LEAP Fellow

Sergio Medina

Sergio is a social entrepreneur with over 22 years of experience in humanitarian aid. Focusing on services for refugee and immigrant children, he has built and led programs designed to protect children’s rights throughout their migration journey. Building on his fieldwork with the UN and several international aid organizations in refugee camps, Sergio formed the nonprofit venture, RISE, to improve aid coordination.

Sergio and his team at RISE created several digital platforms designed to accelerate service delivery by leveraging the power of mobile technology in the field. They field-tested their products in Berlin, Germany, and in Lesvos, Greece, and went on to win a global competition through OpenIDEO that led to funding from Australian Aid to conduct field tests in refugee camps in Kenya.

Whether it is managing organizations or designing products, Sergio’s north star is to use a multi-disciplinary approach to improve service delivery systems for children. Sergio has a BA from Rice University, an MSW from Columbia University, and an MBA from MIT Sloan and is based in San Francisco.