Tamer Institute

Tamer Fund for Social Ventures portfolio member Ilara Health (founded by Emilian Popa ’10) is an AI and health tech company that brings accurate and affordable diagnostics to rural Africans. The venture recently secured $4.2 million in a pre-Series A round to scale operations and deepen health care access in Kenya.

Daniel Nissenbaum ’88, current president and CEO at Low Income Investment Fund, co-wrote this piece on how "the alliance between banks and CDFIs must continue to grow, innovate, and adapt to the challenges and opportunities of the current economic environment."

Professor Bruce Usher participated in a discussion for students, faculty, and staff across Columbia's campus to "explore how the often binary conversations around current events inform our understanding of democracy, the elements that prevent us from coming together for civil discourse, and where we go from here."

In this piece by Jane Bernhard '23, on the influence of AI across education, work, business, and society, Professor Dan Wang shares his technology strategy expertise on the impact of AI in the classroom.

Students, staff, and faculty gathered to discuss how business leaders can better understand and address rising polarization at "Dialogue Across Difference: Lessons from Bridging the American Divides." The discussion was led by Professors Todd Jick and Bruce Usher, who for seven years have co-taught a course of the same name that is designed to give future business leaders a better understanding of the causes and consequences of the many American divides.

Diana Hwang '17, founder and executive director of Asian-American Women's Political Initiative (AAWPI), was included in this list of 150 most influential Bostonians for her work ensuring that AAPI women have a voice in American democracy.

Donnel Baird '13, founder and CEO of BlocPower, and Marshall Cox, ’12SEAS PhD, founder of Kelvin (a Tamer Fund for Social Ventures portfolio member), were named two of Crain's New York's notable leaders in sustainability in 2024.

Jason Friesen, ’12PH, founder of Tamer Fund for Social Ventures portfolio member Trek Medics, is profiled on what led him to start the NGO, which works to improve access to emergency response networks.

SunCulture, where Jon Saunders '14 is COO, closed its $27.5 million Series B funding round, marking a significant milestone in the company's mission to revolutionize sustainable farming practices across the globe. The company uses off-grid solar technology to provide smallholder farmers with reliable access to water, irrigation, lighting, and mobile charging.

While the availability of cheap electric vehicles is good news for the planet and for consumers everywhere, it is bad news for shareholders and employees of Western car companies, and both the United States and Europe are considering imposing import tariffs on Chinese EVs. But tariffs are the wrong approach, write Professors Gernot Wagner and Shang-Jin Wei.