Latest news with #HERide
NZ Herald
6 days ago
- Automotive
- NZ Herald
Female drivers will also be able to request female passengers in a pilot programme being rolled out in three US cities
Uber said women riders and drivers across the US have been saying they 'want the option to be matched with other women on trips'. Ride-hailing platforms including Uber have long faced pressure to improve safety for both drivers and riders. Uber disclosed thousands of reports of sexual assault during US rides between 2017 and 2022. Uber and Lyft began sharing information in 2021 on drivers they had deactivated in an effort to improve rider safety. Uber previously rolled out a feature that enables riders and drivers to record audio on trips. These recordings are encrypted and can be accessed by Uber only when an incident is reported. Where will the rides be available? Los Angeles, San Francisco and Detroit are the pilot cities for the new feature, where it will be rolled out 'in the next few weeks', the company said. How can I use the new feature? The new feature lets riders request a female driver when hailing a ride, with the option to switch to all drivers if waiting times are too long or if a female driver is unavailable. They can also prebook a ride with a female driver and change their app settings to indicate they would always prefer to be matched with a female driver. Women drivers will be able to switch their app settings to request only female passengers - including during peak evening hours - and can turn off the feature at any time to accept all ride requests, Uber said. Are there other women-only rideshare apps? There are several smaller rideshare companies that are only for women, such as HERide in Atlanta and Athens, Georgia, and North Carolina-based Just Her Rideshare, which says it has primarily female riders and drivers. Lyft launched a similar feature called Women+ Connect in 2023. Uber has already rolled out the 'Women Preferences' feature in dozens of countries, starting with Saudi Arabia in 2019. 'Most drivers are men, so we've worked to ensure this feature was truly useable in different places around the world,' Uber said in a news release.
Style Blueprint
10-07-2025
- Business
- Style Blueprint
Meet WiNK Therapeutics, Winner of Sloss.Tech's First Pitch-Off
Share with your friends! Pinterest LinkedIn Email Flipboard Reddit At this year's Sloss Tech Conference in Birmingham (a three-day celebration of tech, tenacity, and big ideas), WiNK Therapeutics emerged as the Grand Prize winner of the inaugural Southeast Pitch Competition. The Florida-based biotech startup walked away with $50,000 in funding and some serious bragging rights! Pin Backed by a grant from the Regions Foundation, the pitch competition was a centerpiece of the expanded Sloss Tech event, which took over Birmingham's historic theatre district from June 25 through 27. The competition spotlighted startups that launched after January 2020 and raised less than $5 million, offering a unique platform for early-stage companies ready to scale. WiNK Therapeutics, co-founded by Dr. Warren Marcus and headquartered in Miramar, Florida, impressed judges with its pioneering work on RNA aptamer technology — science-speak for a next-gen platform that could potentially revolutionize treatment for Type 1 Diabetes and solid tumors. Their pitch, focused on turning bold research into life-saving therapies, stood out among 16 finalists from across the Southeastern U.S. 'We're honored to be recognized by such an inspiring community of innovators,' says Dr. Marcus. 'This funding gives us a vital boost in our mission to develop treatments that can really make a difference.' Pin While WiNK took home the top prize, several other startups earned recognition, too. Atlanta-based HERide won the $10,000 People's Choice Award for its women-first rideshare platform that prioritizes safety and empowerment by connecting female riders with female drivers. HERide also took home a $5,000 category award in Mobility and Transportation Technology, making it a double winner. In the Agtech and Foodtech category, Atlanta's Good Agriculture impressed with its AI-powered farm management tool, which is designed to help farmers spend less time on paperwork and more time in the field. WiNK Therapeutics, already crowned the overall winner, also earned top honors in the Healthtech and Biotech category (because apparently, being brilliant in one lane just wasn't enough!) Rounding out the list was Giggs from Nashville, which won in the Emerging Tech category for its platform that connects vetted backstage professionals with live event gigs, bringing order and opportunity to the chaos behind the curtain. Pin Thanks to support from the Regions Foundation, is quickly becoming a launchpad for rising tech stars across Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and beyond. Whether it's curing diseases, making farming smarter, or revolutionizing how we get around, the Southeast's startup scene is showing it's got plenty of ideas and the talent to bring them to life. ********** Discover even more Southern stories worth sharing. Follow us on Instagram! About the Author Jenna Bratcher Jenna Bratcher is StyleBlueprint Nashville's Associate Editor and Lead Writer. The East Coast native moved to Nashville 17 years ago, by way of Los Angeles. She is a lover of dogs, strong coffee, traveling, and exploring the local restaurant scene bite by bite.
