Tech Matters
by Jim Fruchterman
Latest episode
Season Three Wrap-Up: Choosing Our AI Future
Season Three Wrap-Up: Choosing Our AI Future
About this podcast
In a landscape where the tech industry's reputation often precedes it, veteran social entrepreneur and Tech for Good pioneer Jim Fruchterman, along with many extraordinary change-makers, have been rewriting the narrative by using their tech skills to build a better world and drive positive social change.
Through in-depth interviews unveiling the workings of some of the most transformative social impact organizations, you'll discover how individuals have harnessed the power of technology to confront the world's most pressing challenges. Prepare for a wealth of insights about how to enter the Tech for Good field, best ideation practices, effective exit strategies, ethical use of data, funding wisdom, and more.
Whether you're part of a nonprofit, the tech sphere, government sector, or at the helm of social change, our podcast is your compass to ensure that, when designing software, you're putting people first.
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Hosted by Jim Fruchterman. Production: Gabriele Sha. Sound Engineering: Phil Kadet.
Episodes
The newest 20 of 28 episodes
- Season Three Wrap-Up: Choosing Our AI Future · 18 min · Season 3 Episode 8In this season three finale, Jim Fruchterman distills the core lessons from his conversations with leading tech-for-good organizations, highlighting how AI is being thoughtfully…
- More Than a Message: Debbie Rogers of Reach Digital Health · 51 min · Season 3 Episode 7In this episode, Jim Fruchterman speaks with Debbie Rogers, CEO of Reach Digital Health. Debbie details the evolution of Reach Digital Health (formerly the Praekelt Foundation)…
- Design as a Lifeline, Jonathan McKay on Supporting LGBTQI+ Youth with SameSame · 50 min · Season 3 Episode 6In this episode of Tech Matters, we sit down with Jonathan McKay, the founder of SameSame, a social enterprise dedicated to providing mental health support and access to services…
- The Farmer-to-Farmer Playbook, with Rikin Gandhi of Digital Green · 45 min · Season 3 Episode 5Inspired by astronauts and grounded in the realities of rural India, the founder of Digital Green shares a 15-year journey of using technology to support smallholder farmers. In…
- Helplines Reimagined, with Dee Luo and Nick Hurlburt of Aselo [added commentary] · 33 min · Season 3 Episode 4In this special episode, we revisit the origin story of Aselo, the open-source contact center platform transforming how child helplines operate around the world. Jim talks with…
- Decolonizing Drones, with Sonja Betschart of WeRobotics · 41 min · Season 3 Episode 3What if drones weren't symbols of surveillance and warfare, but everyday tools for local communities to protect forests, cities, and coastlines? Sonja Betschart is the co-founder…
- Breaking the Silence: Helping Survivors of Assault with Tracy DeTomasi of Callisto · 35 min · Season 3 Episode 2CONTENT WARNING: This episode makes reference to sexual assault. In this episode, Jim speaks with Tracy DeTomasi, CEO of Callisto, a nonprofit using secure technology to connect…
- From Idea to Fruition: Accelerating Nonprofits, with Shannon Farley and Kevin Barenblat of Fast Forward · 39 min · Season 3 Episode 1What do you do when you have a great social impact idea but no experience with making it a reality? With all its risks, is Artificial Intelligence something that replaces human…
- Introducing Season 3: Flipping the script from harmful tech to Tech For Good · 2 min · Season 3Welcome to our third season, featuring amazing guests: Shannon Farley and Kevin Barenblat of Fast Forward, Tracy De Tomasi of Callisto, Sonja Betschart of WeRobotics, Rikin…
- Helplines Reimagined, with Dee Luo and Nick Hurlburt of Tech Matter's Aselo · 41 min · Season 3In this special episode of the Tech Matters Podcast, we dive into the inspiring story of Aselo, a groundbreaking contact center platform designed to empower child helplines…
- Season Two wrap-up: What We Heard and Where To Next · 9 min · Season 2 Episode 9In wrapping up Season Two, Jim extends his heartfelt gratitude to our devoted listeners and the extraordinary tech nonprofit leaders who've shared their impactful stories…
- The Balcony and the Dance Floor: Jim's Journey Towards a Better Deal for Data · 37 min · Season 2 Episode 8For our final episode of season 2, this time it's Jim who sits on the other end. Our special guest host is his longtime mentee — and CEO of Nexleaf Analytics — Nithya Ramanathan…
- Mapping the Global Supply Chain, with Natalie Grillon of Open Supply Hub · 35 min · Season 2 Episode 7Open Supply Hub is more than just a database; it's a movement towards a more ethical and sustainable future. By crowdsourcing data and providing a unique identifier for…
- Bridging the Education Gap: Talking Points' Heejae Lim on Tech-Driven Family Engagement · 39 min · Season 2 Episode 6Dive into the heart of social tech innovation with Heejae Lim, the trailblazing founder and CEO of TalkingPoints. Heejae recounts the inception of her groundbreaking app, which…
- Uniting Data Science and Social Good, with DataKind co-founder Jake Porway · 37 min · Season 2 Episode 5"What could the nonprofit sector do if every nonprofit had Google's engineering team?" (J. P.) In this thought-provoking episode, we sat down with Jake Porway, the visionary…
- Exposing Global Corruption: Tech For Investigative Journalism, with Drew Sullivan of OCCRP · 35 min · Season 2 Episode 4"It takes a network to fight a network" (D. S.) In the labyrinth of global corruption and organized crime, a beacon of truth shines through the data-driven work of the Organized…
- Fortifying Truth in the Age of Deepfakes: Lessons from Yvette Alberdingk Thijm, ex-Director of Witness · 31 min · Season 2 Episode 3"Seeing is no longer believing. You need to fortify the truth." (Y.A.T.) Generative AI, deepfakes… we've known the risks for a while, but the dangers feel ever closer given the…
- Part 2 - Overcoming the Market (Failure), with Owen Barder of PxD · 28 min · Season 2 Episode 2Picking up where we left off with Owen Barder, Jim digs deeper into how tech enters the discussion, in particular what Precision Development has been doing to tackle major…
- Part 1 - Overcoming the Market (Failure), with Owen Barder of PxD · 34 min · Season 2 Episode 1Throughout Owen's journey, one central question has been: How do you navigate market failure, especially when the stakes are sky-high? The typical choice between government…
- Coming Soon: Tech Matters Season 2, on the Power of Data! · 2 min · Season 2As we learned from Nithya Ramanathan in Season 1, data = money = power. To understand what this means for our future, and what we can actually do about it, we're coming back…
