COLUMBUS, Ohio – GiveBackHack, a local organization dedicated to launching social enterprises, hosted their annual GiveBackHack weekend on Nov. 1 to Nov. 3, where they awarded $15k in seed funding from IGS Energy and The Columbus Foundation to finalists.
GiveBackHack celebrated their 10th anniversary at the event with participants coming together from social services, tech, and design backgrounds to work on new social impact business ideas. The funded teams seek to solve issues around loneliness, homelessness, and life after incarceration.
In celebration of the 10th year, GiveBackHack held its first ever Launch Party – showcasing not only the weekend attendees, but highlighting past attendees and community support organizations, along with bites from local social enterprises (the Roosevelt Coffeehouse, Two Good Eats, Freedom a la Cart and Hot Chicken Takeover.) The vibe at the launch party was excitement – we saw people who have been active in our Columbus social enterprise community over the past ten years come back and re-engage, and were delighted to have our experienced judges return – Emily Savors from the Columbus Foundation, Jen Bowden from IGS, and Derek Dehart from Alignable.
The event was generously hosted at the creative space of CCAD, which served as a brilliant backdrop of inspiration for the social entrepreneurs working to design strong solutions.
Watch this year’s finalists on YouTube.
Finalists
Goldheart Outreach
Goldheart Outreach, led by Heather Fitzgerald and a team with personal experiences of homelessness, aims to address the rising homelessness crisis in Central Ohio. Heather already provides rides for the unhoused in the winter to warming stations. Their solution, the Heartlight button, takes this a step further using patented GPS technology to help unhoused individuals request critical assistance without needing a phone. Their hope is to transition from reactive to proactive support, aiming to distribute these buttons to the unhoused population in Columbus.
Check out their website here!
Freedom Pipeline
Stephanie and Miranda showed up to GiveBackHack with a desire to help support formerly incarcerated individuals with re-rentry. Over the weekend, they found a team at GiveBackHack, and reached out to community organizations to determine gaps that they could fill with modern tools and support.
Freedom Pipeline launched with a prototype featuring a task planner, a document translator for legal documents, and a resource aggregator. The platform aims to reduce recidivism and is exploring partnerships with government agencies and nonprofits to enhance its reach and effectiveness.
Watch their pitch here!
IRL
IRL explored the growing issue of loneliness and its effects. Their interviews and surveys revealed dissatisfaction with in-person connections, with logistical challenges being a significant barrier. Their proposed solution is IRL, designed to facilitate real-world meetups by coordinating schedules and activities among friends. The app aims to be a user-friendly text-based platform requiring no login, built for young adults and busy individuals.
Watch their pitch here!
Women of Color + Equity Design Institute
WCEDI, led by Dr. Alex Stapleton and Tasha Lamau from Zora’s House, empowers women of color in Columbus to co-design solutions that address economic inequities. Through training, certification, and collaboration, the institute centers lived experiences to create equitable, community-driven innovations. By integrating design thinking with systemic change, they aim to shift decision-making dynamics and foster inclusivity in local development efforts.
Watch their pitch here!
The Language Treehouse
Language Treehouse, led by Esha Sharma, addresses the growing need for equitable education for bilingual students in Columbus. With local schools facing financial restrictions that impact English language learners, Language Treehouse provides a mentorship program pairing bilingual mentors with students to enhance language skills and cultural understanding. Operating on a Robinhood model, their translation service revenue funds free mentoring in under-resourced schools. Their mission is to turn language from a barrier into a bridge, creating pathways for academic success and stronger communities.
Watch their pitch here!
