Tech Matters podcast

Tech Matters

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. -- Hosted by Jim Fruchterman. Production: Gabriele Sha. Sound Engineering: Phil Kadet.

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. -- Hosted by Jim Fruchterman. Production: Gabriele Sha. Sound Engineering: Phil Kadet.

 

#23

Decolonizing Drones, with Sonja Bretschart of WeRobotics

What if drones weren't symbols of surveillance and warfare, but everyday tools for local c... more

03 Dec 2025

41 MINS

41:15

03 Dec 2025


#22

Breaking the Silence: Helping Survivors of Assault with Tracy DeTomasi of Callisto

CONTENT WARNING: This episode makes reference to sexual assault. In this episode, Jim spe... more

19 Nov 2025

34 MINS

34:39

19 Nov 2025


#21

From Idea to Fruition: Accelerating Nonprofits, with Shannon Farley and Kevin Barenblat of Fast Forw...

What do you do when you have a great social impact idea but no experience with making it a... more

05 Nov 2025

38 MINS

38:56

05 Nov 2025


#20

Introducing Season 3: Flipping the script from harmful tech to Tech For Good

Welcome to our third season, featuring amazing guests: Shannon Farley and Kevin Barenblat ... more

29 Oct 2025

01 MINS

01:43

29 Oct 2025


#19

Helplines Reimagined, with Dee Luo and Nick Hurlburt of Tech Matter's Aselo

In this special episode of the Tech Matters Podcast, we dive into the inspiring story of [... more

20 Mar 2025

40 MINS

40:43

20 Mar 2025


#18

Season Two wrap-up: What We Heard and Where To Next

In wrapping up Season Two, Jim extends his heartfelt gratitude to our devoted listeners an... more

12 May 2024

08 MINS

08:38

12 May 2024


#17

The Balcony and the Dance Floor: Jim's Journey Towards a Better Deal for Data

For our final episode of season 2, this time it's Jim who sits on the other end. Our speci... more

03 May 2024

36 MINS

36:32

03 May 2024


#16

Mapping the Global Supply Chain, with Natalie Grillon of Open Supply Hub

[Open Supply Hub] (https://opensupplyhub.org/) is more than just a database; it's a moveme... more

19 Apr 2024

34 MINS

34:56

19 Apr 2024


#15

Bridging the Education Gap: Talking Points' Heejae Lim on Tech-Driven Family Engagement

Dive into the heart of social tech innovation with <a href= "https://talkingpts.org/our-te... more

06 Apr 2024

39 MINS

39:14

06 Apr 2024


#14

Uniting Data Science and Social Good, with DataKind co-founder Jake Porway

"What could the nonprofit sector do if every nonprofit had Google's engineering team?" (J.... more

22 Mar 2024

37 MINS

37:05

22 Mar 2024


#13

Exposing Global Corruption: Tech For Investigative Journalism, with Drew Sullivan of OCCRP

"It takes a network to fight a network" (D. S.) In the labyrinth of global corruption and ... more

10 Mar 2024

35 MINS

35:06

10 Mar 2024


#12

Fortifying Truth in the Age of Deepfakes: Lessons from Yvette Alberdingk Thijm, ex-Director of Witne...

"Seeing is no longer believing. You need to fortify the truth." (Y.A.T.) Generative AI, de... more

23 Feb 2024

30 MINS

30:39

23 Feb 2024


#11

Part 2 - Overcoming the Market (Failure), with Owen Barder of PxD

Picking up where we left off with <a href= "https://owen.org/">Owen Barder</a>, Jim digs d... more

09 Feb 2024

27 MINS

27:46

09 Feb 2024


#10

Part 1 - Overcoming the Market (Failure), with Owen Barder of PxD

Throughout Owen's journey, one central question has been: How do you navigate market failu... more

26 Jan 2024

34 MINS

34:05

26 Jan 2024


#9

Coming Soon: Tech Matters Season 2, on the Power of Data!

As we learned from Nithya Ramanathan in Season 1, data = money = power. To understand what... more

21 Jan 2024

01 MINS

01:51

21 Jan 2024


#8

Season One wrap-up: What's next for Tech For Good? With Jim Fruchterman

As we draw the curtain on Season 1, Jim takes us back through some of the most captivating... more

02 Apr 2022

14 MINS

14:44

02 Apr 2022


#7

Defending Indigenous Rights with Data, with Emily Jacobi of Digital Democracy

Get ready to meet <a href= "https://www.digital-democracy.org/team/emily-jacobi">Emily Jac... more

24 Dec 2021

40 MINS

40:43

24 Dec 2021


#6

The amazing story of TechSoup Global, with CEO Rebecca Masisak

Join us in an insightful journey with <a href= "https://meet.techsoup.org/about-us/leaders... more

23 Nov 2021

41 MINS

41:55

23 Nov 2021


#5

Finding the Simple Things that Scale... Massively, with Sanjay Purohit of Societal Platform

Meet <a href= "https://twitter.com/i/flow/login?redirect_after_login=%2Fsanjaypurohitm"> S... more

20 Sep 2021

41 MINS

41:05

20 Sep 2021


#4

Mid-Season Recap: Overcoming Skepticism, with Jim Fruchterman

In this recap episode, Jim steps in to reflect on the insights we've gathered from our exc... more

24 Jul 2021

12 MINS

12:16

24 Jul 2021


#3

Using the Internet of Things to Save Lives, with Nithya Ramanathan of Nexleaf

As industries and governments forge ahead in the era of digital transformation, <a href= "... more

03 May 2021

37 MINS

37:09

03 May 2021


#2

Using Apps to Bring Financial Empowerment to Low-Income Women, with Ana Pantelic

Get ready to be inspired by <a href= "https://www.anapantelic.com/">Dr. Ana Pantelic</a>, ... more

31 Mar 2021

36 MINS

36:24

31 Mar 2021


#1

Gamification That Actually Works (For Social Impact), with Michael Sani of Play Verto

Meet <a href= "https://www.ashoka.org/it-it/fellow/michael-sani">Michael Sani</a>, the co-... more

08 Feb 2021

27 MINS

27:17

08 Feb 2021