founders in control of their companies while
providing a return to investors (ex: Bosch, Purpose Capital AG)
EVERGREEN FUNDS Funds with no deadline for exits, which
reinvest returns in the fund itself (ex: Triodos Organic Fund)
NEW PHILANTHROPY Novel approaches to deploy charitable
capital to achieve measurable outcomes: donor advised funds,
venture philanthropy, convertible grants, loan guarantees, etc
BLENDED FINANCE Strategic use of philanthropic funds and
development finance to mobilize private capital into emerging
and frontier markets and bridge the “pioneer gap”
RESULT-BASED FINANCING Financial instruments such as
social impact bonds, which transfer the financial risk to private
investors who get a return from the state based on outcomes
CROWDFUNDING Enables entrepreneurs to raise capital from
their community (reward-based ; crowd equity ; crowd lending)
TOKENS / ICOs Cryptocurrency-based investing in protocols
and decentralized applications (ex: Ethereum)
DATA & AI DRIVEN FUNDS Rely on data and machine learning
to guide investments (ex: Numerai, Social Capital)
PLATFORM VCs Offer a wide range of services to companies
with an extensive team/platform (ex: a16z, The Family)
CARRY-BASED INCENTIVES Distribute carried interest based
on the achievement of impact outcomes (ex: Vox Capital) or
share it with the fund’s community according to each member’s
contribution in dealflow or mentoring (ex: 8VC)
PEER SELECTED INVESTING Delegate to entrepreneurs the
selection of investments (ex: Village Capital)
VENTURE FINANCE: THE NEW LANDSCAPE
A FEW ALTERNATIVE FUNDING MODELS.

CORPORATES & STARTUPS: UNLIKELY ALLIES
Building a prosperous future will require the best of
both world—fearless innovation and industrial scale
deployment. Can startups and corporates team up
to put a dent in the SDGs with technology?
On the corporate side, this willingness to partner with ambitious
entrepreneurs to tackle global goals is driven by:
NEW EXPECTATIONS: Stakeholders are increasingly demanding
business to be a force for good. Millenials are voting with their
wallet and their skills. CEOs and smart investors want to keep
their “license to operate” and anticipate systemic risks, by
maximizing long-term value creation.
EXPONENTIAL TIMES: At the same time, digital transformation
and the “Fourth Industrial Revolution” put companies under the
constant threat of disruption. Furthermore, the pace of change
itself is accelerating. Open Innovation is becoming an evidence
for large companies, and both executives and entrepreneurs have
climbed the learning curve of win-win alliances.

Telefonica Open Future is the open
innovation arm of the spanish telco.
Including among other things: Wayra, a
global accelerator network ; several
corporate venture funds ; and the new
Alpha, a “moonshot factory” aiming to
positively impact 100M people in the
energy and health sectors
Unilever Foundry: a transversal team
connecting all brands with innovators,
facilitating pilots, deployments and
corporate investments.
Sustainable Living Plan: a blueprint for
future growth by becoming the world’s
most impact-driven corporation
Life sciences giant Bayer and synthetic
biology startup Ginkgo Bioworks
teamed up in 2017 to form a new
company, focusing on the plant
microbiome to enable crops to make
their own natural fertilizer.
Bayer invested $100M in the newly
formed join venture.
With its See Change program, optical
glass company Essilor partners with
social entrepreneurs to help them reach
scale and target BoP markets together.
A successful partnership example
includes EyeMitra, a social enterprise
bringing affordable vision care in India.
CORPORATES & STARTUPS: UNLIKELY ALLIES
SELECTED CASE STUDIES.

KNOWLEDGE CREATION
Produce actionable knowledge and ideas on how frontier technology and
ecosystem enablers can tackle the Sustainable Development Goals
NEW VENTURE BUILDING
Identify the market gaps and opportunities in the Impact Tech ecosystem,
and venture with our partners to tackle some of those
1
2
EXPLORATION PROGRAM: OVERVIEW
The Good Tech Lab 2018 Exploration Has Two Main Goals

Final Report I.
The Frontiers of Impact Tech.
→ Opportunity Maps: overview of how emerging tech can
tackle the SDGs at scale on 5-7 key SDG-related sectors
(energy, food, cities, water, etc)
→ Market Segmentations: analysis on dimensions such
as geography, tech intensity, impact category, etc
→ SDG Case Studies: focus on a selection of startups
and other ventures (corporate, research labs)
→ Challenges & Risks: overview of what is preventing the
sector growth, and technology risks
Additional Outcome.
Good Tech Database.
Additional Outcome.
Media Coverage & Advocacy.
Final Report II.
The Frontiers of Impact Ecosystems.
a) Venture Acceleration.
→ Acceleration Trends: analysis and typology based on program
structure, sectors, value proposition, business models
→ SDG Case Studies: focus on key programs focusing on
technology and SDG-related sectors globally
b) Venture Finance.
→ Venture Trends: overview and analysis of key trends and new
models in venture finance (ex: ICO, RBI, impact investing, etc)
→ SDG Case Studies: focus on SDG-related key players
c) Startups & Corporates.
→ S&C Alliance Framework: typology of effective startup and
corporate collaboration methods
→ SDG Case Studies: focus on SDG-related collaborations
EXPLORATION PROGRAM: OVERVIEW
KEY ACTIVITIES AND EXPECTED RESULTS.

2017
AUG
SEP
OCT
NOV
DEC
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUL
2018
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
EXPLORATION PROGRAM: EXECUTION PLAN
METHOD AND TIMELINE.
Our program will be implemented through
the following methods:
Desk Research.
→ Literature review and data analysis
Interview of Industry Experts.
→ Investors/accelerators/incubators
→ Corporate leaders and innovators
→ Startups and impact entrepreneurs
→ Experts and academia
Learning Expeditions.
→ Visit of key innovation ecosystems
→ Participation to leading industry events
Community Intelligence.
→ involvement of the community of contributors, advisors
and interviewees (via our invite-only Slack group)
PHASE I - Focus
LEARNING EXP:
→ North America
→ Europe (pt 1)
→ LatAm (pt 1)
→ Africa
INTERVIEWS:
→ Accelerators
→ Investors
PHASE II - Focus
LEARNING EXP:
→ Europe (pt 2)
→ LatAm (pt 2)
→ Asia
INTERVIEWS:
→ Startups
→ Corporates
PHASE III
WRITING REPORT
PUBLICATION
FINAL EVENT
TOA17 - Berlin.
FAB13 - Santiago.
MIT Solve 17 - NYC.
SynBioBeta17 - SF.
SOCAP17 - SF.
EBAN18 - Munich.
HelloTomorrow - Paris.
ColaborAmerica - Rio.
Slush17 - Helsinki.
WEF18 LatAm - Sao Paulo.
Seedstars 18 - Geneva.
Katapult Fest 18 - Oslo.
Pioneers 18 - Vienna.
Final Event.

EXPLORATION PROGRAM: EXECUTION PLAN
SAMPLE OF OUR RECENT INTERVIEWS.

ben@goodtechlab.io
@btincq
BENJAMIN TINCQ
Founder and CEO / Project Director
Benjamin is an entrepreneur, startup advisor and innovation ecosystems
explorer. Previously he co-founded OuiShare, a think-tank and global
community for digital social innovation, where he explored themes like
blockchains and ICOs, platform strategies and the maker movement during
five years. There he also organized POC21, a 5-week maker camp for
climate solutions that was held as a side event to the U.N. Climate Change
conference in 2015.
He is also a contributor to the Fab City Global Initiative, a network of global
cities committed to become productive and resilient through digital
fabrication and circular economy, spun out of the Fab Lab Network.
Benjamin holds a MSc in ICT engineering from Télécom SudParis (Institut
Mines-Télécom) and spent five years in management consulting.
Over the last 10 years Benjamin advised 20+ Fortune 500 companies, as
well as the City of Paris, on innovation and digital transformation.
THE FOUNDER

STRATEGIC PARTNERS
COLLABORATORS

APPENDIX: IMPACT TECH EXAMPLES
DIGITAL APPS
& PLATFORMS
DATA & MACHINE
INTELLIGENCE
INTERNET
OF THINGS
AUTONOMOUS
VEHICLES
DIGITAL FABRICATION NEW MATERIALS CLEAN TECH
LOW TECH
ROBOTICS BIOTECH BLOCKCHAINS
VR / AR / MR
The following examples in this appendix were listed
are just a few startups and social entreprises from a
larger movement we have set out to map.
This first list was compiled in January 2017 as an illustration for
the concept note and partner proposals of our project.
Stay tuned for the release of our final report in September 2018
which will comprise a much larger and more structured database
of impact tech ventures from around the world.

Online marketplace to buy fresh
food directly from local farmers
Connecting patients with rare
diseases so they can share
health data and experience.
Open source crowdsourcing
platform for crisis information
Crowdfunding: enabling social and
environmental projects
TECHNOLOGY MEETS IMPACT
DIGITAL PLATFORMS.
Platforms have redefined entire markets in the last decade,
with giants like Uber and Airbnb dominating the transportation
and accommodation industries. Applied for social good, their
network effects can have a massive impact.

Secure land registry to unlock
land property capital in Ghana
International cash transfer
without Western Union fees
Peer-to-peer transaction platform
for local renewable energy
Supply chain traceability for real
transparency on products
BLOCKCHAINS.
The technology on which the Bitcoin currency is based, enabling
large-scale co-operation in decentralized networks without the
need for trusted intermediaries. Applications include: secure
registries, decentralized transactions and smart contracts.

Data-based social services, f.e.
matching job offers and seekers
more efficiently
Deep Learning for doctors to
make faster and more
accurate diagnosis
Fundamental research to
ensure a human-friendly AI
Machine Learning to optimize
urban farming systems for each
kind of plant grown
DATA & AI.
Creating new solutions to complex problems
with algorithms that can learn from, and make
predictions on data (e.g. Machine Learning)

Open source, modular platform
for electric vehicles
A washing machine built to last
50 years: modular, evolutive,
assembled like an IKEA kit
An ethical smartphone made
with conflict-free minerals and
designed to be repaired
HARDWARE & IOT.
A warm blanket that is low-cost
and portable to save baby lives
Physical objects that collect and exchange data, with
applications in energy, smart cities, connected homes
and cars, wearables, industry or agriculture.

Citizen sensing of environmental
data in smarter cities with an open
source IoT platform
Remote monitoring for water
and energy infrastructures in
emerging countries
Network of low-cost meteo
stations for agriculture and
climate monitoring in Africa
Smart air quality tracker and
urban pollution forecast
HARDWARE & IOT.
Physical objects that collect and exchange data, with
applications in energy, smart cities, connected homes
and cars, wearables, industry or agriculture.

Drone-based reforestation
“one billion trees at a time”
Drone delivery service for
healthcare in Rwanda
Robots that let hospitalized
children visit the outside world
Autonomous electric vans for
clean urban mobility
ROBOTICS & AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES.
Autonomous machines to augment human capabilities,
ranging from drones for various uses, to self-driving cars,
to many kinds of robots which can work for or with
humans.

Open source construction
system for modular and high
performance housing
Affordable and open source
3D-printed prosthetic limbs
Open source blueprints for
urban farming tools to make
and assemble like IKEA kits
Low-cost and open source
portable water filter, that can be
be screwed in any bottle
DIGITAL FABRICATION.
Manufacturing process in which design and production
are connected through software and computer-controlled
machines like 3D printers and laser cutters, democratized
through Fab Labs and makerspaces,

Meat grown directly from animal
cells: environmentally friendly and
without animal suffering
Bio-lighting systems using
marine bioluminescence
Organic and biodegradable ink
produced with a bacteria
Animal-free milk produced like a
craft beer: yeast, plants, sugar and
fermentation
LIFE SCIENCES & SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY.
Using living organisms to develop new
products and processes. Modern biotech
applications are found in the health, food,
environmental and industrial sectors.

Vegan leather from mycelium
and agricultural byproducts ;
carbon-negative material
Designer clothing made in
fabric produced from
recycled materials
Wood rebuilt at molecular level into
the sustainable construction
material of the 21st century
Sustainable import pallets
made from coconut waste,
saving millions of trees
NEW MATERIALS.
New products of modern material science fields such
as biomaterials, nanomaterials, smart materials or
reprocessed materials derived from circular economy.

Solar tiles that capture energy
and looks like a normal rooftop,
for wider adoption
Flywheel system for energy
storage: 10 times cheaper
than lithium batteries
A vertical axis wind-turbine
designed specifically to harness
energy from typhoons
Water chip that creates a small
electrical current separating
salt from seawater
CLEAN TECH & ECO DESIGN.
Technologies and design processes that harness renewable
energy and materials, enable the sustainable use of natural
resources, and eliminate waste.

A transportable, non-electrical,
low-cost device that can purify
1000 liters of water per hour
SMS-based money transfer
service for financial inclusion
with 20M users in Kenya
The internet for farmers without
any internet access: SMS-based
peer-to-peer knowledge
solar concentration solutions to
drive local entrepreneurship in
emerging countries
LOW TECH.
At the opposite of high tech, many simple yet robust
technologies can address basic needs with a low-cost
and low-barrier approach - especially at the BoP.

THANK YOU!
FOR PARTNERSHIP INQUIRIES AND
TO KNOW MORE ABOUT US:
hello@goodtechlab.io | http://goodtechlab.io
@GoodTechLab
This document is licensed under a Creative Commons
Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

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