The lab selected 10 nonprofit startups for its 2017 to 2018 Social Innovation class out of 84 applicants.
Eight of the finalists are women-led ventures, and five are minority-led. The school started the Social Innovation Lab six years ago to provide funding, mentorship and training to members of the Johns Hopkins community tackling social issues in Baltimore and globally.
This year’s group includes Mera Kitchen Collective, a worker-owned food cooperative run by refugees and immigrants; PIVOT, a training program for women re-entering the workforce; and Active Bed Sore Prevention System, a product-based startup that uses pressure sensors to warn of potential bedsores for the sick and elderly. ClearMask, another cohort member, has developed a full-face, transparent face mask for health care workers that helps reduce medical errors caused by miscommunication.
Since it launched, the lab has supported 62 ventures in raising $13 million in outside funding.