About
Ian is CEO of Development Seed, which builds impactful geospatial products to track and understand a changing planet. We create, analyze and share massive amounts of data; leveraging AI, cloud infrastructure, and innovative product design to analyze the earth and put insights into the pockets of decisionmakers. From our work with NASA to use AI to classify hurricanes as imagery comes off the satellite–to helping the World Bank use machine learning to rapidly map national power grids, we work for the people who work on the world’s hardest problems.
For more than two decades, Ian has built innovative technology teams and grown communities that leverage technology for social and climate impact. Ian built Internet Freedom Programs at the State Department, where his stewardship of $100 million in startup Internet freedom funding helped to grow the community of organizations advancing digital rights. Ian created one of the first global development innovation units within the National Democratic Institute, where he applied technology to improve government services and accountability in 60 countries.
