How to reach tech talent interested in developing countries?

Question

I work with a nonprofit called Alter Global that supports tech entrepreneurs across the developing world by connecting them to global talent, capital, and networks.

We're rolling out a Tech Fellows program, where we hope to bring engineers/data scientists/PM's (with 2+ years of experience) to work with our ventures in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Myanmar, and Nigeria - who are market leaders creating thousands of jobs, but simply cannot find enough advanced tech talent in their own markets. Pay will be minimal, but Fellows will have an incredible impact in the companies and in the startup ecosystem.

I understand that there is some (perhaps not a ton of) interest in going abroad and trying something different within the tech community. My question is - where and how is the best place to identify such talent?

Answer 1

Now that more and more work is being done remotely, lots of global talents are "freed" from their local restrictions and work for clients worldwide on freelance platforms such as Topcoder.com or Freelancer.com. There is plenty of talent to choose from for the tech entrepreneurs you work with. In a way the current Covid lockdowns in the world foster international collaboration by making remote work more acceptable for all industries :)

Answer 2

There's a movement in wealthier countries like the US to use vacation time for volunteer activities. And there are multiple programs/websites that list these opportunities and work to connect people with that interest. I'm seeing several on a Google search but don't want to link as I am not familiar enough with them to recommend any.

If you develop a program that is geared for people using their vacation time, extended leaves, sabbaticals, time off between college and grad school, post graduate school work, professors on summer break, etc for volunteer work, you might be successful. You'd need to identify timing very clearly. Some places might love a team of people to come in for 2 weeks but others really need someone for a full year.

I realize you say you want people with 2+ years of experience, which limits the student angle (though a lot of people take time off to work before going back to school or entering grad school), but you still might do well working with universities to develop programs that count for internship credit or as required fieldwork, or even to count as a university class with credits.

Professors are another group you might have success with. People who might have the work experience but who really prefer teaching and don't want to go back to industry full time. But for a summer? Or a sabbatical year? Maybe.

Alumni are your 3rd group that connect to universities. People out in the workforce who are looking for a break, who got laid off and would rather travel than look for a new job right away, are in-between commitments, etc.

Good luck with your projects!