Beam Impact

Apr 11, 2019

Having worked previously as a retail consultant at McKinsey’s New York Office, Viveka Hulyalkar noticed how major brands were struggling to maintain young customers, while the customers wanted to give their money to brands bent on making a difference. She decided to create a digital resource that bridged the two, while allowing them to contribute to causes they care about. With the help of Alex Salvatore, a former iOS engineer at Tinder with a penchant for product-building, she created Beam Impact.

Beam is an app that lets users donate part of their everyday purchases to causes they care about. They partner with mission-driven brands like INDAY and Dig Inn that let customers give part of their purchase to causes ranging from LGBTQ+ advocacy to climate change. 

Donating is super simple — it starts with downloading the app and syncing your credit card info with it. After purchasing something at one of the partner brands, you’ll get a notification a few hours later letting you know that you’ve unlocked a donation. You can then choose from a list of four nonprofits and the brand will donate part of your purchase there, at no extra cost. 

According to Hulyalkar, millennials will pay more for a brand that they believe is socially responsible, so Beam not only lets them put their money where their mouths are in terms of advocacy, but connects them to brands that share their ideals. She and Salvatore are currently working on growing the app and reaching their goal of getting over a million dollars donated. 

More about Beam Impact and its innovative founders can be found on their website.