Leila Janah
Leila Janah grew up in Southern California, and moved frequently as a child. Her parents came from Calcutta “with little more than a suitcase and dreams of a better life.” Her mother worked in fast food and other low-paying jobs until her father eventually found work. Scholarships and multiple jobs put Leila through Harvard, where she graduated summa cum laude in 2005. Today, Forbes Magazine hails her as “one of the most influential women in technology.” In 2008, Janah founded Samasource, based on the ideal that everyone deserves access to technological innovation. Sama, from the Sanskrit word meaning “equality,” trains unskilled workers to become adept in emergent digital technologies, then puts them to work. Her mission as CEO, says Janah, is to “bring about a world in which everyone is valued, and has an opportunity to contribute.”