Organization Mission

We are dedicated to bringing communities out of poverty by fostering the exchange of innovative, cost-effective and sustainable solutions that improve the lives of people at the bottom of the pyramid. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, TEL was founded in 2009 by two alumni from the MIT Sloan School of Management, whose shared vision of bottom-up poverty alleviation was inspired by their collective years of experience in introducing technology-based innovations to improve the lives of people around the world.

Area of Focus

Crowdsourcing Innovation
We host a crowdsourced database of over 500 innovations in order to connect practical solutions to the people who need them most.

Closing the Gap
Through our Project Accelerator service, we help NGOs and communities leverage appropriate technology solutions to maximize the impact of last-mile development.

The majority of technologies and superior methods within TEL's database were developed and informed by a process of human-centered design in order to create solutions that respond to the needs, desires and behaviors of end users. Similarly, with an in-depth understanding of our clients and their stakeholders, TEL empowers projects to deliver appropriate solutions that meet key standards of desirability, feasibility and viability.

Throughout the process, and depending on the profile of the client at hand, the Project Accelerator service assists with:

• Assessing needs - by understanding the obstacles to defined goals with input from stakeholders.
• Identifying solutions - by matching on-the-ground needs with appropriate technology.
• Acquiring solutions - by liaising with solution providers and acquiring and piloting demo units.
• Finding funding - by identifying prizes, grants and other funding opportunities.
• Promoting projects - by creating original content for publication in blogs, press and social media.
• Recording impact - by systematically tracking and documenting project progress and impact.