TechnoServe helps people lift themselves out of poverty by harnessing the power of the private sector. A leading nonprofit organization operating in almost 30 countries, we work with hardworking women and men in the developing world to build competitive farms, businesses, and industries. By linking people to information, capital, and markets, we have helped millions to create lasting prosperity for their families and communities.

TechnoServe was founded by Ed Bullard in 1968 to help hardworking people in the developing world lift themselves, their families, and their communities out of poverty.

Ed was captivated by the spirit and character of the Ghanaian people. But he was appalled by the depth of poverty that surrounded him. A businessman, Ed understood that the contrast between this poverty and his own prosperity came not from any innate difference between himself and a poor Ghanaian farmer.

1985: Ed Bullard visits farmers who are working with TechnoServe in Drumvale, Kenya.
Ed Bullard visits farmers who are working with TechnoServe in Drumvale, Kenya in 1985.
Instead, the people he saw struggled because they lacked the knowledge, skills and tools needed to lift themselves out of poverty. So in 1968, Ed launched TechnoServe – short for “technology in the service of mankind.” He envisioned TechnoServe as a different type of nonprofit, one that would help poor people by connecting them to information and market opportunities.

Today, TechnoServe works with enterprising people in the developing world to build competitive farms, businesses and industries. We have worked in more than 40 countries across Africa, Latin America and Asia, assisting thousands of businesses and improving the incomes of millions of people.

True to Ed’s vision, we provide business solutions to poverty by linking people to information, capital and markets. With more than four decades of proven results, we believe in the power of private enterprise to transform lives.

Watch the video below to learn more about TechnoServe’s journey: