Tech Matters
Tech Matters is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that builds and maintains open-source software platforms — Aselo (crisis helpline contact center), Terraso (sustainable livelihoods for rural communities), and Better Deal for Data (social-sector data governance standard) — serving global NGO coalitions, child helplines, and local community leaders across ~140 countries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2001
- HeadquartersPalo Alto, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Tech Matters does
Tech Matters is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public benefit corporation, incorporated in California in 2001 by MacArthur Fellow and former Benetech CEO Jim Fruchterman, that operates as a "deliberately nonprofit tech company" building and maintaining open-source software for the social sector. The organization is structured around three flagship platforms: Aselo, an open-source cloud-based contact center built on Twilio and used by Child Helpline International's 160+ member helplines in nearly 140 countries to support crisis response for children, with a stated goal of reaching 100 million children in crisis by 2025; Terraso, an open-source platform delivering community-led landscape mapping, Story Maps, and visualization tools to local leaders and rural communities pursuing sustainable livelihoods, anchored by the 1000 Landscapes for 1 Billion People coalition; and Better Deal for Data (BD4D), a data-governance initiative backed by an adoption-ready Standard and Playbook built on seven commitments for ethical data stewardship in the social sector. Layered on top are field-building programs, including a biweekly Tech Matters Podcast, founder-led thought leadership, and the 2025 MIT Press book "Technology for Good" (an Axiom Business Book Awards Medalist for 2026).
The technology stack is pragmatic and partnership-dependent rather than proprietary: cloud-based contact center capability via Twilio, NLP-driven automated call documentation within Aselo, integration with field-data tools such as Kobo Toolbox and LandScale for Terraso, and standard web analytics (Google Analytics) across the project sites. Source code is released as open source under the Aselo®, Terraso™, and Better Deal for Data™ brands; the organization holds registered trademarks for each. AI is a featured capability in Aselo specifically (call transcription, summarization, and structured documentation), with a dedicated Senior Data Scientist on staff and grant-funded reinforcement-learning work, but is not a differentiator across the Terraso and BD4D product lines.
Tech Matters is funded by a broad coalition of philanthropic foundations and corporate giving programs (Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, Schmidt Futures, Skoll Foundation, Cisco Foundation, Omidyar Network, Okta for Good, Twilio, Meta, Splunk, USDA, FFAR, and ~10 others), supplemented by direct donations, book royalties, and sliding-scale nonprofit SaaS subscriptions paid by organizational users of the platforms. The organization is registered as a 501(c)(3), maintains EU/UK GDPR compliance, and is governed by a board chaired by Nithya Ramanathan (CEO of Nexleaf Analytics). Headcount is in the 11–50 band, with ~17 named team members operating virtually across four continents (North America, Europe, Africa, South America); specific FTE count, revenue figures, and round-by-round grant amounts are not publicly disclosed in scraped source material.
Tech Matters firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Tech Matters
- Legal name
- Technology Matters
- Website
- https://techmatters.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2001
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Tech Matters is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that builds and maintains open-source software platforms — Aselo (crisis helpline contact center), Terraso (sustainable livelihoods for rural communities), and Better Deal for Data (social-sector data governance standard) — serving global NGO coalitions, child helplines, and local community leaders across ~140 countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Tech Matters industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Nonprofit Technology / Tech for Good Software
- NAICS
- Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Other Computer Related Services (541519), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (51621), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300), Telephone & Telegraph Apparatus (3661)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Digital Inclusion & Civic Tech (Connectivity, GovTech for Social Good) (BPAGALAK)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Patient Engagement, Education & Messaging Platforms (portal/CRM integrated) (HLALABAJ), Health Data, Vital Statistics & Population Health Informatics (BPAIAJAM), Student Support Hotlines & Digital Wellbeing Tools (EDAJAIAL), Q&A and Knowledge Discovery Platforms (BPAMAAAF)
Keywords
Where Tech Matters is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Palo Alto
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices6 records
Markets served
Tech Matters business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Donations: Tech Matters accepts direct donations via its website (techmatters.org/donate-to-tech-matters/) to fund its tech-for-good work.
- Foundation grants and philanthropic capital: Major funding from foundations and philanthropic partners including the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, Schmidt Futures, Skoll Foundation, Okta for Good, Cisco Foundation, Splunk, Omidyar Network, Peery Foundation, Hitz Foundation, Ray and Dagmar Dolby Family Fund, Jenesis, Meta, IFDC, USDA, Working Capital, FJC, Rainforest Alliance, FFAR, Frey Charitable Foundation, and Safe Online.
- Book royalties: Royalties from the book 'Technology for Good: How Nonprofit Leaders Are Using Software and Data to Solve Our Most Pressing Social Problems' (MIT Press, Axiom Business Book Awards Medalist for 2026) are donated to Tech Matters.
- Sliding-scale SaaS subscriptions for nonprofits: Aselo and Terraso operate as nonprofit SaaS enterprises where organizations pay for software, often on a sliding scale. Aselo is built in partnership with Child Helpline International and its 160+ member helplines in 140 countries.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Open source software (free) |
| Subscription | Annual | Nonprofit SaaS subscription (sliding scale) |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Donations and grants |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
Tech Matters product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Tech Matters is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that builds and maintains open source software platforms for the social sector. Its two flagship products are Aselo, a cloud-based contact center platform powering crisis response helplines globally with Child Helpline International, and Terraso, an open source platform for local leaders and rural communities pursuing sustainable livelihoods. The Better Deal for Data (BD4D) initiative provides a governance standard and playbook for ethical data use in the social sector.
Product overview
Tech Matters is a Silicon Valley-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates a portfolio of open source platforms and field-building initiatives rather than a single unified product. Its two flagship platforms are Aselo, the open source cloud-based contact center platform powering crisis response helplines in nearly 140 countries with Child Helpline International, and Terraso, the open source platform delivering software tools for sustainable land use and community-led landscape management. Layered on top is the Better Deal for Data (BD4D) initiative, a practical data governance standard and playbook for the social sector built on seven commitments. The organization also pursues Building the Tech for Good Field as a program to grow the broader tech-for-good nonprofit ecosystem, and its CEO Jim Fruchterman authored the "Technology for Good" book (2026 Axiom Business Book Awards Medalist). Together, Aselo and Terraso deliver affordable, open source software that amplifies social impact, while BD4D and field-building work supply the data-governance and ecosystem foundations those platforms rely on.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Aselo: Open source, cloud-based contact center platform for crisis response helplines serving children; described as the world's leading open source platform for crisis response helplines, partnered with Child Helpline International and 160+ helpline members in nearly 140 countries.
- Terraso
- Better Deal for Data (BD4D)
Products and services
- Aselo Aselo is the world's leading open source, cloud-based contact center platform for crisis response helplines serving children. It is operated in partnership with Child Helpline International and its 160+ helpline members in nearly 140 countries, with a stated goal of helping 100 million children in crisis by 2025. It gives nonprofit helplines the technology power of large corporate call centers, with AI-assisted automated call documentation.
- Terraso Terraso is an open source software platform designed for local leaders and rural communities seeking sustainable livelihoods on the land. It delivers data and visualization tools, Story Maps, and community-organization features that support community-led landscape mapping, sustainable agriculture, climate adaptation, and ecosystem health across the 1000 Landscapes for 1 Billion People coalition.
- Better Deal for Data (BD4D) Standard and Playbook Better Deal for Data is a practical data governance initiative for the social sector built on seven commitments (Purpose, Ownership, Control, Monetization, Protection, Research, Binding) made to individuals and organizations whose data is collected, used, and shared. The BD4D Standard provides a framework for responsible data stewardship, supported by the BD4D Playbook for implementation across the social sector.
- Technology for Good (Book) 'Technology for Good: How Nonprofit Leaders Are Using Software and Data to Solve Our Most Pressing Social Problems' is a book published by MIT Press and recognized as an Axiom Business Book Awards Medalist for 2026. Written by Tech Matters' founder Jim Fruchterman, royalties are donated to Tech Matters to support the tech-for-good mission.
Quantifiable outcome
- Goal of helping 100 million children in crisis by 2025 via Aselo
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Tech Matters
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Tech Matters technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
AI capability4 records
Feature5 records
Tech Matters partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.
- Child Helpline InternationalflagshipFlagship partnership that anchors Aselo. Child Helpline International's network of 160+ helpline members in nearly 140 countries is the primary user base for the Aselo open source, cloud-based contact center platform. Aselo's stated goal is to help 100 million children in crisis by 2025 via this network.
- TwiliocoreTwilio is listed as a Tech Matters funder and provides the underlying communications/contact center technology that Aselo is built on top of (Twilio-powered cloud contact center for crisis helplines).
- Rainforest AlliancecoreListed Tech Matters funder and partner on the 1000 Landscapes for 1 Billion People initiative that underpins Terraso; mentioned alongside the Better Deal for Data as a relevant nonprofit-body framework under EU/UK GDPR.
- USDA (United States Department of Agriculture)coreUSDA supports the OpenTEAM program, listed as a Better Deal for Data partner alongside Tech Matters. USDA is also listed as a Tech Matters funder.
- OpenTEAMminorListed as a Better Deal for Data partner (with USDA support).
- EcoAgriculture PartnersflagshipCo-convener with Tech Matters (Jim Fruchterman) and Sara Scherr of EcoAgriculture Partners of the 1000 Landscapes for 1 Billion People initiative at the Virtual Skoll World Forum 2020 — the ecosystem of partner organizations behind Terraso.
- BenetechcoreTech Matters was originally created as part of Benetech ('We're part of Benetech, Silicon Valley's leading technology for social good nonprofit'); Jim Fruchterman founded and led Benetech for nearly 30 years, and several Tech Matters team members (Aaron Firestone, Derek Caelin, Amaya Webster) came from Benetech.
- Good Tech FestminorListed as a business partner with whom Tech Matters may share contact data to provide services users have requested.
- 1000 Landscapes for 1 Billion PeopleflagshipMajor coalition initiative behind the Terraso platform, convened with EcoAgriculture Partners and including Rainforest Alliance, World Wildlife Fund, Conservation International, UNDP, and other big environmental NGOs.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Tech Matters competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- NetHope: Direct peer: a consortium of ~60 global humanitarian and development NGOs that collaborates on technology solutions for crisis response and international development — overlapping Aselo's user base and field-building approach.
- InSTEDD: Direct peer: nonprofit tech lab designing open-source information and communication tools for early warning, crisis response, and public health — closely comparable to Aselo's crisis-helpline mission and field-deployment profile.
- Benetech: Direct peer: a Silicon Valley nonprofit founded and led by Jim Fruchterman for nearly 30 years before Tech Matters, building open-source technology for social good (education accessibility, human rights, environment). Closest organizational analogue and historical predecessor.
- Dimagi: Direct peer: a social enterprise building CommCare, an open-source mobile data collection and case-management platform used by frontline health and social-service workers in low-resource settings — the same underserved-user model as Aselo and Terraso.
- Medic (formerly Medic Mobile): Direct peer: nonprofit tech organization building open-source digital health tools for community health workers globally, with a comparable tech-for-good, open-source-plus-services GTM and similar funder profile (foundations, Gates, Google.org).
Regional players
- Praekelt.org: Regional player: Africa-based nonprofit tech organization that builds open-source mobile and messaging platforms for maternal health, social welfare, and crisis communication — overlapping with Aselo on helpline-style interventions but operating primarily in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Emerging players
- Nexleaf Analytics: Emerging player: nonprofit building technology (cold-chain monitoring, vaccine logistics) for global health equity, founded by Nithya Ramanathan — the same person who chairs Tech Matters' Board of Directors, indicating close strategic and governance ties.
- Open Data Kit (GetODK): Emerging player: open-source mobile data-collection platform widely used by NGOs, researchers, and field workers in low-resource settings; technically and philosophically adjacent to Terraso's community-data capabilities.
- The Engine Room: Emerging player: nonprofit that supports civil-society actors on responsible data and technology use — adjacent to BD4D's ethical-data-governance work and sharing the 'tech for the 90%' framing.
- DataKind: Emerging player: nonprofit that mobilizes data scientists to apply data and AI for social impact; comparable in mission ('data for good') and funder base, though focused on volunteer pro-bono engagement rather than productized platforms.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Tech Matters social profiles
Digital presenceTech Matters compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Tech Matters financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Tech Matters leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Tech Matters subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
Tech Matters funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds4 records
Investors7 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Tech Matters M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Tech Matters
What does Tech Matters do?
Tech Matters is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that builds and maintains open source software platforms for the social sector. Its two flagship products are Aselo, a cloud-based contact center platform powering crisis response helplines globally with Child Helpline International, and Terraso, an open source platform for local leaders and rural communities pursuing sustainable livelihoods. The Better Deal for Data (BD4D) initiative provides a governance standard and playbook for ethical data use in the social sector.
Is Tech Matters a public or private company?
Tech Matters is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Tech Matters founded?
Tech Matters was founded in 2001. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Tech Matters based?
Tech Matters is headquartered in Palo Alto, United States, in the North America region.
How does Tech Matters make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Donations are the primary driver. The others are foundation grants and philanthropic capital, book royalties and sliding-scale SaaS subscriptions for nonprofits.
Who are Tech Matters's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are NetHope, InSTEDD, Benetech, Dimagi and Medic (formerly Medic Mobile). Praekelt.org is listed as a regional player. Emerging players are Nexleaf Analytics, Open Data Kit (GetODK), The Engine Room and DataKind.
Does Tech Matters have an API?
No public API is recorded for Tech Matters.
What industry is Tech Matters in?
Tech Matters's product category is Nonprofit Technology / Tech for Good Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGALAK, Digital Inclusion & Civic Tech (Connectivity, GovTech for Social Good), with a secondary code of HLALABAJ, Patient Engagement, Education & Messaging Platforms (portal/CRM integrated). Its NAICS code is 54151 and its SIC code is 8300.