News | Apr 23 2026

Meet the innovators using technology to inspire healthier, more active adults

For millions of people around the world, getting active isn’t always simple. Cost, access, geography, disability and isolation can stand in the way.

But across four countries, a group of organizations is rethinking what’s possible, using technology not just to remove those barriers, but to accelerate pathways to movement, connection and community.

Delivered in partnership with Beyond Sport, the Flutter Tech4Good Awards 2025 are celebrating and helping to scale that work with funding and tailored capacity-building support to five organizations, who were announced today. Each of the winners is approaching the same challenge from a different angle: how to make physical activity for adults more accessible, more inclusive and more strongly integrated with community health.

From AI-assisted coaching to prosthetic clinics, meet the recipients:

Headline winner GoodGym (UK) was awarded for its “My GoodGym Coach” platform, an AI-powered digital assistant that promotes active adults while strengthening mental wellbeing and social and community connection through volunteering; people can run, walk or cycle to complete local tasks, from helping isolated neighbors to engaging with local projects. The tech will provide personalized activity recommendations, reminders and motivation based on a user’s location, interests and activity history.

Integrated with volunteering and activity data, it encourages repeat participation, sustainable habits and reduced administrative burden for local leaders. As the only charity in the UK that combines exercise with national community and environmental action, the project will make it easier than ever to find opportunities to move while making a difference.

“What excites us most is the opportunity to properly build out My GoodGym Coach – a concept we genuinely believe can help more people get fit by doing good. The Tech4Good prize gives us the breathing space to integrate our existing platform with generative AI in a way that’s supportive, human and grounded in our values,” said Darren Moore, GoodGym Tech Lead. “Ultimately, this is about encouraging more people to get outside, move their bodies, and support their local communities and older people as part of everyday life.”

Alongside GoodGym, these four runner-up organizations are pushing the boundaries of what tech-enabled access can look like:

Bonito Foundation (Sweden) was awarded for its “Blind Football Coaching Hub,” which connects blind football coaches and sport for development practitioners around the world, tackling supply-side barriers that can limit the availability and quality of programs.  The digital platform centralizes curated coaching resources, coach profiles and networking features, while building a community that enables peer problem-solving and co-creation with partner organizations such as Blind Football Uganda and A Ball For All. The goal is better-trained, better-connected coaches leading high quality, more sustainable programs that provide more opportunities and improved health outcomes for visually impaired adults.

“We look forward to supporting and serving as a platform for blind football coaches, ensuring that they, as coaches, and the players they mentor get the most out of every session on the pitch. Football should be inclusive and a vehicle for making not just good athletes but also good people – that is what Bonito believes, and this funding will help us amplify it,” shared Per Sandström, Co-Founder of the Bonito Foundation.

Civic Dollars (Northern Ireland) was awarded for its “Active Dollars: Incentivizing Change for Pre-Diabetes Communities” project in the Derry City and Strabane District Council area. The digital health initiative rewards participants for time spent outdoors, rather than specific activities or intensity levels, so that people of all ages, abilities and fitness levels can take part. Delivered in in partnership with Developing Healthy Communities, users earn “Active Dollars” through GPS-verified time spent in local parks and open spaces. These rewards can be redeemed for access to structured diet, exercise and wellbeing programs offered by trusted community partners.

By combining digital incentives, outdoor activity and community-based health support, the project helps reduce the risk of progression to type 2 diabetes, improves mental wellbeing and generates anonymized data insights to inform preventative public health planning and long-term health outcomes.

“Being selected is an incredibly meaningful moment for us. It recognizes not just the technology behind Civic Dollars, but the belief that health, wellbeing and opportunity should be accessible to everyone, regardless of where they live.  For a project rooted in rural communities, this international recognition is both validating and energizing,” said Stephen McPeake, Civic Dollars CEO & Founder.  “It’s a powerful endorsement of our mission to transform outdoor time into lifelong wellbeing and community pride.”

Social Innovation Sports (Portugal) was awarded for “Play4All AI,” a sports-based digital solution to address social inclusion, wellbeing and employability for adults in vulnerable communities. The project targets migrants, refugees and low-income adults who face barriers due to language, cost, lack of information and limited access to suitable opportunities. Its solution works through WhatsApp, which it identifies as the most widely used communication tool among these communities. Play4All AI is piloting in the of Fundão municipality and will scale to Lisbon and Porto, Portugal’s largest urban areas.

Through a multilingual chatbot, users are guided to nearby, inclusive and affordable sports and physical activity opportunities matched to their preferences and needs. The platform connects demand with supply by onboarding municipalities, sports clubs and community organizations, while providing reminders, practical guidance and follow-up support.

“Being selected is a powerful validation of our belief that technology must adapt to people — not the other way around. We are especially excited because this support allows us to scale a solution that meets communities where they already are, using WhatsApp to unlock access to sport, wellbeing and opportunity,” explained Ricardo Carvalho, SIS President & Founder. “This funding will help us reach more people, strengthen our impact and move closer to our ultimate goal: real social inclusion through fair and dignified employment.”

Xiborg (Japan) was awarded for “Blade for,” a program leveraging its prosthetic technology and athletic coaching expertise via its “Blade for the One” and “Blade for All” pillars. High costs and a lack of inclusive sports culture remain significant barriers in many nations. Therefore, Xiborg works closely with local stakeholders to adapt its processes to specific and diverse economic and cultural contexts.

Blade for the One aims to develop the world’s fastest para-athlete through cutting-edge blade development and elite coaching. Blade for All promotes the “democratization” of running blades, hosting clinics to ensure all prosthetic users can enjoy running as a common activity. The organization’s goal is to bridge the gap between elite competition and community accessibility, realizing a society where everyone has the opportunity to run.

“We are incredibly excited to accelerate Blade for the One to redefine the limits of human speed, while scaling Blade for All to dismantle the economic and cultural barriers to mobility,” said Ken Endo, CEO of Xiborg. “This funding will be transformative for the people we support, providing them with the technology and inspiration to claim their right to move, play and compete on their own terms.”

Ensuring sustainability

Behind each of these ideas is a bigger challenge: scale. Many of the most promising solutions never move beyond pilot stage, not because they don’t work, but because they lack the support to grow.

That’s where Tech4Good is different.

“By combining funding with tailored capability building support, these awards help organizations use technology to scale solutions that increase physical activity and deliver lasting health and community outcomes,” said Adam Burgess, Beyond Sport Director of Programs.

The program is also shaped by the people behind the process. This year’s judges brought their time, insight and care to select a cohort that reflects both innovation and real-world impact. Thank you to Leanne Bats, Daniel Cade, Ali Jawad, Rohn Malhotra, Dr. Lombe Mwambwa, Lisa Nelson, Andrew Sheh, Preeti Shetty and Rob Smith.

For the 2025 awardees, this is just the beginning. All the organizations are also receiving a support package customized to their organizational growth, impact and sustainability needs.