Welcoming NMV's 2024 Cohort: 4 Innovative Tech Solutions

We’re proud to announce that New Media Ventures has made four new investments and grants into innovative startup organizations utilizing technology to enhance progressive messaging, to preserve the histories of overlooked communities, to build a just future, and to mitigate AI’s risk of harm. 

Chorus AI is a tool that will help you put all your data into one place, so you can easily surface the most critical news and social media and find the documents you need. Share it with relevant stakeholders, or create content in your unique voice and style, from a grant proposal to a fundraising email, in minutes. 

In their own words: "NMV's funding will give us the growth capital we need to make an even bigger impact in a critical year. Whether fighting disinformation or running rapid response programs, our tools give campaigns and nonprofits even more capabilities. NMV's support will helps us reach a much wider audience." - Aaron Myran, CEO & Co-Founder

How you can help: Chorus AI is looking to work with nonprofits, foundations, and social enterprises with a budget >$500K dollars. 

Learn more: Follow their work on Linkedin!

Kinfolk Tech Foundation is harnessing emerging technologies to empower stories of Black, Brown, and Queer communities in public spaces through imagination and play. To date, they have created an archive of digital monuments that preserve history that has been silenced. Kinfolk has amassed a collection of cultural artifacts, stories, and archival materials that are not prioritized within the existing Large Language Models in existence. 

In their own words: “We are so ecstatic to receive support from New Media Ventures. This funding allows us to invest more time and focus on scaling our exploration of artificial intelligence within our existing augmented reality community archive. We look forward to being in partnership with NMV and the rest of the grantees as we tackle building the future of ethical AI.” - idris brewster, executive director

How you can help: They are raising money from foundations and individual donors. They're also looking for support thinking through creative governance structures for non profit and for profit.

Learn more: Follow their work on Instagram, X and Linkedin!

AI4Abolition is creating an abolitionist future by promoting AI literacy and developing open-source community-led products that engender a just and regenerative future. They prioritize serving Black and Indigenous women and youth leaders, but their mission embraces all who strive to use AI as a force for systemic equality and mutual aid. Their vision is a world in which artificial intelligence serves as a tool for liberation rather than oppression, shaping a just society that upholds the dignity, power, and potential of every living being. 

In their own words: “We are incredibly excited and honored that New Media Ventures is supporting our mission at AI4Abolition. At a time when our democracy and social freedoms are increasingly threatened by the concentration of AI power in the hands of a few companies, this funding allows us to challenge these dynamics directly. It enables us to advance a legacy of work that speaks truth to power, advocating for a redistribution of computational power. With this support, we will be working alongside impacted communities to develop alternative AI tools that expand the collective imagination about what artificial intelligence can achieve when directed towards liberatory aims. This partnership is a crucial step in our journey to ensure AI contributes to a more just and equitable world.”  - Avriel Epps, Co-Founding Executive Director

How you can help: AI4Abolition is looking to fundraise $100K in grants to finish out the year. They're also interested in being connected with any/all BIPOC technical talent -- folks with experience in full stack development, Machine Learning engineering, and/or cryptography/security systems engineering who could serve as advisors, consultants, or be hired as staff.

Learn more: If you’re interested in connecting with Avriel and her team, email our Investment Associate, Abi Leung aleung@newmediaventures.org!

Data Nutrition Project is empowering data scientists and policymakers with practical tools to improve AI outcomes. Data Nutrition Project (DNP) designs and builds standardized “Nutrition Labels” for datasets. Similar to food nutritional labels that help people understand the food they consume, they build Labels that help data practitioners understand whether data might be “healthy” for their model. In a world that is increasingly producing, capturing, and using data to train powerful systems that affect populations at scale, DNP believes that all training datasets should be accompanied by legible, accurate, and accessible documentation.

In their own words: “Our goal at the Data Nutrition Project is to help technologists and policymakers attain higher levels of transparency around the data they are using to build AI systems that affect society at large. We are excited to continue to drive our work forward with the support of NMV.” - Kasia Chmielinski, Co-Founder

How you can help: Connect DNP with organizations or funders who are interested in the operationalization of the certification. 

Learn more: Follow their work on Linkedin!

Interested in joining NMV in supporting these projects? For more information on our investments & grantees, contact Phillip Sanders at psanders@newmediaventures.org.

Interested in funding NMV and helping us support more organizations like these? Please reach out to NMV President Carlissia Graham at cgraham@newmediaventures.org.

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