Data is increasingly at the core of the social impact sector. However, there is a pernicious pattern of data colonialism in today’s commercial tech ecosystem. As social entrepreneurs, we are committed to shifting power to the communities we serve and need to actively fight the forces of data colonialism. Join this fireside chat for a deep dive into data colonialism and a discussion of methods to resist—and reverse—it.
This session was curated in partnership with Tech Matters.
Nithya Ramanathan is the CEO and Co-Founder of Nexleaf Analytics, a non-profit technology company dedicated to partnering with governments across Africa and Asia to ensure they have the data they need to build lasting solutions that improve the health of people. Nexleaf’s unique approach brings together sensor technology, data analysis, and user engagement to identify and address big problems. Nexleaf tech helps governments protect vaccines for 1 in 10 babies born on Earth each year. Nithya and her team have achieved this outsized impact by working shoulder-to-shoulder with Ministries of Health—rather than attempting to bypass governments—to scale cutting-edge technologies refined through close collaboration with personnel at every level of the health system, from top-tier government officials to last-mile health care workers.
Founder/former CEO, Benetech, and Founder/CEO, Tech Matters, Benetech
Jim Fruchterman is a leading social entrepreneur, a MacArthur Fellow, a recipient of the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship, and a Distinguished Alumnus of Caltech.
After starting two successful machine learning companies, he went on to found Benetech, the award-winning tech nonprofit. He’s built tools which help people with disabilities read independently and human rights groups document and analyze abuses.
His current nonprofit projects at Tech Matters include Aselo, a shared modern contact center for the crisis response field, and Terraso, a platform to bring better tools and more funding to locally-led sustainability initiatives to respond to climate change.
