Leila Chirayath Janah
Encyclopedia
Leila Chirayath Janah is the Founder and CEO
of Samasource
, a social enterprise
that gives digital work to impoverished people around the world.
, graduating in 2005 with a degree in African Development Studies. While at Harvard, she consulted to and authored papers for the World Bank
's Development Research Group and Ashoka
on social and economic rights.
Upon graduation, Janah worked as a management consultant with Katzenbach Partners
(now Booz & Company
).
Janah left the firm in 2007 to become a visiting scholar at Stanford University
with the Program on Global Justice, founded by law professor Joshua Cohen. That year, she co-founded Incentives for Global Health with Thomas Pogge, Leitner Professor of Philosophy and International Affairs at Yale, and Aidan Hollis, a Professor of Economics at the University of Calgary, which established a blueprint for incentivizing the development of new drugs for neglected diseases.
In 2008, she launched Samasource (then called Market for Change), an idea that was inspired by her experiences at the World Bank
and in field work in Mozambique, Senegal, and Rwanda while she attended Harvard.
in 2009. In 2010, Janah received the Prix NetExplorateur from the French Senate and a World Technology Award for Social Entrepreneurship for her work with Samasource.
Janah serves on the board of TechSoup Global and as an advisor to SpreeTales, a technology startup. She is a former Visiting Scholar at the Stanford University Program on Global Justice and Australian National University
’s Center for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics.
She is a recipient of the Rainer Arnhold and TEDIndia Fellowships, and serves on the San Francisco board of the Social Enterprise Institute.
, Clinton Global Initiative conference, TechCrunch
Disrupt, and Tech4Africa. Janah has advocated for alleviating poverty by empowering the world's poor as producers of goods and services in the global economy, saying that "the greatest natural resource in the world that has been overlooked is the brainpower at the bottom of the pyramid." Her work has been profiled by The New York Times
, The Wall Street Journal
, and The New Scientist, as well as CBS, CNN, PBS, BBC, and NPR.
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of Samasource
Samasource
Samasource is a nonprofit organization that brings dignified, computer-based work opportunities to people living in poverty around the world. The organization's mission is based on the belief that poverty can be alleviated by tapping into the brainpower of the poor and empowering them as producers...
, a social enterprise
Social enterprise
A social enterprise is an organization that applies business strategies to achieving philanthropic goals. Social enterprises can be structured as a for-profit or non-profit....
that gives digital work to impoverished people around the world.
Background
Janah was born in Buffalo, New York in 1983, and grew up in San Pedro, a suburb of Los Angeles, California. She won a college scholarship at 16, but convinced them to let her spend it teaching in Ghana, and attended Harvard UniversityHarvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, graduating in 2005 with a degree in African Development Studies. While at Harvard, she consulted to and authored papers for the World Bank
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...
's Development Research Group and Ashoka
Ashoka
Ashok Maurya or Ashoka , popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was an Indian emperor of the Maurya Dynasty who ruled almost all of the Indian subcontinent from ca. 269 BC to 232 BC. One of India's greatest emperors, Ashoka reigned over most of present-day India after a number of military conquests...
on social and economic rights.
Upon graduation, Janah worked as a management consultant with Katzenbach Partners
Katzenbach Partners
Katzenbach Partners was a small American management consulting firm. In 2009 it became a part of the global management consulting firm Booz & Co..Katzenbach Partners was founded in 1998 by former McKinsey & Company employee Jon Katzenbach....
(now Booz & Company
Booz & Company
Booz & Company is a global management consulting firm established in the United States in 1914. It is recognized as one of the most prestigious management consulting firms in the world and one of the best consulting firms to work for by Consulting Magazine...
).
Janah left the firm in 2007 to become a visiting scholar at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
with the Program on Global Justice, founded by law professor Joshua Cohen. That year, she co-founded Incentives for Global Health with Thomas Pogge, Leitner Professor of Philosophy and International Affairs at Yale, and Aidan Hollis, a Professor of Economics at the University of Calgary, which established a blueprint for incentivizing the development of new drugs for neglected diseases.
In 2008, she launched Samasource (then called Market for Change), an idea that was inspired by her experiences at the World Bank
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...
and in field work in Mozambique, Senegal, and Rwanda while she attended Harvard.
Awards and Honors
Janah was named one of the Most Influential Women in Technology by Fast CompanyFast Company (magazine)
Fast Company is a full-color business magazine that releases 10 issues per year and reports on topics including innovation, digital media, technology, change management, leadership, design, and social responsibility...
in 2009. In 2010, Janah received the Prix NetExplorateur from the French Senate and a World Technology Award for Social Entrepreneurship for her work with Samasource.
Janah serves on the board of TechSoup Global and as an advisor to SpreeTales, a technology startup. She is a former Visiting Scholar at the Stanford University Program on Global Justice and Australian National University
Australian National University
The Australian National University is a teaching and research university located in the Australian capital, Canberra.As of 2009, the ANU employs 3,945 administrative staff who teach approximately 10,000 undergraduates, and 7,500 postgraduate students...
’s Center for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics.
She is a recipient of the Rainer Arnhold and TEDIndia Fellowships, and serves on the San Francisco board of the Social Enterprise Institute.
Public Speaking
Janah is a frequent speaker and panelist at technology and social innovation conferences including the 2010 Web 2.0 SummitWeb 2.0 Summit
The Web 2.0 Summit is an annual event, held in San Francisco, California, featuring discussions about the World Wide Web. The event was started in 2004 by Tim O'Reilly, who is also widely credited with coining the term "Web 2.0"...
, Clinton Global Initiative conference, TechCrunch
TechCrunch
TechCrunch is a web publication that offers technology news and analysis, as well as profiling of startup companies, products, and websites. It was founded by Michael Arrington in 2005, and was first published on June 11, 2005....
Disrupt, and Tech4Africa. Janah has advocated for alleviating poverty by empowering the world's poor as producers of goods and services in the global economy, saying that "the greatest natural resource in the world that has been overlooked is the brainpower at the bottom of the pyramid." Her work has been profiled by The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
, and The New Scientist, as well as CBS, CNN, PBS, BBC, and NPR.