Trust grantee Entidad named ‘most socially impactful’ at California DMV Hackathon

Civic Hub grantee Entidad competed against the likes of Visa, Square, and Kaiser Permanente in California DMV’s Hackathon earlier this month, presenting an innovation that helps local farm workers get maximum benefits from the state’s emerging mobile driver’s license technology.

Entidad is a social impact startup that creates digital tools to support underserved community members, such as rural and migrant workers. Entidad was named “Most Compelling and Most Socially Impactful Use Case” at the Hackathon for demonstrating how its digital credential software for farmworkers can be integrated with the state’s digitized license program. The outcome? It removes a known barrier that keeps local farm workers from accessing social benefits and engaging with institutions.

“A driver’s license is one of the most widely accepted ways of facilitating civic participation,” said Jesus Torres, Entidad Co-founder and CEO. “Even though hundreds of thousands of Californians in rural communities have one, many remain marginalized because they can’t get the time off work, reliable transportation or childcare to safely present their credentials in person to access public services. By having a verifiable digital option, individuals would be able to engage civically from a place and time that better works for them, improving overall access.”

We are excited to back Entidad as it develops meaningful solutions like this one. You can learn more about its work at www.entidad.io.