Geoidentity

How do you survive in a world of verifications without proving who you are? Today over 1.5 billion people around the globe have no means to prove their identity. And 108.4 million people worldwide were forcibly displaced as a result of wars, political-religious persecution and climate change—losing access to vital personal documents such as graduated or present student certificates. The loss of physical academic certificates once people move from one country to another, as well as their titles not being recognised because of the inconsistency of validation processes between countries makes it almost impossible for migrants to rebuild a life. 

I crossed many countries, lived in war zones, and worked with young refugees, stateless to observe "how Geography has the power to draw and define our existence". A reality that I want to share through their voices.

If you think about it, in the past, we invented the passport to travel around the world with ease. Imagine now if every country could request a different document and a different process to access the country, who could travel more? This is what happens when we need to cross another border, the study and job validation one. Geoidentity proposes a universal system for study validation with an academic passport to preserve one’s identity. The digital passport contains not only personal data but also academic data as a unique part of our identity. Data are logged & validated through a blockchain platformallowing students to provide all their data to any host university in the world. It is a borderless system with the ability to store, verify & connect educational credentials across international borders. 

To reach a world where all people have equal opportunity we must design beyond geographical borders.

This is a call to action for collaboration among Ministries of Education, Universities, UNHCR, Tech Companies, and UNESCO. Education and identity are both undeniable human rights that need to be turned into resilient systems for all. Governments must grasp the urgency of implementing this system now to avert future crises.

In a world where certificates signify authenticity, global digital transformation unlocks future prosperity, where everyone, everywhere, can reach their fullest potential. It may sound utopic and huge, and yes, it is actually both—but it is also possible and Geoidentity can make this possible. 

“My family house was bombed three times: Oh my God, I’ll never get the opportunity to finish my studies" "I am a stateless person I do not have any document to prove who I am". —These are the voices behind the huge stats. This is a call to redesign fundamental systems beyond any geographical borders: because political borders are abstracts, they are created by humans.

Because of these borders, today over 1.5 billion people around the globe have no means to prove their identity. And 108.4 million people worldwide were forcibly displaced as a result of wars, political-religious persecution and climate change; losing access to vital personal documents such as graduated or present student certificates. 

Despite agreements guaranteeing refugees' education rights, data reveals that access to higher education remains low at only 5%(UNHCR, 2022). A Syrian refugee who was studying at Damascus University forcibly fled to Jordan due to war “Here in Jordan I spent two years with no access to education". In Chile, a refugee could not validate her engineering studies because the University required a document that in Syria doesn’t exist.  Migrants losing vital documents face socioeconomic exclusion that denies them from education and job access. 

Today there are approximately 220 million tertiary education students globally, and 44 million are looking for career opportunities. The number of displaced looking for jobs which require study validation is 100 million. Based on UN data, Geoidentity could help 1.4 million people not considering all the undeclared graduate refugees.

Geoidentity is born across borders whilst working with refugees. Indeed, from the very start, my approach to working with the refugee community has been rooted in cooperation, actively involving those directly impacted by the issues I aim to address, as integral members of the team. Their insights & guidance have steered the design process. Their first-hand experiences and contributions have been invaluable in shaping Geoidentity's strategy, communication & progress. A significant ally is PID, People Integrated for Development advocating for Ugandan refugee settlements, where refugees are essential in raising awareness and building partnership.

Geoidentityìs mission is to fight against Geography's power in defining our lives. Current accreditation methods suffer from excessive reliance on intricate semantic models to outline a student's learning path. My research reveals that diverse countries, while employing different processes, essentially seek similar outcomes in validation.

Geoidentity is currently in the initial prototype phase, with a visual prototype of the platform developed. We are now seeking an Accelerator program, particularly from tech companies like Microsoft Impact, to help build the platform's code. Our strategy involves building partnerships to scale the project effectively.

Geoidentity's next step is to continue advocating for the prevention of vital data loss in the face of unpredictable events: war, political-religious persecutions and climate change. A call to redesign fundamental systems beyond any geographical borders, because political borders are abstracts, they are created by humans.

The potential for unity in designing solutions that transcend geographical boundaries is immense  – envisioning each country as a vital "organ or cell" within the broader organism of our planet, that acts with its unique function but shares one single mission: "the well-being of the entire body" –our home, Earth. Reintegrating these systems into the fabric of humanity and nature is not just my passion, it is my life's purpose, my ikigai.

Geoidentity's vision for the future requires funding but mostly cooperation to become a reality. We recognize the importance of financial support and collaboration from various stakeholders to implement and scale our solution effectively. By fostering partnerships, we can accelerate the development and adoption of resilient systems that protect education and identity as fundamental human rights. With the collaboration of universities, education ministries, international organizations, big tech companies,NGO and individuals, we can realize Geoidentity's mission and establish a more inclusive, liberated, and secure world for all.

Geoidentity was awarded by Fast Company World Changing Ideas Awards 2023, presented G20 in India August 2023, as young representative of Italy for Social Impact and exhibited & pitched at ChangeNOW World 2024 the largest event of solutions for the planet in a new section dedicated to urgent humanitarian actors “First Responders” manifesting the urgency of digital transformation to protect vital personal data beyond any geographical borders and any unpredictable event. I had the honour of being selected by an incredible jury among a panel of 170 pitchers, as the winner of the “Inclusion pitch session” for the “Coup-de-coeur” award. This session featured 12 solutions across various themes of the Summit and will soon be published on Springwise, a global innovation platform for positive and sustainable change.  

Geoidentity aims to combat the loss of vital data due to unpredictable events like war, persecution, and climate change. By forging partnerships with universities, NGOs, and organizations like UNHCR, we advocate for resilient systems beyond borders, ensuring education and identity rights for all. Our solution leverages global digital transformation to unlock prosperity, enabling everyone to fulfill their potential. 

Currently, the fragmented system limits futures to youth in privileged nations. Current accreditation methods suffer from excessive reliance on intricate semantic models to outline a student's learning path. My research reveals that diverse countries, while employing different processes, essentially seek similar outcomes in validation. My mission is to fight against Geography's power in defining our lives. 

 We address pressing issues: How can identity be established without traditional physical documentation? How can technology assist refugees and migrants in navigating personal and academic validation, including language barriers? A streamlined process benefits not only displaced individuals but also accreditation bodies, immigration authorities, and educational institutions. It's about implementing a single universal system that operates on a global scale, unifying our identity- encompassing our study choices and aspirations.

Geoidentity envisions a world where universal education empowers everyone to realize their full potential. To achieve our vision, we aim to build bridges between different organs involved in the process of validating the study's qualification and identity of a person. 

Geoidentity seeks to drive systemic change and change the system through strategic partnerships, especially within international organization able to bridge countries and go beyond geographical borders.

Engaging in major humanitarian events and platforms like Solve MIT allows us to garner support from key organizations. This enables us to access significant grants, gain validation across nations, aid countries facing democracy challenges, and attract attention from tech sectors and other institutions. These partnerships highlight our potential to drive substantial change.

Our impact goals for Geoidentity are centered around creating universal access to education and identity validation, particularly for displaced populations. We aim to transform lives by providing individuals with the tools to access education and essential services, regardless of their circumstances.

To measure our progress towards these goals, we track several key indicators, including:

1. Number of individuals provided with validated academic credentials through Geoidentity.
2. Increase in educational enrollment rates among displaced populations using Geoidentity.
3. Reduction in instances of identity fraud and document loss among vulnerable communities.
4. Number of partnerships established with educational institutions, NGOs, and government agencies to expand Geoidentity's reach.
5. Impact on overall socioeconomic empowerment and integration of displaced individuals into society.

By monitoring these indicators and assessing our impact over time, we can continuously evaluate the effectiveness of Geoidentity in achieving our mission of promoting education and identity validation as fundamental human rights.

Geoidentity's innovative solution leverages cutting-edge technology, particularly blockchain, to address the critical problem of identity and education validation, especially for displaced populations. By embedding personal and academic data within a digital passport, Geoidentity ensures seamless access to education across international borders.

Through biometric authentication and blockchain validation, students can securely provide their academic credentials to any host university worldwide, regardless of their geographical location or circumstances. This borderless system not only preserves educational histories but also protects against data loss and unpredictable events such as forced migration due to climate change or conflict.

By enabling students to continue their studies seamlessly, Geoidentity prevents the loss of identity and aspirations often experienced by displaced individuals. Moreover, its blockchain-powered communication protocol fosters collaboration among institutions, ensuring a clear, universal, encrypted, and cooperative process for academic validation.

The ultimate result is a connected and secure system that transforms the academic validation process, making education universally accessible and empowering individuals to pursue their dreams and aspirations regardless of their circumstances. Geoidentity not only addresses the immediate needs of displaced populations but also offers long-term benefits for universities and educational institutions worldwide. By investing in the Geoidentity platform, universities can streamline the academic validation process, bypassing administrative and bureaucratic hurdles.

This streamlined approach is particularly relevant in contexts like the USA, where validating credentials across states can be cumbersome and time-consuming. Geoidentity offers a solution that transcends geographical boundaries, ensuring that academic credentials are universally recognized and easily verifiable.

While Geoidentity initially targets refugees and displaced individuals, its effectiveness extends to all students and graduates, regardless of their background or circumstances. By solving complex validation challenges for the most vulnerable populations, Geoidentity sets a new standard for educational accessibility and equity, benefiting society as a whole. By investing in Geoidentity, universities can enhance their efficiency, reduce administrative burdens, and provide greater opportunities for students to access education globally. Ultimately, it's a win-win situation that transforms the educational landscape and empowers individuals to reach their full potential.

Our solution team consists of dedicated individuals with a shared mission of changing the world. Currently, I am the founder and designer, leading the team; two strategists who work closely with me in decision-making. Additionally, we have a biomedical engineer, originally a refugee from Syria, who handles the technology side of the project. An analyst specializing in risk finance also contributes to our team. Furthermore, we have collaborated with a lawyer to analyze certificate formats worldwide to ensure compatibility. Currently, we are actively seeking additional software engineers to further expand our team and capabilities.

May 2020

At Geoidentity, diversity and inclusivity are fundamental values ingrained in our team culture. Our approach to ensuring diversity and minimizing barriers to opportunity starts from the very foundation of our project. Born from collaboration across borders and working directly with refugees, we recognize the importance of diverse perspectives and experiences in driving innovation and progress.

From the outset, we have actively involved individuals directly impacted by the issues we aim to address as integral members of our team. Their insights, guidance, and firsthand experiences have played a crucial role in shaping every aspect of Geoidentity, from strategy development to communication efforts.

We prioritize creating a welcoming and inclusive environment where every team member feels valued and empowered to contribute their unique perspective. Our partnerships with organizations like PID (People Integrated for Development) further reinforce our commitment to diversity and inclusivity, as we work together to advocate for and support refugee communities.

In summary, diversity is not just a goal for us—it's a cornerstone of our approach to problem-solving and driving positive change.

Our business model at Geoidentity revolves around providing value to a diverse global audience, particularly displaced individuals such as refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants. Our focus transcends geographical boraders, with potential partnerships spanning renowned entities like the EU Commission, UN agencies, universities, and tech giants like Google and Microsoft.

Key resources required for our initiative include technological support for a blockchain platform, financial backing, access to university data, and collaboration with education ministries. Our customer base includes ministries of education, international organizations like UNESCO, immigration offices, and early adopters such as private universities and accreditation bodies.

In terms of revenue streams, as a social enterprise, we generate income through donations, investor funding, grants, partnerships with educational institutions, and crowdfunding for the initiative's launch. Our cost structure includes expenses for the blockchain platform, online passport, maintenance, and user data management.

Overall, our business model is designed to provide universal access to education and identity validation while ensuring financial sustainability through strategic partnerships and diversified revenue streams.

Our plan for financial sustainability revolves around a diverse set of revenue streams and strategic partnerships. We aim to secure funding through various channels such as donations, investor angels, accelerator programs, public funding, Universities paying for the platform and individual private donors. Secured partnerships with financial institutions like Mastercard and the World Bank, indicating confidence in our project's potential. Additionally, we plan to generate revenue through partnerships with private universities, accreditation offices, and schools that can pay to use our platform. Moreover, we aim to initiated alliances with tech businesses and early adopters, including private universities and accreditation offices, to generate revenue and support our ongoing operations. These partnerships serve as evidence of our successful strategy to diversify revenue streams and ensure long-term financial sustainability. In terms of cost structure, we are mindful of expenses related to the blockchain platform, online passport, and maintenance. However, we are confident that our revenue streams and partnerships will enable us to cover these costs effectively.

Overall, our plan for financial sustainability is grounded in strategic partnerships, diverse revenue streams, and careful cost management. Through these efforts, we are confident in our ability to achieve long-term financial viability while continuing to advance our mission of promoting universal access to education and identity validation.