PowerFuel Damas Co-Founder Wins 2021 Global Amazon AIexa Skills Challenge to Help Rescue Women from Domestic Violence

SAN DIEGO, April 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- San Diego transplant and Brazil native Danielle Vantini was named the top prize winner at the 2021 Global Innovation Summit for her Alexa voice application prototype aimed at combating domestic violence by discretely helping rescue women from dangerous environments. Powered by artificial intelligence (AI), the application called Glow Up, Damas was recognized as a technology solution that leverages Amazon Web Services (AWS) to address one of the 17 United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals: gender equality.

In the event of a domestic violence threat, Glow Up, Damas would use coded language and responses to arrange an escape from an abuser. By covertly calling a free self-driving taxi, Glow Up, Damas could help women get away from an abusive environment.

Vantini, also the co-founder of San Diego-based PowerFuel Damas, was inspired to create the application after experiencing sexual harassment in her Brazilian workplace.

"Gender equality is such an important topic in the world," she said. "Brazil is a very chauvinist country, where every 4 minutes the police register violence against women and every 9 minutes a woman is raped. It's my passion to take this business idea further to make the world more equal for all of us women." 

Now in beta, Glow Up, Damas found its runway at the Global Innovation Summit hosted by San Diego-based EDequity.Global. The Alexa voice application uses artificial intelligence to potentially rescue countless women who are financially dependent on their partners. In the event of a threat, the app Glow Up, Damas activates by using coded language and responses to arrange an escape from an abuser. By silently calling a free self-driving taxi, Glow Up, Damas will help women leave a dangerous environment and arrange an escape from their abusers.

In advance of the summit, Vantini was among the 46 women, marginalized college/university students, and entrepreneurs from Nigeria, North America, India, Kenya, Brazil and Mexico, who completed the Global Amazon Alexa Skills Challenge, a five-week foundational-level AI training program that results in Alexa-powered business ideas that address one or more of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The participants go on to present at the Global Innovation Summit, where this year, Vantini was named a first-place winner.

EDequity.Global is a global coalition of partners advancing cloud education and economic equity for women and BIPOC youth leveraging Amazon Web Services (AWS). EDequity.Global is a brand under We Connect The Dots, a nonprofit educational organization based in Westbury, New York. 

EDequity.Global founder Shauna Ruyle said of the Global Amazon Alexa Skills Challenge: 

"In the face of a global health, economic and education crisis, these program graduates decided to take on the Global Amazon Alexa Skills Challenge to gain a foundational understanding of artificial intelligence, learn in-demand cloud skills and prepare themselves for the future of work. This is what today is about, we are celebrating their accomplishments and innovative Alexa skills that address the United Nations SDGs [Sustainable Development Goals]. This generation is facing some of the most challenging global issues of our time, and our goal is to help them to use AI for good."

Sponsors and partners of the Global Innovation Summit include AWS, American Association of University Women(AAUW), Google, Netflix, ThingLogix, African Leadership University, De Cero a Ciencia De Datos, California State University Office of the Chancellor, The Basement UCSD, Southwestern College and more.

2020 African Descent Fellow, U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (UN Human Rights), Founder and President Bell Global Justice Institute, National Council Member, United Nations Association of the USA (UNA-USA) London J. Bell, J.D., LL.M., opened the event as keynote speaker.

The esteemed panel of judges included:

• Dr. Silvia Mah – Founder of AdAstra Ventures, Forbes Council Member, angel investor and TED Talks speaker
• Kjell Hegstad – Chief Innovation Officer at CirrusLabs, Co-founder of ING Direct – most successful U.S. digital Bank, TED Talks speaker
• Ruth Stanbridge – Creative Director, Vocala
• Mike Roberts – CEO, Creating Coding Careers
• Dr. Mary Bonk Isaac, Founder of HEDGE Co.

Curtis Chambers, former director of engineering at Uber mentored Vantini to give insights on how this idea and prototype could be viable to the public. 

"Judging the Global Amazon Alexa Skills Challenge participants at the Global Innovation Summit was invigorating, as we witnessed how a conversational gateway like the Alexa platform can be applied to address critical needs, from the environment to economic empowerment to gender equality," said Mah. "At the core of every idea was at least one UN Sustainable Development Goal, so to watch entrepreneurs from across the globe creatively tackle world challenges and pitch their nascent ideas was inspiring and invigorating. I'm grateful to have been included."

To learn about the progress of Glow Up, Damas and Danielle Vantini, please visit https://www.powerfueldamas.com/ or follow @powerfueldamas on Instagram. Virtual or in-person interviews with app creators available upon request. 

Contact:
Danielle Vantini
(619) 416-4356
[email protected]

SOURCE PowerFuel Damas