4 Atlanta startups that are giving information back to the people

Information is power, and these Atlanta startups are giving it back

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Branch Politics
Branch Politics pulls up sample ballots and offers side-by-side candidate comparisons.

Courtesy of Branch Politics

Branch Politics was born out of the need for nonpartisan voter information, just in time for Georgia’s 2020 primary. The organization provided 100 candidate interviews and ballot breakdowns to 17,000 voters. Today, Branch can pull up a sample ballot based on a voter’s address and show side-by-side candidate comparisons, a feature that helped Atlanta vote for its new mayor in November.

TruDiary, a digital health platform, helps OB-GYNs better care for their patients, especially Black mothers. Using data input by the patient, the platform employs artificial intelligence to predict potential pregnancy risks, enabling physicians to not only provide continuous care but also catch potentially life-threatening complications. A 2021 Civic Innovation Fellow, founder Veronica Berry hopes TruDiary can repair trust between traditionally underserved Black mothers and their physicians—and save lives.

• A survey of service providers in more than a dozen states found that unhoused people are routinely denied food stamps—and, sometimes, even access to food pantries—because of a lack of identification. India Hayes founded Mini City to help individuals obtain ID at partner sites across the metro. The platform also speeds up the application process, enables caseworkers to connect clients to referrals, and allows unhoused people to digitally store their important records for safekeeping.

• After signing up for Qoins and choosing a goal—pay off a student loan, for example—customers can go on the app and choose a transfer method. Whether it’s roundups or weekly deposits, the withdrawals are put toward debt, shaving years off loans. So far, the startup has helped customers pay off $20 million and build better financial habits.

Read More: This article is part of our January 2022 cover story, Entrepreneurship is changing. So are Atlanta’s entrepreneurs.

This article appears in our January 2022 issue.

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