Tech4Good South West

CyNam began in 2015 as an informal Cheltenham meetup for people working in and around GCHQ. Its network now reaches about 7,000 people. Annie Legge talks to Hollie Wakefield, CyNam's general manager, about how a core team of five convenes a county's tech sector, from councils and universities to start-ups and large employers. Hollie explains why the pandemic, of all things, grew the community, and...

Access Social Care opened in lockdown in April 2020, a legal rights charity for people missing out on social care they are entitled to. Its founder and CEO, Kari Gerstheimer, is a solicitor with a master's in human rights law who leads the charity's technology without being a technical expert. She tells Annie Legge how the charity built AccessAva, a free AI-powered chatbot that talks people throug...

Bath looks affluent from the outside, but parts of the city rank among the most deprived 10% of neighbourhoods in England. Fiona Dawson is Chief Technology Officer at Mayden, the Bath health tech company behind the iaptus patient record system. She co-founded the Bath Digital Divide Collective with Bath Bridge and Tech4Good South West, and sits on the BCS Digital Divide Specialist Group and the te...

Every Clarasys contract carries ten days of volunteering time, and nobody has to be senior to use them. Sophie Brazell-Ng is a Head of People and Change at Clarasys, an employee-owned consultancy working across financial services, healthcare, media and the public sector, and a Tech4Good South West member. She spent some of her ten days taking three colleagues to Dorothy House Hospice Care near Bat...

What if AI could give smaller organisations access to capabilities that previously needed much bigger teams, budgets and technical expertise? Paul Wiseall is co-founder and managing director of Iternal, a Bristol AI consultancy and product studio, and a Tech4Good South West member. His team has built technology including Good News London for the Greater London Authority and helped Tech4Good South...

Lucy Collins, owner of Web Usability, discusses her journey, the evolution of Web Usability, and the importance of digital accessibility and inclusion. She emphasises the need for organisations to embed accessibility into their digital experiences and highlights the challenges and opportunities in the tech industry. The conversation delves into the motivation for accessibility, challenges of embed...

In this episode, Dama Sathianathan, senior partner at Bethnal Green Ventures, shares insights into how their impact-focused VC supports early-stage tech for good startups. Discover their unique approach to responsible investing, program details, and how founders from diverse backgrounds can get involved. Show Notes Impact-driven venture capital Tech for Good definition and scope BGV's founder supp...

What if your local high street could become a hub for work, community, and social change? That's exactly what Freddie Fforde is building with Patch — and as a workspace partner of Tech4Good South West, they're already making it happen right here in the South West. In this episode, Freddie shares how Patch is revitalising neighbourhoods by creating physical homes for purpose-driven communities — an...

Unlock the transformative potential of AI for social good through a powerful story of innovation, collaboration, and practical impact. In this episode, Annie Legge is joined by tech volunteers Bronwyn Kunhardt from Polecat and Dave Preedy from Microsoft to explore how a community-driven AI Living Lab is helping charities move from curiosity to confident action. Through small, real-world experiment...

Did you know 83,840 children are currently in care and 9,000 additional foster carers are needed in the UK. These are shocking statistics, and highlight the urgent need for innovation and support within the foster care system. In this episode host Annie Legge speaks with Rasheda Fry , founder of Fosterli , a platform aimed at improving the fostering process through technology. They discuss the ala...

Host Arielle Tye in conversation with Mary Stevens , Experiments Program Manager at Friends of the Earth , exploring the intersection of AI and environmental justice. In this chat with Arielle, Mary delves into the potential of AI to drive positive change while addressing its environmental risks. Mary shares insights from her work on creating a balanced narrative between AI's utopian and dystopian...

In this episode of the Tech4Good South West podcast, host Arielle Tye speaks with Matt Bakall, a digital youth work specialist working at Space Youth Services, about digital youth work. They discuss the evolution of youth work in the digital age, the importance of meeting young people where they are, and the challenges and opportunities presented by technology. Matt shares insights on defining dig...

Join us on the Tech for Good Southwest podcast as we delve into the inspiring journey of Luke Ashman, co-founder of Not Impossible. Discover how this innovative platform is revolutionising work experience for young people by connecting them with meaningful placements. From the challenges of building a purpose-driven business to the impact of micro-placements, Luke shares insights on creating oppor...

What happens when your smartphone becomes your biggest enemy in managing ADHD? In this powerful conversation, Annie sits down with Alastair Brayne, founder of Unbreakable (formerly MyCoPilot.ai ), who turned his personal struggle with organisation, planning and digital addiction into a mission to help others. Alastair shares the raw reality of building a startup while neurodivergent, from developi...

In this episode of the Tech4Good South West podcast, host Arielle Tye speaks with Weronika Stelma, co-founder and CEO of Weaving Change , a social enterprise focused on sustainable fashion. They discuss the launch of their app, Swerve, which aims to help users digitise their wardrobes and make sustainable fashion choices. Weronica shares her journey from a chemistry background to creating a tech s...

In this episode, we talk with Neil Morris, co-founder of Kelpi, about his journey from tech entrepreneur to impact leader with a mission to reduce plastic waste through innovative, seaweed-based packaging solutions. Neil discusses the challenges of scaling impact sustainably, including the tough decisions Kelpi has made to avoid partnerships that could compromise their mission. He shares insights...

Promoting STEM education and environmental awareness among children through The Adventures of Scout. In this engaging conversation, co-founders Nick Parker and Matt Baron of The Adventures of Scout discuss their mission to inspire the next generation through children's literature focused on environmental awareness and STEM education. They share insights into their creative process, the impact of t...

In this episode of the Tech4Good South West podcast, our host Alicia discuss the importance of technology in addressing societal challenges with Emily Franklin, Head of People at ⁠Kaluza⁠ . They explore Kaluza's mission to make net zero accessible to everyone, the significance of company culture and values in tech for good organisations, and effective hiring practices that align with these values....

Simon Allen, CEO of Age UK in Bath and North East Somerset, discusses his journey as a CEO of a charity and how AI can enable organisations in the social sector. Simon developed the charity Navigator using OpenAI and chat GPT to support charities in navigating regulation and governance. Simon highlights the complexity of regulation and governance in the charity sector and the need for accessible i...

Bryan Charter is co-founder and CEO of Bristol based SuSy House . In this episode Bryan discusses the mission - to make homes more energy-efficient and sustainable. Susy is a mobile app that helps homeowners assess the energy efficiency of their properties, connect with contractors, and access financing options for upgrades. The app uses data science and smart technology to provide personalised re...

Alicia interviews Paul Forster, the Incubation Manager at SetSquared Bristol. They discuss the enterprise programs at SetSquared Bristol, investing in minorities in the tech industry, purpose-driven technology, and the importance of Tech for Good. Paul shares his passion for amplifying marginalised voices and creating tangible change. He also highlights the need for government investment in Bristo...

Henry Jones, consultant for the Southwest Social Mobility Commission discusses social mobility, the South West, diversity in tech and some ideas on how to close the ever growing digital skills gap in the UK. Read Henry’s report Tech Frontier, Shaping the Future of the Southwest Peninsula "Work experience is one of the big things I’m looking at, specifically year 10 work experience. My report lays...

Jim Cranshaw, founder of Grants AI , which helps charities research and write grants way faster discusses his passion for social change and the challenges faced by the nonprofit sector. "It's not just AI, but there's a number of technological revolutions that we're kind of really in the middle of or at the start of. And I think that's going to transform a lot about society. And I do think the sect...

Episode 6 of our Founding Sponsor Mini Series talking to the founding sponsors of the Tech4Good South West relaunch, to explore their interest in tech for good and their hopes and ambitions for the TechforGood South West network. This episode is in conversation with Emma Millington, co-founder of Modular Digital. "I see Tech for Good as bringing us all together so we can be a choir for change in t...

Episode 5 of our Founding Sponsor Mini Series talking to the founding sponsors of the Tech4Good South West relaunch, to explore their interest in tech for good and their hopes and ambitions for the TechforGood South West network. This episode is in conversation with Natalie Luckham, founder of Naturally Social , and Wiltshire Digital Drive . "People and planet can work alongside profit. It doesn't...