Home / Grant Round Kickoff: Harnessing Technology for Social Good

Grant Round Kickoff: Harnessing Technology for Social Good

Learn more about tech that is centered around individual and community thriving. We’ll also announce the five finalists for our Grant Round!

In this in person gathering, we’ll do a short mindfulness activity, connect with talented and diverse tech for good changemakers, and engage interactive experiences to understand the ‘good’ in tech for good. We’ll announce the five finalist organizations that will participate in our Grant Round. Lunch will be provided.

We’re delighted to announce our good-oriented and highly motivating Speakers!

Event Agenda

  • 12:00-12:25PM | Open social time and grab lunch (provided by SV2)
  • 12:25-12:38PM | Welcome and Short Mindfulness Activity facilitated by David Onek, SV2 CEO
  • 12:38-12:45PM | Goals, SV2 Tech for Good Grant Round Overview, Community Insights
  • 12:45-1:35PM | Panel Discussion
  • 1:35-1:40PM | Break
  • 1:40-2:15PM | Community Roundtable (small group breakouts facilitated by our Speakers)
  • 2:15-2:20PM | Closing Reflections
  • 2:20-2:30PM | Announcement: Five Finalists for SV2’s Tech for Good Grant Round, Upcoming Events

Event Location and Arrival

Silicon Valley Social Venture Fund (SV2) | 350 Twin Dolphin Drive Suite 103, Redwood City, CA 94065. We are in the Sobrato Center for Nonprofits. There is free parking in front of the building. We are on the first floor and the building is ramp accessible. When you enter the building, you’ll see our office straight down the hallway, our doors will be open and we’ll be ready to greet you!

Speaker Bios

Dr. Nikki Mirghafori


Dr. Nikki Mirghafori is an Artificial Intelligence scientist and an internationally recognized Buddhist teacher. She serves as a Stewarding Teacher at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, where she is also on the Board of Directors, and a Dharma Teacher at the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, CA. She teaches with clarity and warmth on topics ranging from mindful leadership to cultivating kindness, with a rare expertise on mindfulness of death. Dr. Mirghafori is widely published in AI, has led international research collaborations as a Berkeley academic, and advised technology startups. She is of Persian heritage, an advocate for wisdom and compassion in daily life, as well as ethical AI in our zeitgeist. More info at https://www.nikkimirghafori.com

Olatunde Sobomehin


Olatunde Sobomehin is the CEO and co-founder of StreetCode Academy, a Silicon Valley-based non-profit that offers free tech classes to communities of color. It serves over 3,000 students annually with over 50,000 hours of free instruction to date. As a student at Stanford, Olatunde led a public speaking class in the Engineering department and played on the top 25 Men’s Basketball Team, where he was voted Most Inspirational Player (2003). After graduating, he continued as an entrepreneur and an educator to teach classes at the Stanford Haas Center and the d.school, where he also co-authored the book, Creative Hustle, with sam seidel. His body of work has earned him recognition as a 2018 Aspen Institute Scholar, a 2019 Praxis Fellow, and a 2020 Social Entrepreneurship Fellow at Stanford University. He and his wife, Tamara, reside in East Palo Alto, CA with their four children: Olatayo, Temilola, Tatiola, and Olataiye.

Radha Basu


Radha Basu is the founder and CEO of iMerit, a leading AI data solutions company delivering high-quality data that powers machine learning and artificial intelligence applications for Fortune 500 companies. Under Radha’s leadership, iMerit employs an inclusive workforce of more than 5,500 people worldwide, with 80% from underserved communities and 54% are women. Radha led iMerit through two funding rounds, raising $23.5 million to date from investors and led the company to reach new revenue heights. Previously, Radha was the SupportSoft Chairwoman and CEO. She spent 20 years at Hewlett Packard, where she grew HP’s electronic software division into a $1.2 billion business and launched HP in India. Radha has received accolades including the Global Thinkers Forum Award, UN Women-ITU Gender-Equality Mainstreaming Technology Award, Silicon Valley Business Journal Women of Influence Award, Top 25 Women of the Web and CEO of the Year. She serves on the boards of NetHope, Jhumki Basu Foundation and the Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship. Radha founded the SCU’s Frugal Innovation Hub and co-founded the Anudip Foundation.

Summer Kennedy


Summer is dedicated to helping tech nonprofits thrive by harnessing the power of community to advance social good. Before Fast Forward, Summer taught first grade with Teach for America as a Bay Area corps member. Summer earned her BA in History from Brown University and her MA in Education Policy and Administration from Loyola Marymount University.

Context

In our rapidly changing world, technology impacts every aspect of our lives—how we navigate, learn, work, communicate, manage our health, and shop. And yet, not everyone has access to basic technology that some of us take for granted. For example, according to SF’s Digital Equity Strategic Plan, about one in eight San Franciscans lack high-speed internet access at home, and one in seven lack basic digital literacy skills. As artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies evolve, they promise to reshape our existence and wellness further yet they bring some pressing questions. In what ways will our lives and well-being be altered? Who might be left behind? And what innovative technological solutions can we develop that are not just effective, but also fair and sustainable?”

Despite some concerns, technology is being increasingly harnessed for good, driving positive change globally by empowering marginalized communities, improving individual well-being, and enabling societal progress. Examples of this positive impact include accelerating emergency response, redistributing unused food or medicines to under-resourced  communities, providing clean alternatives to fossil fuels, and more.

Inclusivity in technology, which resonates with our diverse experiences, challenges, and ambitions, is crucial for the flourishing of individuals and communities alike.

In this context, SV2’s Tech for Good Grant Round will allocate $150,000 of unrestricted, three-year funding across two organizations ($75,000 each), to be selected in May 2024. SV2 will also offer the selected organizations beyond-the-dollars support, as helpful, and friendship! Throughout our process, SV2 will practices equity and trust-based philanthropy in our grantmaking and relationship building.

Upcoming Grant Round Meetings

In these meetings, SV2 Partners will learn more about our five finalists and select two Grantee Partners:

  • Meeting #2 | Get to know each other | Tuesday, March 26th 12:30-2:30PM | Zoom | RSVP
  • Meeting #3 | Learning + Sharing | Tuesday, April 23rd 12:30-2:30PM | RSVP
  • Meeting #4 | Grant Decision | Tuesday, May 7th 12:30-2:30PM | Zoom | RSVP

Questions? Contact Amy Badiani, Director of Community Engagement, SV2: abadiani@sv2.org.

RSVP

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