Gustav Praekelt

Biography

Gustav Praekelt is a technology founder, entrepreneur and advisor who is dedicated to leveraging emerging technologies for social impact across the Global South.

Gustav founded Praekelt Foundation (now Reach Digital Health) in 2007 to make personal, uninterrupted healthcare available to all. Reach Digital Health was a recipient of the Skoll Foundation Award for Social Innovation in 2023. Its flagship project, MomConnect, launched in 2014 in partnership with South Africa's Department of Health. The universal pregnancy registry and maternal health platform has reached over 5 million mothers.

In 2018, Gustav co-founded Turn.io to power life-improving conversations through its chat platform and community. Turn.io enables organizations to scale access to trusted information, empathic support, and vital services, particularly in education and health. Turn.io works with leading impact organizations including the United Nations, World Health Organization, and numerous governments and NGOs.