Revolution of Necessity

David Madden has spent his life working in tech and startups, but when he follows his wife to Myanmar in 2012 he can barely load Gmail. When the country suddenly gets connected, David has a chance to put his skills to use. After organizing Myanmar’s first-ever hackathons, he dreams of creating a tech hub to grow the local startup ecosystem. But can he find a space, raise the money, build the team and create the programs that the community needs?

Odun Eweniyi is a precocious child, graduating from high school at just 14 and easily getting accepted into some of America’s best universities, but she get excited about building a startup in Lagos. When a tweet about saving money goes viral, Odun and her friends get an idea to build an online savings service. Users love PiggyBank, but can they turn it into a new kind of digital bank and help people throughout Africa gain financial freedom?

Thomaz Srougi has an idea to improve healthcare in Brazil. Build a network of clinics offering high quality care at affordable prices. One small challenge: he wants to start in the biggest shanty town in São Paulo. Can he convince any doctors to join him? Will anyone from the favelas trust him? And can technology be used to keep the costs down and make the business work?

How do you become a tech entrepreneur if you’ve grown up in a country with lower connectivity than North Korea? Hear how two sisters from Myanmar (Burma) fall in love with technology, win a hackathon and then get the startup bug. They have an idea for a freelance marketplace, but can they get the money and support they need to turn their startup dream into reality?

Alessandra Orofino grew up straddled between the two worlds of rich and poor Rio de Janiero. An early experience with a successful human rights campaign shows her how advocacy can improve people's lives. In New York she learns about New Power and how technology can be used to mobilize people. With the World Cup and the Olympics looming, there's an opportunity to tackle issues back home, but will these tech-enabled organizing strategies work in Brazil?

Two cousins grow up on opposite sides of the world, but passionate about improving their country Myanmar (Burma), they join forces in 2012. A connectivity revolution gives them their chance. They build an award winning maternal health app, but how are they going to get it in the hands of the millions of new smartphone users?

After creating his first startup while he was still at university, Iyinoluwa “E” Aboyeji dreams of bringing edtech to Nigeria. It’s not easy, but a big pivot leads to the creation of one of the continent’s greatest startup success stories: Andela. Realizing that tech talent alone is not enough, E decides to take on an even bigger challenge: solving digital payments in Africa

Healthtech startup LifeBank helps hospitals in Nigeria find the blood that they need & then delivers it in less than an hour. Hear how Founder & CEO Temie Giwa-Tuboson found her calling and battled the odds to create this inspiring tech business.

EdTech startup Geekie is revolutionizing education in Brazil. Its personalized learning platform uses machine learning to adapt to students’ needs. Co-founder & CEO Claudio Sassaki tells us how they built this product and got it into thousands of schools.