Tech Matters

About Tech Matters

In a landscape where the tech industry's reputation often precedes it, veteran social entrepreneur and Tech for Good pioneer Jim Fruchterman, along with many extraordinary change-makers, have been rewriting the narrative by using their tech skills to build a better world and drive positive social change. Through in-depth interviews unveiling the workings of some of the most transformative social impact organizations, you'll discover how individuals have harnessed the power of technology to confront the world's most pressing challenges. Prepare for a wealth of insights about how to enter the Tech for Good field, best ideation practices, effective exit strategies, ethical use of data, funding wisdom, and more. Whether you're part of a nonprofit, the tech sphere, government sector, or at the helm of social change, our podcast is your compass to ensure that, when designing software, you're putting people first. -- Hosted by Jim Fruchterman. Production: Gabriele Sha. Sound Engineering: Phil Kadet.

Publisher

Jim Fruchterman

Category

business · technology

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

8 Feb 2021

Latest episode

18 Feb 2026

Latest episodes

17 of 28 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   18 Feb 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Season Three Wrap-Up: Choosing Our AI Future

   Host Jim Fruchterman explores how AI thoughtfully strengthens human impact, not replaces it, in this season three wrap-up interview.

2. 

   4 Feb 2026TRANSCRIPT

   More Than a Message: Debbie Rogers of Reach Digital Health

   CEO Debbie Rogers shares Reach Digital Health's evolution from addressing health challenges in Africa through mobile technology to scaling solutions nationally, in an interview with Jim Fruchterman.

3. 

   21 Jan 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Design as a Lifeline, Jonathan McKay on Supporting LGBTQI+ Youth with SameSame

   In this episode of Tech Matters, we sit down with Jonathan McKay, the founder of SameSame, a social enterprise dedicated to providing mental health support and access to services for LGBTQI+ youth. During the conversation, we explore Jonathan's journey from graphic design and for-profit marketing to the social sector with SameSame, using anonymity to create safe, accessible pathways for young LGBTQI+ people. Listeners will learn about the unique challenges in the mental health nonprofit world and why technology—when used ethically—is a lifeline for those who'd otherwise live with no support at all. Full transcript: https://techmatters.org/design-lifeline-jono-mckay-supporting-lgbtqi-youth-samesame JONATHAN MCKAY [Co-Founder & President] Jonathan is a designer and social entrepreneur dedicated to the intersection of technology, media, and social justice. At SameSame, he leads strategy and product design to create digital lifelines for marginalized communities, building on a career that includes serving as Chief Creative and Programmes Officer at Girl Effect. With a professional background that spans high-level corporate branding to large-scale humanitarian initiatives with UNICEF and the Ford Foundation, Jonathan has successfully launched digital platforms reaching over 50 million people in 40 countries. RATE, LIKE, SUBSCRIBE If you like what you hear, leave us a 5 star rating on your favorite platform. STAY IN TOUCH Write us a note at podcast@techmatters.org or follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tech-matters/

Inside a recent episode

Season Three Wrap-Up: Choosing Our AI Future

Published 18 Feb 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] So by summarizing the calls, the texts, they save the human time from data entry so they can spend more time helping people in need. Digital Green was another one of our social enterprises. They're the agricultural advice powerhouse that used their many videos and local languages to crank out forward chat, a chatbot that answers questions in your local language. We also talk to reached digital health. These are the tech people behind Mom Connect. And they have a chatbot that can answer a greater and greater percentage of the queries that moms are putting in millions of queries to answer their questions about maternal health. […]

Who has been a guest on Tech Matters

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Debbie Rogers
• Tracy DeTomasi
• Shannon Farley
• Kevin Barenblat
• Tracy De Tomasi

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

2,552

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 60 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

69

Social presence

0

YouTube

68

Engagement

60

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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