Microsoft Azure helps business harness the power of AI for social impact

The partnership of Social Tech Trust and Microsoft for Startups seeks to realise some of the opportunities presented by using AI to solve some of the world’s biggest challenges. Kathy Marcham, Portfolio Manager Social Tech Trust, explains: “We created a programme that enables these purposeful founders to not only create world-class technology but to also develop their commercial skills and their social business acumen.”

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Thirteen purpose-driven startups

The 2021 cohort includes thirteen start-up organisations that are working to make the world a better place:

Fabriq: IoT platform
SafetyNet Technologies: precision fishing
The Data Analysis Bureau: predictive maintenance
NeuerEnergy: renewable energy purchasing
C the Signs: early cancer diagnosis
iLoF: drug discovery platform
Podium Analytics: sport injury knowledge
Medicspot: contact-free examination
FollowApp.Care: dental care access
MediShout: medical device predictions
ePharmacy: B2B pharmacy platform
CanSense: blood sample analytics
CareIQ: safer chronic care

Support from Microsoft

“The Data Analytics Bureau believes that advances in data and AI will be the greatest revolution in our time. And we want our clients to be at the forefront of this revolution,” says George Hancock, Head of Business Development at the Data Analytics Bureau. “Our experience in the cohort has been nothing short of extraordinary. Working alongside the vast expertise and using Microsoft Azure is helping us move forward in applying advanced data science to deliver social impact.”

This is exemplified in the ambitions of the start-ups. For example, Dr Bhavagaya Bakshi, founder of C the Signs, explains, “C the Signs is a digital platform that uses artificial intelligence to help identify patients at risk of cancer at the earliest and most-survival stage of the disease.”

Dr Thuria Wenbar is the CEO and Co-founder of e-Pharmacy. She explains, “Working with Microsoft AI for social impact allowed e-Pharmacy to expand and optimise our AI safety prescribing assistant so we can support even more patients at scale.”

A role in building back better

It’s something Kathy Marcham feels passionate about. She explains, “We need these ventures and these scalable solutions that leverage technology for positive change. The pandemic has highlighted many challenges – from health inequalities to job vulnerability – and there’s recognition that we need to do something to build back better.”

Jimmy Cockerton, UK Business Strategy Manager at Microsoft, confirms, “The foundation of our partnership is a shared vision that takes advantage of the benefits of AI, we have to imagine the world we want to live in and then use technology and artificial intelligence to make that world a reality.”