Our Story
An international 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, TEL was founded in 2009 by two alumni from the MIT Sloan School of Management. They identified a gap between existing technology-based solutions to problems of poverty, and countless NGOs, local entrepreneurs and developing world communities that lack the time and expertise to identify, assess and acquire appropriate solutions.
TEL closes that gap by empowering last-mile communities with actionable information and the freedom to choose solutions that best suit their needs. Going beyond a catalogue of products and methods, TEL leverages the creativity of innovators, partners and TEL’s own researchers and volunteers. The result: an up-to-date, curated and globally accessible platform for proposing, discovering and sourcing practical technology solutions for the developing world.
Building upon our solutions exchange platform, we actively work with community-based organizations around the world to co-design development programs. Through our Project Accelerator service, we help communities leverage appropriate technology solutions to maximize the impact of last-mile development.
With a firm belief in the power of bottom-up, human-centered development, we also work with institutional partners and clients looking to introduce innovative products and technologies in developing regions. Through our Farthest Reach Consulting Service, we help organizations identify, evaluate and implement innovative solutions to improve the lives of consumers and beneficiaries in underserved communities around the world.