Meet the 2024 Fellows

Abubakar Mumbu Idris

Founder, Tech for Inclusion

Bold Idea: Expand tech education and career opportunities for the deaf community in Nigeria by establishing a hybrid model tech school and a tailored online platform.

Learn more about Abubakar

Akonkwa Mubagwa

CEO and Co-Founder, Winko Solar, Inc.

Bold Idea: Connect and power Africa’s next generation by providing complete off-grid solar power and internet connectivity solutions for healthcare, education, and commercial facilities.

Learn more about Akonkwa

Ali Kigongo

Founder, International Asylum Seekers Defenders Committee

Bold Idea: Defend rights to freedom, protection, and justice for asylum seekers by confronting racial inequity, authoritarianism, and injustice and organizing abuse reporting, legal aid, advocacy, campaigns, and labor organizing.

Learn more about Ali

Amisa Rashid Ahmed

Founder and Executive Director, Nivishe Foundation

Bold Idea: Improve mental health outcomes for marginalized youth in Africa by expanding mental health services, community-based mental health support, and health education in local languages.

Learn more about Amisa

Ashley Williams

Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Clymb

Bold Idea: Close the mental health gap for students of color in the U.S. by leveraging artificial intelligence to offer culturally responsive, personalized mental and emotional wellness resources.

Learn more about Ashley

Ashu Martha Egbe

Founder and Executive Director, For Mom and Baby Foundation

Bold Idea: Reduce maternal and infant mortality rates for women and babies in Cameroon by increasing access to quality healthcare in underserved areas.

Learn more about Ashu

Barnabas Nomo

Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Goliath Robotics

Bold Idea: Improve independence and quality of life for wheelchair users in Ghana by creating affordable assistive mobility devices tailored to local context.

Learn more about Barnabas

Braulio Otavalo

Co-Founder and President, OA7 Ingenierías

Bold Idea: Secure land and housing for people in rural areas and marginal urban neighborhoods in Ecuador by increasing access to accurate land surveys using geospatial technologies.

Learn more about Braulio

Brendah Nantongo

Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Veathari Ventures

Bold Idea: Foster financial independence, business growth, and real estate ownership for African women by offering targeted mortgage loans and savings and credit co-operatives.

Learn more about Brendah

Demetrius Lancaster

Founder and Executive Director, Joy Education Foundation

Bold Idea: Increase access to affordable, evidence-based literacy support for children in under-resourced communities in the U.S. by organizing virtual reading clinics that help students overcome reading difficulty.

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Derwin Sisnett

Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Adaptive Commons

Bold Idea: Increase access to affordable housing for teachers across the U.S. by transforming underutilized public school buildings.

Learn more about Derwin

Esperance Luvindao

Founder and National Director, One Step At A Time

Bold Idea: Increase access to quality sexual and reproductive health education for African women by creating animations in native languages and digitizing access to prescribed medication in semi rural areas.

Learn more about Esperance

Esther Kimani

Founder, Farmer Lifeline Technologies

Bold Idea: Improve food security and climate resilience in underserved farming communities across the Global South by delivering transformational AI technology for early prediction and detection of crop pests and diseases.

Learn more about Esther

Gabriella Wong

Founder, accesSOS

Bold Idea: Improve access to life-saving emergency medical assistance for the deaf community and other vulnerable communities by offering a free, 24/7 mobile app.

Learn more about Gabriella

Godfrey Riddle

Founder and President, Civic Saint

Bold Idea: Eliminate the racial wealth gap for Black Americans by creating artful, affordable homes made of compressed earthen blocks.

Learn more about Godfrey

Helena Hassani

Founder and Executive Director, Boland Parwaz

Bold Idea: Reduce child and forced marriage for refugees and vulnerable communities in Australia and globally by developing survivor-led initiatives and creating an app that uses storytelling techniques to drive behavioral change.

Learn more about Helena

Ida Solitoke

Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer, Baobaby

Bold Idea: End hunger for babies in rural Togo and across Africa by producing and distributing affordable, nutritious baby formulas made from local vegetables grown by female farmers.

Learn more about Ida

Ifeoma Uddoh

Founder, Shecluded

Bold Idea: Power economic prosperity for women-owned and women-led micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises in Nigeria by providing simplified access to credit, market opportunities, and business support.

Learn more about Ifeoma

Isaac Esene

Founder and Executive Director, GoodWorks

Bold Idea: Reduce preventable deaths among underserved youth in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area by providing child-friendly, evidence-based first aid workshops to schools and local youth organizations.

Learn more about Isaac

Issel Masses

Founder and Executive Director, Sembrando Sentido 

Bold Idea: Drive community-led governance in Puerto Rico by demystifying public spending, increasing oversight over public funds, and strengthening community decision-making power.

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Jacqueline Jennings

Founder, The Fireweed Institute

Bold Idea: Foster economic sovereignty and liberation for Indigenous entrepreneurs across Turtle Island by creating a place-based center of excellence in Indigenous entrepreneurship and innovation.

Learn more about Jacqueline

Jessica T. Ilunga

Founder and Executive Director, Ius Stella International

Bold Idea: Restore the freedom and dignity of victims of unlawful and arbitrary detention in the Democratic Republic of the Congo by providing legal aid and people-centered rehabilitation services.

Learn more about Jessica

Joy Cooper

Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Culture Care

Bold Idea: Reduce morbidity and mortality for Black women and children in the U.S. by creating a telemedicine platform that provides second opinions and adjunctive care by Black doctors.

Learn more about Joy

Juliana Busasi

Founder and Executive Director, Tanzania Health and Medical Education Foundation (TAHMEF)

Bold Idea: Improve health outcomes for Tanzanians by offering digital healthcare services that expand equitable access, including a telemedicine platform.

Learn more about Juliana

Kartik Sawhney

Founder, GNYPWD LLC

Bold Idea: Champion disability justice by connecting young people with disabilities via a global, AI-powered platform that offers opportunities, resources, and information.

Learn more about Kartik

Lea Kilenga Masamo

Founder and Executive Director, Africa Sickle Cell Organisation

Bold Idea: Improve the survival and well-being for individuals with sickle cell disease in rural Kenya by increasing access to high quality, affordable care in local communities.

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Lina Ayenew

Founder, Education for Ethiopia

Bold Idea: Improve STEM learning outcomes for Ethiopian students by providing tailored digital learning resources in local languages.

Learn more about Lina

Lydiah Bosire

Founder and Chief Executive Officer, 8B Finance Inc

Bold Idea: Democratize and scale African youth access to fair education loans to global universities by facilitating loan financing.

Learn more about Lydiah

Mamobo Ogoro

Founder and Chief Executive Officer, GORM Media DAC

Bold Idea: Spark a movement of unity and shared understanding across social, political and cultural differences by elevating underrepresented voices and providing training and resources for social change.

Learn more about Mamobo

Marie-Reine Seshie

Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Kola Market Inc

Bold Idea: Increase sales, access to financing, and resources for women small business owners and underserved communities by providing market access, data science, training, and hands-on support.

Learn more about Marie

Maryanne Gichanga

Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, AgriTech Analytics Ltd

Bold Idea: Increase crop yields for smallholder farmers in Africa by leveraging data from AI-powered satellites and solar-powered sensors.

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Mati Amin

Co-Founder, SOLAx

Bold Idea: Deliver education to Afghan girls everywhere by designing and offering microlearning modules via equitable and accessible mobile technology.

Learn more about Mati

Naom Monari

Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Bena Care Ltd

Bold Idea: Reduce healthcare costs for chronically ill patients in middle and low-income families in Kenya by building a network of healthcare workers and building caregiving skills for family caregivers.

Learn more about Naom

Nasser Ssenyondo

Founder and Managing Director, Silent Cafe 

Bold Idea: Reduce socioeconomic barriers for deaf people in Uganda by providing training and resources for deaf farmers to become certified coffee growers and expand the coffee product market.

Learn more about Nasser

Raju Kendre

Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Eklavya India Foundation

Bold Idea: Improve social mobility for historically underrepresented communities in India by dismantling educational and career barriers through dedicated training, mentoring, exposure, and scholarships.

Learn more about Raju

Siza Mukwedini

Founder and Creative Director, Matamba Film Labs for Women

Bold Idea: Build a creative economy in Africa by empowering creative women in technology and disrupting content development through use of new technology.

Learn more about Siza

Stanley Anigbogu

Founder, LightED

Bold Idea: Reduce energy poverty and environmental degradation in underserved communities in Nigeria by converting electronic and plastic waste into sustainable, solar-powered solutions.

Learn more about Stanley

Sylivia Kyomuhendo

Founder and Director, Infants’ Health Foundation

Bold Idea: Improve healthcare access for low-income mothers and children in remote communities in Uganda by offering free, high-quality mobile clinics and capacity-building for healthcare workers.

Learn more about Sylvia

Tabitha Mpamira

Founder and Executive Director, Mutera Global Healing

Bold Idea: Eradicate childhood sexual violence in East Africa by disrupting societal norms, implementing preventive measures, promoting healing, and ensuring justice for survivors of childhood sexual assault.

Learn more about Tabitha

Taita Ngetich

Founder, Synnefa

Bold Idea: Improve climate resilience and incomes for cash crop farmers in Africa by creating modular greenhouses with precision farming technology.

Learn more about Taita

Tatiana Blanco

Founder, Uru Uru

Bold Idea: Restore the Uru Uru Lake in Bolivia by combining nature-based, Indigenous, and women-led sustainable initiatives with Indigenous knowledge and scientific principles.

Learn more about Tatiana

Utkarsh Saxena

Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Adalat AI

Bold Idea: Expand justice for underserved and marginalized populations in India by leveraging an AI-powered legal transcription tool to end judicial delays caused by shortages of skilled stenographers.

Learn more about Utkarsh

Virtue Oboro

Co-Founder, Tiny Hearts Technology

Bold Idea: Reduce deaths and disabilities for newborn babies in riverine and inaccessible communities in Nigeria by producing phototherapy devices and providing access to neonatal jaundice treatment.

Learn more about Virtue

Yura Sapi

Co-Founder, Protectores de la Tierra

Bold Idea: End food insecurity in Colombia’s Black and Indigenous communities by popularizing agricultural methods that bridge ancestral and modern practices providing the next generation with sustainable agricultural livelihoods.

Learn more about Yura