Nigeria - Business creation project

Describe your project or startup in a few words

We are building an LLM for an AI-powered platform for influencers and brands to ensure ethical marketing. Our LLM-based solution vets brands, prevents greenwashing, aligns campaigns with ESG benchmarks, and promotes SDG goals.

01.01 Describe your project in more detail

Alive is an artificial intelligence-powered platform that ensures transparency, sustainability, and ethical branding practices. It eliminates greenwashing, increases supply chain transparency, and improves labour practices, diversity, environmental impact, product safety, and community engagement. Key features include data aggregation, risk alerts, labour audits, diversity metrics, comprehensive environmental assessments, safety checks, and transparency scores. Use case scenarios: For Influencers: Alive assists influencers in vetting brands to ensure that they align with their values and thus maintain their credibility. For Brands: Alive's analytics help brands improve their ESG practices, thereby increasing trust and credibility. Alive promotes responsible consumption, ethical marketing, and sustainable business practices, creating a transparent and ethical future for the branding ecosystem.

01.02 What is the main problem you are trying to solve?

The main issue Alive seeks to address is a lack of transparency and ethical practices in branding, which leads to issues such as greenwashing, poor supply chain transparency, unethical labour practices, a lack of diversity, significant environmental impacts, insufficient community engagement, and misleading information. Alive offers a comprehensive solution for ensuring that brands and influencers promote truly ethical and sustainable products, fostering trust, credibility, and responsible consumption.

01.03 Tell us the major benefits and/or advantages of using the product/service that your project intends to provide (at least 3).

Enhanced credibility and trust: Alive ensures that brands and influencers can accurately vet and promote ethical products, thereby avoiding greenwashing and misinformation. This fosters trust and credibility among consumers and followers, thereby improving brand reputation and influencer reliability. Improved Ethical and Sustainable Practices: Alive assists brands in improving their ethical and sustainable practices by providing comprehensive insights into supply chain transparency, labour practices, diversity, environmental impact, and community engagement, all of which align with ESG and SDG objectives. Risk Mitigation: Alive provides automated alerts and continuous monitoring to identify and mitigate the risks associated with unethical behaviour, legal noncompliance, and misinformation. This proactive approach enables brands and influencers to avoid potential reputational and legal issues.

01.04 Please describe who exactly your project is aimed at serving. Who are the targeted beneficiaries?

Alive serves brands (large corporations, SMEs, and startups) that want to improve transparency and sustainability. It focuses on influencers and content creators who endorse products to help them maintain credibility. Ethical consumers and the general public benefit from informed decisions. Alive is used by regulatory agencies and advocacy groups to monitor ethical standards. Overall, Alive encourages transparency, ethical practices, and responsible consumption within the branding ecosystem.

01.05 When did you start working on your project?

2024-03-10

01.06 How many other partners are associated with your business venture?

1

01.07 Among the other partners, how many are female?

1

01.08 Please describe the profile of each of the other partners (skills, experience, etc.)

My partner is an experienced professional with a strong track record of driving sustainable practices, promoting integrity, and maximising growth opportunities within corporate governance frameworks. They specialise in managing integrity, protecting reputation, and mitigating losses, having gained extensive experience in business ethics, risk management, and compliance at prestigious companies such as dLocal, Flutterwave, and Multigate. Their leadership as Membership Director at the ACFCS Nigeria Chapter demonstrates their dedication to fostering a positive organisational culture. Certified in a variety of financial crime and compliance specialties, including CFCS and CAMS, they have a thorough understanding of regulatory frameworks and ethical standards. Their educational foundation consists of an MBA in Business and a B.Sc. in Mass Communication/Media Studies, as well as certifications in AML, GDPR, and Project Management.

01.09 If you have a website, a social media page (Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin…), or app, please provide the link here:

01.10 Which industry best describes your project?

h) IT (digital services, equipment and software)

02.01.01 My project contributes to the No poverty goal

5

02.01.02 No poverty - Justification

Alive directly contributes to SDG 1 (No Poverty) by promoting ethical practices and transparency in supply chains, which are critical for economic growth and poverty reduction. Alive promotes decent working conditions (Target 8.7) and empowers local communities that rely on these industries by ensuring fair labour practices and transparent sourcing. Alive's platform educates consumers about ethical consumption, increasing demand for responsibly produced goods and encouraging businesses to invest in sustainable practices that benefit local economies (Target 12.8). Alive helps small businesses thrive sustainably by providing them with ethical compliance tools, thereby contributing to inclusive economic growth. Overall, Alive's comprehensive approach to ethical branding and consumer education directly combats poverty by promoting fair economic practices and empowering communities through sustainable development initiatives.

02.02.01 My project contributes to the Zero hunger goal

5

02.02.02 Zero hunger - Justification

Ethical Sourcing and Supply Chain Transparency: Encourages fair trade practices and fosters sustainable agriculture. Support for Smallholder Farmers: Improves their livelihoods and food security. Promotion of Sustainable Consumption: Educates consumers on making responsible food choices. Community engagement empowers communities to develop resilient agricultural practices.

02.03.01 My project contributes to the Good health and well-being goal

5

02.03.02 Good health and well-being - Justification

Alive ensures that endorsed products are safe and meet quality standards, protecting consumer health (Target 3.9). Healthy Lifestyle Promotion: The platform educates consumers on healthy and sustainable product choices, encouraging behaviours that improve overall well-being (Target 3.4). Ethical Supply Chain Practices: By encouraging transparency in supply chains, Alive reduces the risk of harmful substances and unethical practices, thereby improving public health (Target 3.6). Access to Information: Alive provides consumers with information about product ingredients, sourcing practices, and health impacts, allowing them to make more informed decisions and achieve better health outcomes (target 3.8).

02.04.01 My project contributes to the Quality education goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.04.02 Quality education - Justification

Consumer Education: Alive educates consumers about ethical consumption, sustainability, and the importance of transparent business practices, fostering a culture of informed decision-making (Target 4.7). Business Training: The platform provides tools and insights to businesses, especially SMEs, on integrating ethical practices into their operations, enhancing their understanding of sustainability (Target 4.4). Promotion of Lifelong Learning: Alive promotes continuous learning about ethical standards and sustainable development, supporting lifelong learning opportunities for individuals and organizations (Target 4.6). Partnerships for Education: Collaborations with educational institutions and organizations further enhance educational outreach on ethical branding and sustainability practices (Target 4.7).

02.05.01 My project contributes to the Gender equality goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.05.02 Gender equality - Justification

Alive assesses brands' diversity initiatives, promoting gender equality and inclusivity in the workplace and marketing practices (Target 5.5). Women Entrepreneurs: The platform assists women-led businesses by providing tools and resources to improve their visibility and success in ethical branding (Target 5.b). Inclusive Partnerships: Alive promotes collaborations with diverse influencers and content creators to ensure equal representation and opportunities in brand collaborations (Target 5.c). Consumer Awareness: By educating consumers about brands' gender equality initiatives, Alive encourages support for companies that prioritise gender equality in their operations (target 5.1).

02.06.01 My project contributes to the Clean water and sanitation goal

4

02.06.02 Clean water and sanitation - Justification

02.07.01 My project contributes to the Affordable and clean energy goal

5

02.07.02 Affordable and clean energy - Justification

Alive encourages brands to use renewable energy sources and reduce their carbon footprint, thereby contributing to the transition to affordable and clean energy solutions (Target 7.2). Environmental Impact Reduction: By evaluating brands' energy consumption and promoting sustainable practices, Alive helps to reduce overall energy demand while also promoting efficient energy use. Consumer Education: The platform informs consumers about the importance of supporting brands that prioritise clean energy solutions, thereby encouraging sustainable consumption habits (Target 7.3). Partnerships for Sustainability: Alive works with energy-conscious brands and organisations to promote initiatives that advance affordable and clean energy access worldwide (Target 7.a).

02.08.01 My project contributes to the Decent work and economic growth

7 - Strongly Agree

02.08.02 Decent work and economic growth - Justification

02.09.01 My project contributes to the Industry innovation and infrastructure

7 - Strongly Agree

02.09.02 Industry innovation and infrastructure - Justification

Technological Innovation: Alive uses AI-powered tools and data analytics to improve transparency, ethical sourcing, and sustainability practices among brands and influencers. Infrastructure Development: The platform encourages the creation of digital infrastructure for ethical branding and consumer education, resulting in more efficient and transparent business operations (Target 9.1). Alive encourages brands to innovate in sustainable production and distribution methods, which helps to reduce environmental impacts and improve resource efficiency (Target 9.4). Partnerships for Innovation: Alive works with technology providers and industry stakeholders to drive innovation in ethical branding and sustainability initiatives (target 9.c).

02.10.01 My project contributes to the Reduced inequalities goal

6

02.10.02 Reduced inequalities - Justification

02.11.01 My project contributes to the Sustainable cities and communities goal

4

02.11.02 Sustainable cities and communities - Justification

02.12.01 My project contributes to the Responsible consumption and production goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.12.02 Responsible consumption and production - Justification

Ethical Sourcing: Alive ensures that brands follow ethical sourcing practices, promote fair trade, and support sustainable manufacturing methods (Target 12.2). Consumer Education: The platform informs users about the environmental and social implications of their purchasing decisions, encouraging responsible consumption (Target 12.8). Waste Reduction: By promoting products with low environmental footprints and advocating for circular economy practices, Alive helps to reduce waste generation. Alive encourages brands to use resource-efficient practices in their operations, which reduces resource consumption and promotes sustainable production.

02.13.01 My project contributes to the Climate action goal

6

02.13.02 Climate action - Justification

02.14.01 My project contributes to the Life below water goal

4

02.14.02 Life below water - Justification

02.15.01 My project contributes to the Life on land goal

5

02.15.02 Life on land - Justification

02.16.01 My project contributes to the Peace justice and strong institutions goal

5

02.16.02 Peace justice and strong institutions - Justification

Ethical Governance: The platform encourages brands to use transparent and accountable governance practices to foster integrity and trust (Target 16.6). Consumer Advocacy: Alive provides consumers with information about brands' ethical standards and practices, promoting informed decision-making and accountability (Target 16.10). Support for the Rule of Law: By endorsing brands that follow legal and ethical standards, Alive promotes the rule of law and fair business practices. Anti-Corruption Measures: The platform works to combat corruption by encouraging ethical behaviour and integrity in business operations (Target 16.5).

02.17.01 My project contributes to the Partnerships for the goal

5

02.17.02 Partnerships for the goal - Justification

Stakeholder Engagement: The platform helps brands, influencers, and stakeholders form partnerships to promote sustainable practices and collective action (Target 17.16). Alive supports capacity-building initiatives for brands and influencers focused on ethical branding, sustainability practices, and SDG alignment (Target 17.9). Data Sharing and Transparency: Alive promotes data transparency and best practices, which improves collaboration and collective learning among industry stakeholders (Target 17.6). Support for Developing Countries: The platform advocates for inclusive partnerships that promote sustainable development in developing countries while also encouraging global cooperation (Target 17.11).

05.01 There are a large number of customers who already use a product/service very similar to the product/service we envision creating.

7 - Strongly Agree

05.02 The product/service we envision creating represents an entirely new type of product/service.

7 - Strongly Agree

05.03 The product/service we envision creating could be described as a new technology.

5

05.04 The product/service we envision creating is an improvement on an existing product or service.

7 - Strongly Agree

05.05 The product/service we envision creating could be described as an extension of a range of products or services.

6

05.06 The product/service we envision creating responds to a demand or need that has not been satisfied by other products/services.

7 - Strongly Agree

05.07 The product/service we envision creating is a new version of an old product/service.

5

05.08 Justification

Alive distinguishes itself from potential competitors by introducing unique aspects such as ethical branding, sustainability integration, and influencer marketing vetting. It incorporates AI for brand vetting, misinformation prevention, and ESG compliance, resulting in a novel solution in ethical marketing. While artificial intelligence is not new, its application in Alive significantly expands its capabilities. Alive advances ethical branding, sustainability, and influencer vetting through a comprehensive platform that sets new standards. It expands on existing services by integrating AI for deeper insights and compliance, thereby significantly broadening service offerings. It meets the demand for integrated ethical branding and sustainability solutions, while addressing transparency and responsible marketing issues. Alive uses AI to enhance vetting, transparency, and sustainability in branding, introduce new capabilities and efficiencies, and be an innovative version of existing

05.09 Who are your main potential competitors and what makes you stand out from them?

Legacy media's Olive, and its mainly for nechmarkeing media plans against ESG ratings, we go a step fruther to ensure this doesnt encourage greenwashing by using the data to prepare briefs that avoid mileading campaigns and helping influencers, and the general public access data on these companies about their ESG ratings and practices.

10.06 Are you initiating actions within your community to promote the role of female entrepreneurs?

Some features or initiatives include highlighting brands with strong diversity and inclusion practices, providing resources or guidance specific to female-led businesses, and fostering partnerships with organisations that support women in entrepreneurship.