Innovation

"We help our clients tell the story of the people in their supply chain." Through the use of digital technology, Ulula's innovation multiplies the effect of a small team. "A three or five person community engagement team is never going to be able to collect and reflect the views of a population of 80,000." Companies are able to gather a wide selection of data sources on social, environmental, and economic topics. The data collection abilities of Ulula exceeds the traditional methods for companies to gather data." The potential benefits provided by Ulula reduce chances of operational disruption through improving communication between business and the local community leading to improved relationships. As a result, safety culture and satisfaction of employees can exceed expectation and overall business productivity.

Inspiration

Celina: What made you interested in this line of work?

Antoine: "After the 2008 flood in the Niger River Delta, a lot of physical damages were recorded, including destruction of farmlands and houses. Economic life was halted for the Nigerian people and many lives were lost. There was some physical and chemical parameters that were determined. The results revealed that in all the communities, the floodwaters were slightly acidic. There is a relationship between floodwater, surface, and ground water pollution. We were inspired to create an organization to one day have a world where all suppliers are sustainable. It can be difficult to effectively monitor worker condition with annual audits. Using mobile technologies address problems in companies early on. We started Ulula after years of talking to communities and extractive industry professionals in the steppes of Mongolia and Kazakhstan, and the highlands of Peru. Our aim at creating Ulula was really to improve the impact of business and government in society."

Celina: Please tell me about the innovation of your business and how it has helped?

Antoine: "We dramatically decrease the cost of data collection, enabling more frequent and better measures to inform business decisions in real time, and automate reporting in line with business standards to reduce the cost of regulatory compliance. The platform is flexible ensuring that even communities without access to the Internet have an opportunity to voice concerns directly to the company. "

Celina: What are some of the major factors that helped your business succeed?

Antoine: "We use simple mobile technologies (SMS, USSD, IVR, etc.) to create sustainable feedback loops between companies and communities, and transform this information into actionable intelligence to solve social, environmental, and governance (ESG) problems between communities and companies before they erupt. Companies need strong relations with the local communities around them. "

Celina: Could you please describe highlights or images of what you see in your vision of a better world?

Antoine: "Ulula take 311 beyond smart cities to offer localized intelligence for businesses. I would just like to see a point where all suppliers are sustainable because it is both beneficial to their business and the world as a whole. Firms benefit from addressing concerns in an ethical and timely manner. One day we will be able to reach the point where 100% of businesses are sustainable, reducing the likelihood of environmental mismanagement and worker injury."

Overall impact

Ulula is a mobile technology processing and learning machine to drive positive impact in stakeholders engagement. The transparency from the perspective of the workers at individual sites allow business leaders to have access and awareness of operations from multiple levels. High impact industries have the capability for workers and communities to communicate concerns and grievance's through Ulula. "These companies need strong relations with local communities around them and the severity of risk posed by an incident in their operations is high."

Business benefit

This platform is taking sustainable businesses to a global level in hopes to achieve a better world. Antoine Heauty has created a revolutionized device that holds CSR in businesses to the next level. In a developing world where access to mobile communication technology is just becoming accessible to everyone, Ulula is improving foreign direct investment and allowing for a widespread phenomenon of change.

Social and environmental benefit

The anonymous reporting mechanism built into the Ulula product allows for unprecedented worker empowerment and engagement. Operational environments and industry historically have no impact on the decisions affecting their own labor. As a result, Ulula allows for fast and safe reporting of accidents or grievances involving workers and environmental concerns. Heuty's organization allows for community member's to be involved in company discussions about the investments the company has in the community. His innovation makes it easier for local governments to keep track of CSR standards in companies, leading to the improvement in national, economic environments. Ulula allows for the reduction in environmental mismanagement and worker injury by giving the workers in the industry access to the best practices and information through mobile communication technology.

Interview

Antoine Heuty, Founder of Ulula