How Beam is using crowdfunding as a force for good

Leah Montebello talks to Alex Stephany about how his friendship with a homeless man led him to create a crowdfunding platform to support those on the streets

Beam founder Alex Stephany befriended a homeless man and is helping more into work (Beam)

The idea for Beam, the world’s first platform to “crowdfund” training for homeless people, came after Alex Stephany became friends with a homeless man outside London’s Archway station. The man had been out of work for “longer than he could remember” and saw no way out.

In contrast, Alex had recently left his role as chief executive of JustPark, Europe’s biggest parking app, at which he had led its largest crowdfunding round, raising £3.7m from the public.

The pair exchanged life stories and Alex would buy him coffees and warm socks in the winter until, one day, he disappeared…