# ‘Ethical search engine’ Storm to generate funds for charities

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2015/08/07/ethical-search-engine-storm-to-generate-funds-for-charities/
- Published: 2015-08-07T10:45:40+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

**A search engine launched last month with the aim of delivering better, more relvant
search results and letting individuals raise money for their favourite charities
as they shop online. Storm’s founders describe it as an “ethical search engine”.**

[Storm ](http://storm.it)will looks similar to other search engines, but  search
results will include a ‘Give’ icon displayed alongside listings for participating
retailers. Consumers know that when they make a purchase from one of these retailers,
Storm will earn a commission, which it will shares with the consumer’s chosen charity.
The consumer of course does not pay any extra for the purchase.

Waitrose, Virgin, Sports Direct, Currys, Boots and B&Q are among the “thousands 
of well-known retailers” who are participating.

## Advertisement

 

![Storm search engine results](https://www.fundraising.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/
2015/08/storm-ethical-search-engine-results.jpg)

Storm search results with ‘Give’ icons

## First charity partner

[Storm](http://www.storm.it)‘s launch charity partner is WellChild, the charity 
for sick children.

Colin Dyer, CEO of WellChild, said:

> “WellChild is really excited to be working with Storm to give our supporters a
> quick and easy way to raise much needed money as they shop online – at no extra
> cost to them. This will make a real difference to thousands of seriously ill children
> and young people in the UK, helping to ensure they get the best possible care 
> and support wherever they are and whenever they need it.”

Storm will be partnering with other charities and organisations, including Premier
League football clubs. These partners will have the option to ‘white label’ a version
of the Waterfox browser, featuring their own organisation’s [branding](https://www.curriculosolutions.com/work-readiness-career-planning-kick-start)
and which has Storm as the default search engine.

Waterfox is a very fast web browser, designed by Alex Kontos who is Head of Browser
Development at Storm.

## Scale of the opportunity

![Storm search engine](https://www.fundraising.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/
storm-ethical-search-engine.jpg)

Currently, according to IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index (January 2015), almost
£1 in every £4 in the UK is spent online, totaling £116 billion in 20142. Storm’s
founders claim that the site could generate “up to £25” from each active user per
year for charitable causes.

Unlike other established search engines, the individual user is completely anonymous
while using Storm, as the search engine does not harvest data to package up and 
sell on to third parties.

## Other charitable search engines

There are other established search engines that generate income for charities in
the UK and internationally, so what makes Storm different?

One selling point is that “the individual user is completely anonymous while using
Storm, as the search engine does not harvest data to package up and sell on to third
parties”.

 

![Kevin Taylor, MD of Storm](https://www.fundraising.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/
08/kevin-taylor.jpg)

Kevin Taylor has 25 years experience of data protection and information privacy

 

Kevin Taylor, CEO of [Storm](http://storm.it), explained:

> “Consumers have grown suspicious of how the traditional search providers use their
> personal information and are increasingly aware of the burgeoning profits concentrated
> in just a few companies. By refusing to harvest customer data, and sharing our
> revenues with charity partners, we’re building an ethical search engine that offers
> a real alternative for consumers, whilst also generating millions of pounds for
> UK charities.”

In addition the search service will be available in 35 languages later this year.

## Storm’s team

Storm has been developed with over £2 million of funding from investors and aims
to have 10 million regular users within two years.

The startup is backed by investment from several angel investors, including serial
entrepreneur Andrew Crossland, of Crossland Technology Investments. The company 
is headed up by CEO Kevin Taylor, formerly of the security company Symantec. His
data protection and information privacy expertise is a core element of Storm.

Adam Green is CTO and the chief designer of the new platform. He helped develop 
the world’s largest online car hire company, RentalCars, which sold to Priceline
Group in 2013, for $135 million. Green, a former Accenture director, helped Airtours,
the tour operator that became Mytravel, develop its first online trading platforms
at a time when it was the largest online travel booking company.

Storm is available as an Android app with other mobile platforms in development.

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