Building Products for the Sustainable Development Goals
There is no shortage of big problems in the world; but there is a shortage of tech products that successfully solve them. The United Nations created 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to set a “blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all”. Product managers have a role to play in tackling these SDGs – but where do they start?
As an engineer Monica Rucki started her career focused on Goal 1: No Poverty. With the UN and Engineers Without Borders she identified physical tech solutions to tackle poverty and economic development, but soon saw that these technologies don’t always scale nor have the desired impact. Recognising the amplification effect of the internet, she shifted towards digital and joined a number of internet start-ups in Asia & Africa before becoming a product manager at Google.
Monica will share her career story, 3 case studies on products that have had a scalable impact on the SDGs, and how any product manager can contribute in their own way.
Takeways:
- Share my career path from working in International Development in Africa to Product Management at Google focused on the Next Billion Users (APAC / LATAM / SSA)
- Give examples of tech / product scalable solutions to the UN Sustainable Development Goals using a few cases studies (both my work at Google and other companies)
- Inspire the audience by giving examples of different ways that all Product Managers can contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals