Anyone can claim their app was built responsibly
Every app says it was built thoughtfully. What actually separates a claim like that from something real is whether anyone outside the company checked it and was willing to back it after looking closely. That's the standard worth holding a product to; it's not what a company says about itself, but who was willing to put money behind it after real scrutiny.
What it actually takes to pass Bethnal Green Ventures' bar
HeyLina was selected for Bethnal Green Ventures' (BGV) Tech for Good programme, joining their Autumn 2025 cohort. BGV is an early-stage venture capital firm that backs technology built for genuine social and environmental impact, and states on their own site that their programme's acceptance rate averages 3–4%.
Every applicant is measured against five published criteria:
- Innovative application of technology — solving a problem at greater scale or in a new way
- Scalability — potential to reach millions of lives and meaningful enterprise value within 8–10 years
- Intentionality and purpose — built with the explicit intention of positive social or environmental outcomes
- Direct impact — a solution with a credible path to measurable impact
- Reducing inequality — reaching underserved and underrepresented people through affordability and access
HeyLina was evaluated against that criteria, by BGV's team, and selected into the cohort.
Why an outside bar like this is worth more than a claim
A 3–4% acceptance rate means BGV said no to the overwhelming majority of what came across their desk. HeyLina wasn't one of the ones they passed on. That's not something we get to decide about ourselves — it's a decision made by people whose job is to say no, working from criteria they publish and hold every applicant to.
Full details on BGV's programme and criteria: bethnalgreenventures.com/apply