The Distance Between Caring and Contributing
Conservation work happens in real time, under pressure most supporters never see. Staff at zoos, aquariums, sanctuaries, and wildlife rescue organizations track nesting sites at dawn, collect data in remote field locations, and fight species extinction with resources that run thin. Meanwhile, potential supporters scroll past generic fundraising appeals, wondering if their $50 donation actually matters or just disappears into overhead costs.
The gap isn’t apathy. It’s clarity.
Supporters want to help but don’t know what difference their contribution would make. Zoos and sanctuaries need funding but lack the time to translate field urgency into donor-friendly language. The result: critical work goes underfunded while willing supporters look elsewhere, frustrated by the distance between their intention and measurable impact.
For organizations protecting endangered species, this friction isn’t just inconvenient. It’s existential.
A Platform Built to Close the Gap
SpeciNate is a crowdfunding platform designed specifically for wildlife conservation teams. The platform lets these organizations create species-focused wish lists with purpose-restricted funding requests. Giving supporters a direct view of what their money will accomplish and how the work unfolds over time.
This isn’t another general crowdfunding site adapted for conservation. Its infrastructure built around how these organizations actually work and what supporters need to see before they commit.
Showing the Work, Not Just Asking for It
SpeciNate’s open beta demonstrates the concept through a single focus species: the critically endangered Hawksbill Turtle. Visitors can explore a test setup from a sample conservation organization and see how the platform structures support the work.
Each wish list item is specific and restricted to a single purpose. Instead of asking for “$5,000 for conservation efforts,” a zoo might request “$1,200 for specific food or medicine,” or a sanctuary might list “$800 for nesting site monitoring equipment.” Supporters choose what to fund, see exactly where their money goes, and track the impact as organizations report back with field updates.
The platform handles the administrative weight (tracking contributions, organizing updates, and maintaining transparency) so zoos and rescue teams can focus on the species work that defines their mission.
Founder Coriano Harris built SpeciNate after hearing the same frustration from both sides of the equation. Supporters told him, “I want to help, but I don’t know how it matters.” Staff at aquariums and sanctuaries echoed the struggle: translating urgent conservation needs into compelling donor stories drained time they didn’t have.
At the 2025 Innovate Xcelerate hackathon in Memphis, Harris pitched the idea to a room full of technologists, entrepreneurs, and ecosystem builders. The response confirmed what he suspected: the problem was real, widespread, and waiting for a solution that respected both the urgency of conservation work and the legitimate need for transparency.
Transparency as the Foundation
SpeciNate’s mission centers on three principles that these organizations already live by: transparency, clarity, and trust.
Transparency shows up in purpose-restricted funding. When a supporter funds satellite tags, that money goes to satellite tags: not general operating costs, not overhead, not vaguely defined “conservation efforts.” The platform makes that restriction visible and enforceable.
Clarity means supporters see the specific need, the cost, and the expected outcome before they contribute. No jargon. No abstractions. Just the equipment, the fieldwork, or the intervention an organization needs to protect a species.
Trust builds when organizations report back. The platform is designed to surface field updates, photos, and progress reports that show supporters the story their contribution made possible. Not marketing language. Not polished case studies. The actual work, as it happens.
These values don’t just make SpeciNate easier to use. They make conservation support feel personal, traceable, and worth the emotional investment.
Building Toward a Pilot Program
Since the hackathon, Harris has sharpened the venture through key Memphis ecosystem milestones. He graduated from Epicenter Memphis’ Launch program in winter 2025, gaining clarity on business model and market fit. He completed the Capital Readiness Accelerator shortly after, learning how to structure fundraising and scale impact without losing mission.
The open beta is live and freely accessible at https://specinate.com/. A requested-user beta is next, offering deeper involvement for registered organizations and early supporters who want to test the platform’s full workflow. A pilot program with select partner organizations will follow, introducing live impact tracking and refining how teams communicate progress.
Early conversations with zoos, aquariums, and sanctuaries have surfaced consistent interest. Organizations recognize the problem SpeciNate solves because they live it daily. Supporters testing the beta appreciate the specificity and the ability to see exactly what their contribution funds are being used for.
A Future Where Supporters See the Story They’re Part Of
If SpeciNate succeeds, zoos and aquariums spend less time writing grant proposals and more time on species protection. Supporters stop wondering if their money matters and start seeing the conservation work their contribution made possible. And endangered species gain access to a funding model that meets organizations where they are. Not where traditional philanthropy expects them to be.
For Memphis, it’s another signal that practical innovation works when it’s built around real friction points. SpeciNate didn’t emerge from trend-chasing or coastal playbooks. It came from listening to what conservation organizations and supporters both said they needed, then building the infrastructure to make it work.
That’s how Memphis builds: one specific problem, one thoughtful solution, one ecosystem milestone at a time.
Coming up in the next article in this two-part series
We’re sitting down with Coriano Harris to go beyond the headlines. Think quick hits on his personal journey, what keeps him motivated, the messy challenges and surprising wins of building a startup, and some hard-earned tips on innovation and scaling. We’ll also tap into resources and insights that every Memphis founder should know about.
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