{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Tech Tomorrow","title":"Is it possible for tech for good to exist within a for-profit model with Jim Fruchterman","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":1320,"description":"In a tech industry driven by profit, can companies really prioritise social impact over shareholder value?In this episode of Tech Tomorrow, David Elliman sits down with serial social entrepreneur and author Jim Fruchterman to explore what ‘tech for good’ really means, and whether it can truly exist within traditional, venture-backed business models.Drawing on his experience building an OCR (Optical Character Recognition) startup, Jim explains how a venture capital board shut down a reading machine for blind users after deciding the market was too small. That experience eventually led him to launch a nonprofit focused on accessible technology, demonstrating that mission-driven organisations can still operate within Silicon Valley systems while benefiting underserved communities.The conversation also examines how investor incentives can unintentionally steer companies towards harmful outcomes, even when the people inside them have good intentions. Jim highlights alternative models, including B Corps, Pledge 1%, and treating social impact as a core business metric rather than a marketing add-on, as ways to help counteract this.Jim also shares examples of tech partnerships in which engineers and product teams offered steep discounts or free licenses to nonprofits because they believed in the mission and took pride in building useful tools. At the same time, he notes that large companies have sometimes scaled back or removed nonprofit-friendly pricing entirely once those markets became more commercially attractive.The conversation also explores which problems are best addressed through for-profit innovation, such as clean energy, and which may always rely on charities and nonprofits, including human rights advocacy. Overall, Jim emphasises that the wider tech ecosystem, from smartphones and app stores to open-source software, plays a vital role in making meaningful social impact possible.Episode Highlights01:18 – What is ‘tech for good’?01:45 – Jim’s social...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/pZGeZGCvOw_Nv7lFAAlALqQyorlxskmKcY0c0BIVihc/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS85NmFm/OWY2NWVkNWNjY2Rh/N2U4NDNlOGRiYmY5/NzgwOC5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}