Leila Janah
Leila Janah
Leila Janah is the Founder and CEO of Sama and Laxmi, two companies highlighted on Fast Company’s 2016 Most Innovative Companies list that share a common social mission to end global poverty by giving work to people in need. She is also the co-author of America's Moment: Creating Opportunity in the Connected Age, a book by Rework America: A Markle Initiative...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionBusinesswoman
Date of Birth9 October 1982
CountryUnited States of America
Leila Janah quotes about
complement dynamic hire people themselves
I think in general, people who aren't themselves entrepreneurs are often more risk averse. And I think you see this dynamic a lot with entrepreneurial people who lead a company, which is that they hire people who complement them.
approaches equip focused founded frustrated jobs market people
I founded Samasource because I was frustrated by traditional approaches to poverty alleviation. Even those approaches focused on jobs often equip poor people with skills for which there is little market demand.
believe connect decent markets people poorest
I believe there is no other way to create decent livelihoods for the world's poorest people than to connect them to global markets as producers, and on fair terms.
example family great people share similar travelling
I think what travelling has done for me and for many generations of my family - my grandmother was a great example - it's really highlighted for me how similar we all are and how many values we all share as people on this planet.
economics headed hungry leadership led people programs younger
I think people are hungry for new ideas and leadership in the world of poverty alleviation. Most development programs are started and led by people with Ph.Ds in economics or policy. Samasource is part of a cadre of younger organizations headed by entrepreneurs from non-traditional backgrounds.
charity fully future helpless people problem recognise spectrum system tends view
I think part of the problem with charity is that it tends to make us view people as helpless victims. I think in the future, we'll look back on charity in the same way that we look back on colonialism today: as a very paternalistic system that doesn't fully recognise the full spectrum of humanity.
across business chance developing earn gives grow helping living local people playing pool processes role running vital
Microwork gives marginalized people a chance to earn a living by playing a vital role in the business processes of big companies. In parallel, the organization assists local entrepreneurs in running microwork centers, helping to grow a new pool of business talent across the developing world.
adapt california century develop digital economic founded kenya market people skills train
At Samasource, a company I founded in 2008, we train people living in poverty from Kenya to California to develop and market 21st century digital skills to adapt to new economic realities.
careers huge join lucrative people places plays role
We have people from places like Oracle, Microsoft, Intuit. Sama plays a huge role in why people leave lucrative careers to join a social enterprise.
donors fairly opposed outcomes people
Traditional charity is still fairly focused on how it makes donors feel as opposed to outcomes for people that need help.
countries irrelevant job loans people problem
The problem in a lot of low-income countries is that people take out loans to go and get degrees, which are then irrelevant in the job market.
charities giving happy money people produce taxes wary
A lot of people are happy to give money to charities but are wary of giving through taxes because they feel it doesn't produce any value.
execute leadership people recruiting
True leadership isn't about having an idea. It's about having an idea and recruiting other people to execute on this vision.
aid billions capital connect dignified harness large leaving money ourselves people private realized solve spend table ways work
We spend billions on international aid annually, but we don't find ways to connect people to dignified work. I realized that if we don't think about ways to harness private capital to solve problems, we're leaving large amounts of money on the table and doing ourselves a disservice.