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Our History

2008

Leila Janah founds Sama, a nonprofit that hires low-income people in Kenya & Uganda to train AI datasets.

2018

Sama reaches 50,000 people employed.

Leila Janah launches the inaugural Give Work Challenge with her husband Tassilo Festetics.

2019

Sama spins out its business unit as a for-profit entity, the nonprofit entity focuses on growing the Give Work Challenge.

2021

The Leila Janah Foundation expands the Give Work Challenge to run two competitions per year. 

2020

The nonprofit entity is renamed the Leila Janah Foundation to honor Leila's passing from a rare form of cancer.

Honoring Leila’s Legacy

Leila Janah was the founder of Sama, a leading AI data company, who passed away from a rare form of cancer in 2020. 


Today, the Leila Janah Foundation is continuing Leila's work to create a ripple effect of entrepreneurship throughout East Africa.

Value One

Avenir Light is a clean and stylish font favored by designers. It's easy on the eyes and a great go to font for titles, paragraphs & more.

Value One

Avenir Light is a clean and stylish font favored by designers. It's easy on the eyes and a great go to font for titles, paragraphs & more.

Value One

Avenir Light is a clean and stylish font favored by designers. It's easy on the eyes and a great go to font for titles, paragraphs & more.

Our Values

Team

Wendy Gonzalez

Director

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Tassilo Festetics

Director

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Liliosa Mbirimi

Program Director

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Wendy Gonzalez

CEO at Sama

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Johann Schleier-Smith

Founder at if(we)

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Tassilo Festetics

General Partner at ZX Ventures

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Ben Parr

Co-Founder at Octane.ai

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Lloyd Taylor

COO at Alembic Technologies

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Board of Directors

SIGNATURE PROGRAM

The Give Work Challenge

Twice a year, we run a social enterprise accelerator that provides funding and mentorship to founders in Kenya & Uganda.

Our Mission & Team

Our mission is to honor Leila Janah's legacy by supporting entrepreneurs in Kenya and Uganda.
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