Embracing technology as a primary pillar in our lives is a must! This needs a humanized technology that works as an enabler in our lives and transforms rigid technological interaction into an agile emotional one
2022 WE Empower Finalist, Greater MENA
Abeer Albashiti is the managing director of Larimar, a social enterprise that places human well-being and emotional learning at the center of technology. Albashiti is passionate about social innovation-based startups and has experience in entrepreneurship in tech startups. Additionally, she is a cognitive behavioral therapist who “worked on gender issues related to education, underage marriage, and employment through engagement with Syrian refugees.”
Larimar’s technological innovation is an Emotion AI engine that creates programs that focus on supporting the mental health of its users through its Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). They have an app called Wellshift which is available in both English and Arabic languages. Larimar aims to “reduce 44% of body pains, improve stress management by 2X, and motivation by 5X, ultimately building a coherent environment with resilient individuals and organizations.”
Good Health and Well-being & Decent Work and Economic Growth
Aligning with UN SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being, 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth, UN SDG 16: Peace and Justice Strong Institutions, Larimar plans to build a B-corporation that contributes positively to the aforementioned UN SDGs.
Around 75% of the world’s diseases are stress related and 10.7% of the world’s citizens are mentally ill. Larimar’s AI-powered solutions tackle stress-related diseases. When people are emotionally well, a firm’s stress culture reduces, boosting organizational performance.
Being able to address the most sensitive part of humans’ lives; emotional status will contribute positively to their personal and professional experiences, which will affect gender equality, improve education quality, reduce poverty as we are more aligned with our lives goals.
The WE Empower UN SDG Challenge is a first-of-its-kind global competition for women entrepreneurs who are pushing the UN Sustainable Development Goals and leading innovation in sustainability and climate change through their businesses. This Contributing Series highlights finalists of the Challenge whose work demonstrates how business models and social entrepreneurship can drive global impact.
by Fahima Ali