For the final 5 years, I’ve spent quite a lot of time listening to and documenting the tales of builders which are utilizing AWS applied sciences to unravel onerous human issues for my collection Now Go Construct. Whether or not it’s offering an identification to beforehand unbanked rice farmers in Indonesia, utilizing laptop imaginative and prescient and machine studying to responsibly farm fish in Norway, or discovering methods to pair cloud expertise with human instinct to reforest elements of Hawaii, modern people around the globe are displaying that not everybody needs to be the following unicorn, and proving that it’s doable to do good and run a worthwhile enterprise.
Nevertheless, realizing the complete potential that expertise presents to unravel these urgent points, corresponding to catastrophe reduction and local weather change, takes extra than simply monetary funding. It requires a devoted give attention to nurturing and growing the technical experience and innovation capabilities of the leaders in these areas. That’s why earlier this yr at VivaTech, I introduced the Now Go Construct CTO Fellowship in collaboration with AI for Changemakers led by Tech To The Rescue.
This fellowship is tailor-made for aspiring tech leaders in nonprofits and social affect organizations. It offers fellows with coaching, mentorship, and entry to AWS consultants to speed up their development and the event of tech options that may make a profound distinction in areas corresponding to catastrophe administration, local weather, well being and past.
At present, I’d wish to announce the primary two cohorts of the Now Go Construct CTO Fellowship: Catastrophe Administration, and Local weather Resilience. These people and their organizations are taking up a few of humanity’s hardest issues — and I’d wish to introduce them to you (in their very own phrases).
Aleksandra (Ola) Bilicka, Assist.NGO
Primarily based in: Poznań, Poland
From a younger age, I acknowledged the numerous potential of expertise to do good, from flying ultralight plane to witnessing drones establish at-risk penguin colonies. Hybrid edge computing and its means to handle among the world’s most difficult humanitarian and growth points has been a driving power for me. In my present function, I’m lucky to leverage these applied sciences as our staff responds to crises and complicated emergencies, starting from hurricanes in Mexico and tornadoes in Kentucky to earthquakes in Turkey and battle in Ukraine. Our staff makes use of open-source AWS workloads to allow multinational organizations, native leaders, and first responders to know discipline challenges, visualize knowledge, make knowledgeable selections, and talk on the transfer. I hope the Fellowship will equip me with management abilities and supply a deeper understanding of rising applied sciences and their purposes in emergency settings.
Primarily based in: Saint Paul, MN, USA
Mercy Corps is a world group serving communities in over 40 international locations, serving to them rebuild after disasters, break cycles of poverty, and forge paths to prosperity within the face of injustice, instability, and local weather change. We leverage digital applied sciences, distant sensing, AI, and cloud computing to develop and scale modern options that improve the effectiveness and effectivity of humanitarian support. As Senior Director of Know-how for Growth, I spearhead efforts to establish new purposes for expertise and knowledge, develop methods for tech integration, and construct inside technical capability. The CTO Fellowship presents a rare alternative to study from one of many world’s most modern executives and elevate our means to harness expertise for social good.
Primarily based in: Pittsburgh, PA
With twenty years of expertise expertise spanning numerous industries together with gaming, finance, and now meals restoration, I’ve been serving because the Head of Engineering at 412 Meals Rescue/Meals Rescue Hero for the previous 5 years. Throughout this time, I’ve helped develop the Meals Rescue Hero (FRH) platform to have interaction over 50,000 volunteers throughout 20 North American areas. The FRH platform presents Meals Restoration Organizations a complete answer for environment friendly operations and volunteer administration, aiming to streamline the meals restoration course of and make it as intuitive, equitable, and accessible as doable for all stakeholders. This Fellowship presents a singular alternative to achieve insights into the challenges confronted by different modern organizations in our discipline. Furthermore, it would amplify our nationwide attain and pave the way in which for our world growth efforts.
Primarily based in: Heredia, Costa Rica
I’m deeply captivated with leveraging modern applied sciences, distant sensing, picture and knowledge processing to create optimistic affect. Because the CTO of qAIRa in Lima, Peru, and the CEO of Inexperienced Xpo Lab in San José, Costa Rica, I lead groups that harness distant sensing expertise, knowledge analytics, and AI fashions to develop options that empower our shoppers to make knowledgeable selections. Our focus is on creating the perfect platform to current these outcomes, making certain our shoppers not solely entry the information they want but additionally acquire invaluable insights that drive steady enchancment of our choices. The Fellowship represents an thrilling alternative for me to chart a transparent path in the direction of changing into an distinctive venture and product supervisor, in addition to a more practical expertise chief. As I try to steer my groups to success, I’m keen to accumulate the instruments and techniques essential to information our efforts and obtain our formidable targets extra successfully.
Primarily based in: Ubungo, Tanzania
Because the CTO at Code for Africa, I lead groups that construct civic tech options to empower communities and drive social change throughout the continent by means of data-driven initiatives. My ardour lies in utilizing expertise to handle social points, specializing in growing accessible instruments for citizen engagement, knowledge evaluation, and public service supply. As an open-source advocate and seasoned technical chief, I’m dedicated to creating expertise that serves those that want it most.
Primarily based in: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Rising up in Latin America, I witnessed firsthand the challenges our area faces. This expertise fueled my want to make a distinction, main me to a profession in public affairs the place I honed my abilities in driving impactful change. Nevertheless, I sought a strategy to apply these abilities with higher precision and scale – like a surgeon needing a scalpel, not only a hammer. This pursuit led me to CRIES, the place we leverage AI and OSINT to handle vital points corresponding to arms trafficking, defending indigenous neighborhood rights, combating disinformation, and stopping climate-driven conflicts. I consider the Now Go Construct Fellowship will probably be instrumental in scaling our affect and growing an formidable early warning system for the area.
Primarily based in: Bangladesh and Nepal
With practically a decade of expertise in innovation administration throughout the humanitarian and growth sectors, I give attention to selling open-source improvements and whole-of-community approaches to boost resilience in resource-constrained environments. My experience lies in leveraging social innovation, human-centered design, and the even handed utility of frontier applied sciences to handle challenges confronted throughout humanitarian crises. As Chair of the UK Humanitarian Innovation Hub’s Advisory Group and a Fellow on the Ethereum Basis, I convey a various perspective to the sector. Presently, I’m spearheading efforts in exploration, technique growth, and speedy experimentation round Generative AI at ACAPS and BRAC.
Primarily based in: Bristol, UK
I’m Petya Kangalova, Know-how Partnership and Engagement Lead on the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Crew (HOT). At HOT, we offer map knowledge that revolutionizes catastrophe administration, mitigates dangers, and contributes to reaching the Sustainable Growth Objectives. We develop a set of open-source instruments for collaborative mapping and geospatial knowledge assortment, together with an AI-assisted mapping service that enhances effectivity for humanitarian mappers.
As an open tech fanatic, neighborhood builder, innovator, and advocate for variety and inclusion within the tech trade, this Fellowship will empower me to strengthen my management abilities and speed up innovation within the open mapping and geospatial discipline. It’s going to additionally facilitate connections and collaborations with different leaders within the tech and humanitarian sectors, enabling us to refine our applied sciences and create extra sustainable affect in addressing in the present day’s most urgent challenges.
Primarily based in: Pune, India
At WOTR, I spearhead initiatives that harness expertise to boost rural resilience and empowerment, addressing challenges in sustainable agriculture, meals safety, drought resilience, and local weather adaptation. By integrating AI, satellite tv for pc imagery, and cell instruments, we allow communities to make data-driven selections and enhance operational effectivity. The CTO Fellowship presents invaluable insights and connections that can assist us scale our affect on rural livelihoods and environmental conservation.
A name for future fellows
Whereas our inaugural Fellows has been chosen, we’re nonetheless recruiting fellows with a spotlight in these vital areas:
- Well being
- Schooling
- Financial Growth
Go to Tech to the Rescue to study extra concerning the Now Go Construct CTO Fellowship and to apply.
Now, Go Construct!
