Justice Tech 2023

About the Program

The United States has the highest rates of incarceration in the world. Systemic issues — including deeply embedded biases, over-policing and over-surveillance, and expensive and extortionary cash bails — disproportionately impact Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) and low-income communities, resulting in devastating impacts on their health, career, and financial wellbeing.

Since 2020, in partnership with American Family Institute for Corporate and Social Impact (AmFam), Village Capital has broken new ground in laying the foundation, planting the seeds, and fostering growth to disrupt the justice system to reduce inequities and create opportunities for justice-impacted people and communities to thrive. In 2022, Dream.org advanced these efforts to support Innovations in Justice Tech with our first-ever Fellowship program.

Learn more about the Justice Tech sector, including our groundbreaking report and investing framework that guides criminal and civil justice change.

Join us as we grow the ecosystem to support solutions for justice-impacted individuals and communities.

Current and Upcoming Initiatives

Community Convenings (June - October 2023)

Think of community convenings like virtual fireside chats. We’re leading and facilitating monthly convenings to catalyze investors, entrepreneurs, and nonprofit organizations, who are a critical part of the Justice Tech community. 

These events will take place virtually from 2-3pm EST and are open to the public. Join us for the following sessions as we continue increasing visibility of Justice Tech and driving innovation in this space.

• The Many Faces and Facets of Justice Tech with Dream.Org (June 15)

• Supporting Justice Tech Founders through Accelerators with Gener8tor (July 19)

• Investing in Justice Tech Founders with American Family Insurance Institute (August 23)

• Leveraging Community to Increase Access to Justice with Justice Tech Association (JTA) (September 20)

• Insuring Climate Justice for People and Communities Impacted by the Criminal System (JFF) (October 18)

We hope to see you there! Register for these events and share them with your networks.

Founder Workshops (May - September 2023)

We’re hosting five Founder Workshops for six pre-seed stage companies building solutions in the financial health, future of work, healthcare, legal tech, communications tech, or government tech spaces. Each of the 6 selected companies was nominated by our Ecosystem partners. Workshops, which include sessions like Building Your Brand, Articulating Your Value Proposition, and Planning Your Raise, will be led by Village Capital and Flikshop School of Business.

Meet the six companies selected for the Justice Tech Founder Workshops:

BailBondsBidsNow.com (San Antonio, TX) facilitates a marketplace for arrestees’ families to request and receive competitive bids from bail bond companies, making the bonding process more accessible and efficient.

Citizen HQ (Raleigh, NC) runs an innovative AI-powered mobile app delivering affordable and accessible services to low-income individuals and those needing emergency assistance through video conferencing technology.

Cocoon Technologies (Cleveland, OH and Detroit, MI) is a software company enhancing public safety and policing through progressive and humane tech solutions.

de-bias (Pittsburgh, PA) is an equity-focused platform integrating research, predictive analytics, and solutions to mitigate the impact of business outcomes on marginalized populations.

LawWurk (Victorville, CA) is a disruptive legal directory that connects the public with affordable and alternative paraprofessional legal support through innovative technologies and state-specific resources.

Layman’s (New York, NY) is a Collaborative AI Legal Librarian that helps individuals improve their advocacy skills.