Lanterne is a navigation app helping people travel safely in conflict zones. The platform enables NGOs, charities, business and individuals to make informed decisions about their safety in conflict zones and shows them the safest routes to get to their destinations.

Alex Barnes co-founded Lanterne with Yohan Iddawela, a PhD Student at the London School of Economics.

Alex’s lived experience in Afghanistan where he worked with the Australian Department of Defence showed him first-hand how friends and colleagues were at risk. He joined forces with Yohan, who had also lived and worked in Afghanistan, to start an entrepreneurship journey to address the crisis and promote security for humanitarian workers.

Since its foundation, Lanterne has won the Oxford Foundry All Innovate competition award for Best Postgraduate Idea and the London School of Economics Generate competition.

The Lanterne team, along with eleven other finalists, has been invited to attend an accelerator week in August 2019, which will provide them with a unique educational experience led by a series of innovative businesses and speakers. They will take part in a series of workshops and masterclasses aimed at helping them understand how to get the most from their business.

The twelve businesses were selected from a shortlist of 60 semi-finalists, having pitched their business idea to a panel of experienced judges in one of the three regional heats.

Alex and Yohan will now be competing to be one of the two winning entries to win prizes of up to £25,000 of seed funding. Two runners up will receive £15,000 of seed funding, and all will also receive a fully funded Santander intern.

Find out more, including a full list of finalists.

Read a Q&A with Alex Barnes.