Convening Communities for Good: On the Frontier of 3D Printing for Accessible Education

The rise of 3D printing technology and its increasing availability in schools, libraries, and museums presents new opportunities to improve learning and accessibility in a variety of educational contexts. Benetech was therefore delighted to convene the first major national forum of its kind devoted solely to the topic of 3D printing for accessible educational materials. Held at the Tech Museum of innovation in San Jose, the three-day national meeting brought together over forty-five practitioners and end users in the fields of 3D printing technology and services, accessible education, tactile learning modalities, library and museum services, and educational content.

Open Innovation & Tech-for-Good: Benetech at NewCo Silicon Valley

At Benetech, we always seek new opportunities to strengthen existing ties and establish new contacts with our community. We were therefore delighted to partner with the NewCo business festival and proud to have been selected as a host company in the 2015 NewCo Silicon Valley, which was held earlier this month. The session we hosted, led by Vice President of Benetech Labs, Anh Bui, focused on open innovation and tech-for-good, and included demos of our MathML Cloud and 3D Printing for Education projects, which received excellent feedback from our audience.

Benetech Wins Skoll and UN Foundation Award to Bring Books to People with Print Disabilities in India

The Skoll Foundation and the United Nations Foundation awarded Benetech a grant to bring written content to millions of people with visual impairments in India. This new grant will enable Benetech to scale up our Bookshare library services in India, where people with visual impairments face a severe dearth of accessible books in formats they can read. It supports a partnership between Benetech and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) to expand production and delivery of books in accessible formats in local Indian languages.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy Cites Jim Fruchterman on Tech’s Power for Good

Drones, 3D printers, satellite imagery, high-tech sensors, and other advanced technologies that got their start in business, science, or the military are making their way into the world of social good and being put to work for a wide array of causes. In a story that examines how nonprofits are deploying technology tools in exciting new ways, The Chronicle of Philanthropy cites CEO Jim Fruchterman on the promise that ambitious applications of technology hold for the work of nonprofits.

Unlocking Technology-for-Good Innovation

Benetech Labs is where the Benetech team and our social impact partners incubate new software-for-good applications. Within the arena of startup incubators, however, Benetech’s social enterprise business model and Benetech Labs’ approach are unique.