The Solve Effect

Rama Kayyali brought an artifact from her early entrepreneurial days–a homemade VHS tape–during this recording. 

That’s how long her company, Little Thinking Minds, and her product, I Read Arabic, have been making an impact in the EdTech world. 

Rama is our first guest in the brand new 10 Years, 10 Solvers series. Solve is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, and to mark the occasion, you’ll be getting two episodes a month. One of those will be our special series with guest host Alexander Dale, Director of Global Programs at MIT Solve. 

This series will highlight 10 Solvers from the past decade who embody the spirit of Solve: innovation, grit, resilience, and impact. 

Tune in for a conversation all about: 

• Building for a sector that doesn’t exist yet: As a filmmaker and mother, Rama wanted to see content made for her own child to read Arabic. So she went out and made it.

• Dedicating yourself to lifelong learning: Spanning decades and technological upheavals, Rama has chosen the path of curiosity. Hear more about how starting a company has been like her own real-time MBA. 

• Choosing hope: It’s not easy, but change is possible. Learn how Rama stays dedicated to hope.

Full transcript available here. 

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Her grandfather picked up litter in the amusement park he helped build. She continues that legacy by taking out the trash of inherited wealth and showing a better way forward.

On this episode of The Solve Effect, Hala Hanna interviews award-winning filmmaker, writer, philanthropist, and activist Abigail E. Disney. 

Tune in for a conversation all about: 

• Where dignity fits in the global economy: Abigail rejects the idea that shareholder value should reign supreme above all else. How do we create systems where everyone can thrive?

• Storytelling in the digital age: Coming from a lineage of storytellers, Abigail has explored documentaries, podcasts, publishing, and more. What does the future of spreading her message look like? 

• The power of a good sense of humor: Can laughing easily indicate a strong moral compass? How do we center joy in a world that feels increasingly heavy? 

• Courage in the face of fear: Our shared sense of what we all care about together is shrinking. How can we take hold of our fear and still take action, too? 

Full transcript available here. 

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Every startup has its origin story. Some started in garages while others started in Ivy League dorm rooms. 

MIT Solve’s story may have started in a broom closet in the UN. 

On this episode of The Solve Effect, Hala sits down with directors Pooja Wagh, Alexander Dale, and Sara Monteabaro to explore their journeys over a decade of working at Solve. This team has gone from building furniture in an empty office to building a global platform that has impacted over 370 million lives. 

Tune in for a conversation all about: 

• The transformative power of ambition: The Solve team turned an idea into a global platform for social impact. Learn how we went from agonizing over mail merges to running over 100 challenges in ten years. 

• Leveling up the model: If Solve’s first decade was all about proving how getting innovators the resources they need could lead to incredible impact, then what does the next decade have in store? 

• A team worth celebrating: Part of the Solve story is a team of people who inspire each other to improve and iterate daily. Learn more about what makes this team so special. 

Full transcript available here.

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Where do you go after building a unicorn? 

For Jessica Jackley, the possibilities are infinite. 

After redefining how the world thinks about microlending by cofunding Kiva, Jessica could have stayed in her lane. Instead, she chose reinvention: teaching entrepreneurship courses at USC’s Marshall School of Business and, in a brand-new chapter, leading VOW for Girls as its new CEO. 

Hala and Jessica connect in a conversation all about: 

• Staying rooted in your values: From turning down $10M at Kiva to teaching students how to interrogate power and impact, what does mission alignment really cost, and why does it matter? 

• Pivoting with intention: Big moves. Small experiments. What happens when reinvention doesn’t go as planned, and how do you keep going anyway?

• Leveling up: When you’ve already reached the “pinnacle,” how do you keep growing without losing the fire that got you there?

Full transcript available here. 

This episode was produced by Bridget Weiler and Elisabeth Graham.

Audio production by Kurt Schneider at MIT Audiovisual Services.

Music by Tunetank.

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What does joyful and courageous giving look like in practice? 

Carrie Morgridge, Co-Founder and CEO of the Morgridge Family Foundation, has a few ideas. 

For seven years, Carrie and the Morgridge Family Foundation have been an indispensable part of MIT Solve’s growth, unlocking funding that has helped reach 370+ million lives globally.

Tune in for a conversation all about: 

• “Courage money”—what it is, why it matters, and how flexible, trust-based capital can unlock breakthrough impact

• Rethinking legacy in family foundations and how values should shape what endures

• Leading with love, joy, and grit, and the lessons Carrie has learned while navigating risk, responsibility, and hope in complex systems

Full transcript available here. 

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What does it take to build a system of welcome that reflects the best of who we are?

In this episode of The Solve Effect, we sit down with Nazanin Ash, CEO of Welcome.US, to explore how millions of Americans are reshaping what safe, legal immigration can look like—one act of welcome at a time.

Under Nazanin’s leadership, Welcome.US has mobilized 2 million sponsors across all 50 states, helping nearly 800,000 newcomers rebuild their lives in the United States. But her work isn’t only about resettlement—it’s about reimagining what belonging can mean in a pluralist democracy.

This episode explores:

• How tech-enabled sponsorship scaled faster than traditional government systems

• Why communities across the country are now “competing to welcome” newcomers

• What mutual flourishing looks like for sponsors, newcomers, and entire towns

• A partnership across government, civil society, and the private sector unlocks capacity at national scale

Nazanin’s story reminds us that welcoming demonstrates collective power and shows how, when people are empowered to help one another, entire communities thrive.

Full transcript available here. 

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What does it mean to design for life beyond Earth without losing our humanity?

In this episode of The Solve Effect, we sit down with Dr. Ariel Ekblaw, founder and CEO of the Aurelia Institute and General Partner of the Aurelia Foundry Fund, to explore how space innovation can make life on Earth more sustainable.

From leading MIT’s Space Exploration Initiative to advising NASA on the next decade of lunar activity, Ariel has dedicated her career to shaping humanity’s future in space. But her vision isn’t about escape—it’s about expanding what’s possible for all of us.

Together, Hala and Ariel explore:

• How space research can protect and restore Earth’s ecosystems

• Why beauty and belonging matter—even in orbit

• What it takes to build bridges between science fiction and sustainable reality

Ariel’s story reminds us that exploration isn’t about leaving home, it’s about learning how to care for it better.

Full transcript available here. 

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What does it mean to innovate when lives depend on it?

In this episode of The Solve Effect, host Hala Hanna sits down with Dr. Mohamed Aburawi, a Harvard-trained surgeon and founder of Speetar, a cloud-based telehealth platform born in the midst of Libya’s civil war that went on to serve millions across five countries. Today, through Atarona Ventures, Mohamed is scaling that impact across health, education, finance, and climate.

From ironing his white coat on his first night in the U.S. to building hospitals in the cloud, Mohamed shares how scarcity shaped his vision for resilient, community-driven solutions. Together, Hala and Mohamed explore:

• Why the “adversity advantage” can produce more durable innovations than abundance

• How trust—not just technology—determines whether solutions scale

• The untapped power of diaspora capital and participatory investing

• Why invisible data may hold the key to more equitable AI

Mohamed’s story proves that the future of innovation will be built not only in centers of abundance, but also in growth markets where failure is not an option.

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Full episode transcript: https://solve.mit.edu/articles/a-visionary-healthcare-innovator-dr-mohamed-aburawi-on-tech-healthcare-and-impact-investing

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What happens when a childhood experience becomes the seed for a global movement?

In this episode of The Solve Effect, host Hala Hanna sits down with Atif Javed, co-founder and Executive Director of Tarjimly, a nonprofit that connects tens of thousands of volunteer translators with refugees and displaced people worldwide.

From interpreting for his grandmother as a child immigrant to building a tech-enabled platform that ensures refugees are heard in moments of crisis, Atif shares how personal experience shaped his mission. Together, Hala and Atif explore:

• Why Tarjimly chooses humans over algorithms in an AI-driven age

• How nonprofits can build financial sustainability amid political and philanthropic headwinds

• What it takes to transform lived experience into scalable impact

• Why Atif believes each of us should find “the one problem we can wake up every day determined to solve”

Tarjimly is proving that the most powerful technology amplifies human connection rather than replacing it.

A full transcript for this episode is available here.

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How does a painful accident turn into a startup pushing the needle on male fertility?

On the latest episode of The Solve Effect, Khaled Kteily, founder of Legacy, opens up about turning personal panic into a global mission: destigmatizing male fertility and making family planning more accessible. Tune in for an unforgettable conversation about startup grit, love, legacy, and why the future of family includes everyone.

A transcript of this episode is available here.

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