August 25, 2025 – In 2024, international NGO Opportunity International’s Ulangizi AI chatbot transformed agriculture for farmers in rural Malawi by delivering region-specific agricultural insights that helped increase yields, boost resilience, and improve livelihoods. In its first year, thousands of farmers used the app to improve their harvests, strengthen Malawi’s food supply, and build new pathways to prosperity.

Proving that a single spark of innovation can transform entire communities, Opportunity International is proud to announce the launch of its Technology Advisory Council, bringing together leaders from the tech sector in a shared commitment to advancing innovation for the Global South.

“Opportunity International has spent the last 50 years seeking innovations to better serve people living in the deepest poverty in the world, and today’s tools have the capacity to achieve real transformation,” said Opportunity International CEO Atul Tandon. “Our new Tech Advisory Council aims to design for even greater impact, always with our clients front of mind.”

The Council will guide Opportunity’s Digital Innovation Group and the Collaboration Laboratory (CoLab), an accelerator that has already developed AI tools to support entrepreneurs living in extreme poverty.  The Council will champion the role of these emerging technologies in the fight to end extreme poverty.

“We live in an exciting time of rapid growth thanks to artificial intelligence and machine learning,” said TAC Chair Greg Nelson. “Alongside my new colleagues on this council, we can open pathways to innovation that empower the most vulnerable around the world.”

The inaugural members bring decades of leadership and innovation, including:

• Greg Nelson, Former VP of Partner Ecosystem at Microsoft
• Robert Gay, Chair & Founder of Kensington Capital Holdings
• Ana Mollinedo Mims, Former CEO of UrbanStems
• Promod Haque, Venture Partner at Norwest
• Fred Middleton, Managing Director at Sanderling Ventures
• Todd Strubbe, Former President and COO of VeriSign

Opportunity International has long pioneered human-centered solutions to end poverty, from microfinance lending groups to microinsurance and ultra-poverty graduation programs. Building on that history, its AI tools and strategies are now being replicated across Africa.

The new council will also help Opportunity International expand its network of partners in the emerging technology space. The institution has already forged new relationships with organizations such as African telecom giant Safaricom, the Malawi Ministry of Agriculture, Development Bank Ghana, and global NGO GiveDirectly. Most recently, Opportunity International was recognized at the Microsoft Global Nonprofit Leaders Summit for its leadership in developing technological innovations for the global south.

ABOUT OPPORTUNITY INTERNATIONAL:

Opportunity International is a global nonprofit that has been equipping people to build sustainable livelihoods and educate their children for 54 years. Opportunity provides 21 million families with innovative financial resources, training, and support to grow their small businesses and send their children to school. In 2024, Opportunity International and its partners helped fund more than 19,000 schools that reached 3.4 million children. Discover more at opportunity.org or join the conversation on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and X.