The Solve Effect
The Solve Effect is a podcast from MIT Solve that features leaders, visionaries, and barrier-breakers using technology for good. Each episode explores the journeys of people who are redefining global problem-solving, addressing topics like data ethics, bias in AI, and the application of traditional knowledge in modern contexts. The show aims to inspire listeners to take action on global challenges.
Episodes
10 Years, 10 Solvers: Helena Samsioe on Going from Launching a Product to Launching a New Industry with Crowddroning
Helena Samsioe had been to more than 50 countries before she turned 15.Her parents worked as doctors across Africa and Asia, and that upbringing taught her something that would eventually become a business: the world looks completely different depending on where you are standing. Satellites flatten that difference. Clouds get in the way, resolution drops off, and the closer to the ground the real
Open Source Is Mischief: Ayah Bdeir on Building a Better AI
Snap two magnetic blocks together, and a light comes on. In that second, wonder becomes pride because you made it.Ayah Bdeir built a career on that distinction. littleBits, her magnetic electronics kits, turned millions of kids from tech users into inventors and now sit in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art. Today she runs Current AI, working with governments, philanthropies, and
NPR's Katherine Maher on Leading "Without Fear or Favor"
How do millions of strangers come to trust one another enough to share a common reality?In this episode of The Solve Effect, we welcome Katherine Maher, President and CEO of NPR and former CEO of the Wikimedia Foundation. Katherine has spent her career building and leading the institutions that help us make sense of the world together—Wikipedia, Signal, and now public media, at a moment when trust
10 Years, 10 Solvers: Namya Mahajan on Educating 6 Million Children for $1.50 a Year
Namya Mahajan built a product for parents. Daycare workers started using it too, without anyone asking them to.Namya is our third guest in the 10 Years, 10 Solvers series. Solve is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, and this special series (hosted by Alexander Dale, Director of Global Programs at MIT Solve) highlights 10 Solvers from the past decade who embody the spirit of Solve: innovat
Participation is the Antidote to Despair. Joy is Resistance. Kumi Naidoo on a life of activism.
Kumi Naidoo once helped lead a funeral for an iceberg.Several hundred people gathered in Iceland to mourn something precious that had been with us for centuries and was never coming back. That single act of mourning generated more powerful coverage than almost any campaign from his six years leading Greenpeace. It taught him a lesson he’s carried ever since: facts aim at the brain, but movements a
Audrey Tang Wants You to Sleep More, Steer the Machine, and Save Democracy
What if we treated democracy the way Silicon Valley treats software—a flexible tool that we can control and iterate on together until we get it right, knowing that it’s a project with no real end? In this episode of The Solve Effect, Hala Hanna sits down with Audrey Tang—Taiwan’s first digital minister, the world’s first openly non-binary cabinet minister, and now Taiwan’s cyber ambassador. Audrey
10 Years, 10 Solvers: Ruchit Nagar on Going from 0 to 60M Impacted in Community Health
What does it take to rewire a public health system from the inside out?In this episode of The Solve Effect, guest host Alexander Dale, Director of Global Programs at MIT Solve, sits down with Ruchit Nagar, co-founder of Khushi Baby. What began as a Yale classroom project—designing a NFC-enabled pendant to carry children's health records in rural India—has grown into CHIP, one of India's la
She's been tracking philanthropy for 4+ decades. Here's what you need to know from Stacy Palmer.
Are we living in unprecedented times for philanthropy, or have we seen this all before? In this episode of The Solve Effect, we welcome the CEO and co-founder of The Chronicle of Philanthropy, Stacy Palmer. For four decades, Stacy has reported on trends in giving, government funding, and the extremely wealthy people behind it all. With the authority that only comes from paying deep, sustained atte
10 Years, 10 Solvers: Rama Kayyali on Rethinking Arabic Literacy and 20 Years of EdTech Evolution
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
Abigail Disney on Why Your Obligation to Humanity is NOT Optional!
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: Abiga
The First Ten Years of Solve! How a BIG Idea Became a Global Platform
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 empt
Bravery is a Muscle, Start with Who, and Other Lifetime Lessons from Veteran Social Entrepreneur Jessica Jackley
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 con
A Transformative Philanthropist: Carrie Morgridge on Joyful Giving, Courage Money, and Family Foundations
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,
A Social Impact Visionary: Nazanin Ash on Welcome.US, Collective Power, and Mutual Flourishing
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 nearl
An Aerospace Architect: Dr. Ariel Ekblaw on Extraterrestrial Solutions to Earthly Issues
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 l
A Visionary Healthcare Innovator: Dr. Mohamed Aburawi on Tech, Healthcare, and Impact Investing
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, e
A Tech Maximalist: Atif Javed on Human Connection Through Technology
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-e
Take on the Taboo: Lessons from Legacy-founder, Khaled Kteily
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 famil
Wired for Change: Katrin McMillan on Connectivity in the Age of USAID Cuts
Over 260 million children are out of school, but what if the answer isn’t more classrooms, but more connection?In this episode of The Solve Effect, Hala is joined by Katrin McMillan, founder of Hello World, to discuss her bold approach to digital education access. From solar-powered internet hubs to co-creating with communities in Uganda and Nepal, Katrin shares how Hello World is changing the gam
A Textile Titan: Margie Yang
What does a 72-year-old textile titan have to do with saving our water supply?Host Hala Hanna talks with long-time Solve advisor Margie Yang, Chairman of the Esquel Group, about generational leadership, navigating crisis, and finding innovation in unlikely spaces. Tune in now wherever you listen, and don’t forget to subscribe, download, and like to support the show! - - - - Find a transcript with
Introducing The Solve Effect
Conversations with leaders, visionaries, and barrier-breakers, intent on using technology for good. Each episode explores the journeys of people rewriting the rules for global problem-solving, from questioning the ethics of data to tackling bias in AI to applying traditional knowledge in the modern world. First episode airs on June 4, 2025. - - - - Join our CrowdSolve mailing list for more updates
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