CIOs Without Borders

What CIOs Without Borders does

CIOs Without Borders is a US-headquartered (Bay Shore) non-profit founded in 2010 by Atefeh Riazi, then serving as global CIO at Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide, with the explicit mission of deploying information technology to advance education, healthcare, and infrastructure in underserved communities. The organization operates a small set of named programs rather than a broad product line: a Medical Diagnostic System in Rwanda (adapted from a rural-India healthcare model and delivered alongside the Rwandan Ministry of Health); an Agent Orange Information System in Vietnam (built with the Government of Vietnam and the War Legacies Project to support exposure-affected populations); and an Infrastructure & IT Services offering that channels donated hardware and pro-bono engineering time to other non-profits, including an early-stage E-Waste Task Force effort. Foundation president Carol Henrick is listed alongside the founder in published materials, and program delivery is executed through a multi-sector partner ecosystem spanning academic institutions (Stevens Institute of Technology), clinical operators (Montefiore Health Center), host-country ministries, and NGO collaborators.

The organization's technology footprint is program-specific rather than platform-based: each project combines donated or in-kind hardware with bespoke information systems tailored to the operational context (medical diagnostics in Rwanda, exposure record-keeping in Vietnam, hardware reclamation and redistribution in the E-Waste Task Force). No unified product, no recurring commercial release cadence, and no documented underlying platform architecture were disclosed in the source material; the technology stack is therefore best characterized as a portfolio of point solutions integrated with partner-provided infrastructure and clinical/governmental systems.

The business model is donation-driven and explicitly non-commercial. Cash inflows are accepted via consumer-grade channels such as PayPal, alongside in-kind contributions of IT equipment; there is no published pricing, no commercial contracts, and no paid customer base. Revenue mechanics are limited to philanthropic contributions and grant-style support from partners, which constrains scale and removes the typical SaaS-style revenue predictability drivers from the analysis. Coverage by CIO Magazine, Information Week, and a March 2022 Forbes feature points to an earned-media-driven awareness model rather than a paid customer acquisition model.

Name

CIOs Without Borders

Legal name

CIOs Without Borders

Website

https://cioswithoutborders.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

CIOs Without Borders is a US-headquartered non-profit, founded in 2010 by former Ogilvy global CIO Atefeh Riazi, that deploys donated and adapted technology solutions — medical diagnostics, health information systems, and reclaimed IT infrastructure — to underserved communities in Rwanda, Vietnam, India, and China.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian Technology Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYHLAJAKAA

Multilateral Global Health Agencies (UN/IFIs)

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Public Health, Government & Regulators/Global Health & Development Agencies (NGOs/Multilaterals)

Keywords

• Humanitarian technology services
• Global health technology
• Medical diagnostic systems
• Non-profit IT consulting
• Healthcare technology deployment

Headquarters

HQ city

Bay Shore

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: CIOs Without Borders generates revenue through voluntary donations via PayPal and other web-based channels. Donations support project Rwanda financing and mobilize committed volunteers to help make projects self-sustaining.
2. IT Equipment Donations: The organization accepts donations of IT equipment which help support volunteers in their mission and provide connections with future leaders of underprivileged societies.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CIOs Without Borders is a global 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that deploys technology solutions to deliver education, healthcare, and infrastructure services to underserved communities. Its core work consists of implementing computerized medical diagnostic systems in resource-limited settings (notably Rwanda), building bilingual information and mapping platforms about environmental health crises (Vietnam Agent Orange project), and providing pro-bono IT services to other international non-profits. The organization is staffed and supported by volunteer CIOs, senior IT practitioners, and IT academics.

Product overview

CIOs Without Borders is a global non-profit organization, not a commercial product company. Its 'offerings' consist of three humanitarian technology projects: the Rwanda Medical Diagnostic System (a computerized diagnostic tool adapted from rural India to address Rwanda's severe doctor shortage of 1:25,000 ratio), the Vietnam Agent Orange Information System (a bilingual website and mapping platform), and Infrastructure & IT Services for Non-Profits (pro-bono technology support). There is no unified product platform—these are discrete charitable initiatives using technology for healthcare access and education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Project Rwanda Medical Diagnostic System A computerized medical diagnostic system that enables one technician and one nurse to quickly diagnose patients and determine treatment plans. It is operated by minimally trained personnel (including high school students) in rural settings. Built in partnership with Stevens Institute of Technology and Montefiore Health Center in collaboration with the Rwandan Ministry of Health.
• Project Vietnam Agent Orange Information System A centralized bilingual website compiling critical information about Agent Orange in English and Vietnamese, combined with a computerized mapping system showing projects dealing with disabilities and environmental degradation to support a coordinated humanitarian response.
• Infrastructure and IT Services for Non-Profits Free or low-cost IT services including technology consulting, websites, databases, and online collaboration tools delivered to select international non-profit organizations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Rwanda healthcare access improvement through expert medical system implementation
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Stevens Institute of TechnologycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration partner for Rwanda medical diagnostic project. Stevens Institute of Technology works with CIOs Without Borders to adapt and implement expert medical systems in Rwanda.
• Montefiore Health CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare collaboration partner for Rwanda project. Montefiore Health Center contributes clinical expertise to the implementation of medical diagnostic systems.
• Rwandan Ministry of HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partner facilitating the Rwanda medical diagnostic project. The Ministry is working with CIOs Without Borders to open 10 mobile rural healthcare clinics and build infrastructure for healthcare delivery.
• War Legacies ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration partner for Vietnam Agent Orange project. The War Legacies Project works with CIOs Without Borders to compile information about Agent Orange effects and implement computerized mapping systems.
• Government of VietnamcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment approval and support for Vietnam Agent Orange project. The government has approved the collaboration to address the ongoing effects of Agent Orange contamination through technology-enabled information systems.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• NetHope: A consortium of international NGOs that leverages technology to improve humanitarian and development operations. Directly comparable as a technology-focused organization serving the humanitarian sector, with strong CIO/IT executive engagement similar to CIOs Without Borders.
• Mercy Corps: Large global humanitarian and development organization operating across multiple geographies including Africa and Asia. Comparable in international humanitarian footprint and operating model, though much larger and broader in programmatic scope.
• InSTEDD: Nonprofit that designs and deploys technology solutions for humanitarian response, disaster management, and public health in underserved regions. Directly comparable as a tech-for-humanitarian organization with similar geographic and mission focus.
• PATH: Global health innovation organization that develops and deploys health technologies and solutions in low-resource settings. Comparable to CIOs Without Borders in applying technology and innovation to address global health access gaps in developing countries.
• TechSoup Global: Nonprofit that provides technology products, services, and capacity-building to other nonprofits globally. Comparable to CIOs Without Borders' Infrastructure & IT Services for Non-Products offering, with a similar mission of enabling NGOs through technology.
• Partners In Health: Global health nonprofit delivering healthcare in resource-limited settings (including Rwanda, where CIOs Without Borders is active). Comparable in target geography and healthcare mission, though PIH focuses on clinical care delivery rather than technology deployment.
• Engineers Without Borders: Volunteer-driven organization that mobilizes professional engineers and technologists to implement infrastructure and capacity-building projects in developing communities. Closely comparable to CIOs Without Borders in mission, volunteer model, and focus on technology-for-humanitarian-impact.
• Doctors Without Borders (MSF): The most direct humanitarian healthcare peer; operates a volunteer/staff-driven model delivering medical services in underserved regions globally. CIOs Without Borders explicitly references MSF in its branding, and the organizations share the same 'Without Borders' volunteer-deployment ethos, though MSF focuses on direct clinical care rather than technology deployment.

Emerging players

• Global Health Corps: Nonprofit mobilizing young professionals to address global health inequities through placement in health organizations in Africa and the U.S. Comparable in mobilizing professional talent to address healthcare gaps in developing countries, though focused on human capital rather than technology.
• Digital Impact Alliance: Organization focused on leveraging digital technology to advance international development and humanitarian outcomes. Thematically aligned with CIOs Without Borders' mission of technology-enabled humanitarian impact, with an emphasis on digital infrastructure and policy.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cios-without-borders-international

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about CIOs Without Borders