Rodrigo Baggio

Activist, Social entrepreneur, Technologist

Rodrigo Baggio is Founder and President of the Center for Digital Inclusion (CDI), a global NGO headquartered in Brazil that seek to empower people throughout the use of information and communication technology. CDI uses technology to fight poverty, stimulate entrepreneurship and create changemakers. CDI, pioneer of digital inclusion in Latin America, supports 780 CDI Community Centers in 13 countries in Latin America and Europe, and in 18 years CDI has had an impact on more than 1,5 million people. With his work in CDI, Rodrigo Baggio have won more than 60 awards from organizations including UNICEF, UNESCO, Time, Fortune, CNN and the World Economic Forum. Formerly, he worked as Artificial Intelligence Specialist for Accenture and managed IBM's “Reinventing Education” programme. He envisaged the use of computers to promote social inclusion and launched initiatives such as the first computer donation campaign in Brazil. In 1995, he founded the first Information Technology and Citizens Rights schools in one of Rio de Janeiro's slums. He holds the honorary title of Doctor in Humane Letters from the School of Computer Science of DePaul University.

I am passionate about transforming lives, social impact and innovation that generates changes in communities. I like reading, watching movies, the contact with the nature and relationship in family.

We live in a world where collaborative solutions help to redesign strategies to key society areas. Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have led the scientific collaboration at a speed and to an unthinkable sharing scenario before. The way of producing everything has changed. The way we create value from work is significantly different from we used to do decades ago.CDI believes that this world is more powerful because allows entrepreneurial synapses. So we use ICTs to connect and empower people. Apart from our community, we have mapped over 300 social entrepreneurship initiatives. So we decided: it is a good time for a call, inviting social entrepreneurs to use the ICTs in an amazing experience with us.In March 2015, we will have an opportunity to meet and share innovative ideas in Brazil, during the Social Business Startup Weekend. Rodrigo Baggio wants to reinforce the vocation of CDI in expanding networks which have potential to impact communities and realities.

Digital and Social Inclusion, Social Businesses, Social Empowerment, Social Entrepreneurship, Social Impact, Social Innovation, SOCIAL TECHNOLOGY

When I started a pioneer digital inclusion project in Rio de Janeiro, in 1995, I had no idea about the future, but I understood how the digital gap was a serious question for poor people. I felt challenged to face that gap. The first CDI community center was in one of the largest slums in Rio, where we provided the residents with computers and basic IT-education. At that moment, no one talked about “internet”. Now, we offer courses in basic and advanced ICT, internet access and courses for the job market.At CDI, we created a successful methodology (students collectively identify a common challenge to face in their community and prepare an action plan to overcome it) and we have have been working in each community for a real sustainability. Because of this long way, I built a strong network as social entrepreneur. Now, I’m president of CDI and fellow of four globally renowned organizations to support social entrepreneurship: Avina, Ashoka, the Schwab Foundation and the Skoll Foundation.

I'm good at creating and defending a vision and mobilizing people. I'm dyslexic and hyperactive, but I overcame the challenge of reading and now I am a voracious reader of various literary genres.