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The first ever Entrepreneur Impact Day will be launching this October 17th. On that day entrepreneurs from across Los Angeles will help non-profits with their tech needs. The projects are, “...something that can be built in a day,” said Rishi Roongta, event organizer and co-founder of Wild Onion Labs. “It will create something that non-profits could actually leave with in hand.”
Some of the entrepreneurs already signed up include Kris Bjornerud of Amplify LA, John Tabis of The Bouqs and Vishal Lugani of Greycroft. Several companies are bringing teams too, including Big Frame and Amplify LA. In total 10 non-profits are participating, including Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, the LA World Affairs Council and LA River Revitalization Project.
“What I want to do is create a day when startups give back to their local communities,” said Roongta.
For the non-profit world an event like Entrepreneur Impact Day offers them a rare chance to get ahead. Too often burdened with the expectation of just breaking even, many non-profits don’t get to tackle nagging problems or think ahead to innovating new solutions.
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles sees it exactly that way. Providing the equivalent of $221 million in health programs every year and serving 104,000 children, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles has a lot on its hands. And despite being a well-run organization that was ranked among the top five children’s hospitals in the nation according to the US News & World Reports, there are just some things Children’s would like to do better.
Specifically the hospital hopes to improve its fundraising reach to heavy mobile phone users.
“We’d like to work with our team of entrepreneurs to tackle the issue of developing a mobile tool – whether that be an app on your phone or something else – to do more efficient fundraising with our target demographic – millennials, families and those used to being on their phones constantly,” said vice president of corporate partnerships, Dawn Wilcox. “A way to not only fundraise but also engage our corporate partners, conduct 'flash giving mobs' based on the hospital’s current needs and link together our patient community, donors, employees and corporate partners.”
Given the depth of mobile app and website development expertise in Los Angeles that goal should be in reach.
Besides tangible project completion, the day will also offer a moment for two distinct, but not so different groups to meet. After the event, which will be hosted at the Bel Air Bay Club, there will be a party at Cross Campus.
“There’s really a lot of synergies between bringing these two communities together,” said Roongta. “They're both motivated entrepreneurs just going after different topics. Bringing great people together will only lead to more synergies, collaborating and creativity.”
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