2021 PhD Impact Fellow: Briana Vecchione / Blue Ridge Labs @ Robin Hood

Briana Vecchione embedded with Blue Ridge Labs @ Robin Hood this past summer as one of our inaugural PiTech Impact Fellows. She worked with the early-stage social ventures selected for Blue Ridge Labs’ 2021 Catalyst accelerator program, which were Touchdown NYC,  Communifi, UnlockEd, and Karen’s Club. 

Briana Vecchione

Her work included outlining research questions and pursuing background research –providing teams with academic findings that informed and justified design decisions. The overarching theme of her contributions was to prompt founders to think about ethical uses and considerations for their technology solutions, including discussions around responsible data collection, usage, and privacy.

Robin Hood is NYC’s largest poverty-fighting organization, supporting low-income families by building and fueling impactful nonprofits that are elevating people from poverty. Blue Ridge Labs is a program of Robin Hood and specializes in creating and supporting early-stage social tech ventures.