Jesse Orndorff
Thoughts, ideas, and projects.
Latest Posts
Where Do We Go From Here?
After 15 years in tech for good and ICT4D, I’m finding myself questioning what we’re really building, and who we’re building it for. I’m not jaded, just tired, and looking for a more human, user-centered path forward.
A Decade of Building: Reflecting on Glean’s Journey
Ten years ago, I moved to Cambodia with the idea of building a tech company that could upskill local talent and connect them to global opportunities. We’ve been through pivots, funding crashes, a pandemic, and a full acquisition. But through it all, one thing hasn’t changed: our belief that Cambodian talent can compete and lead on the world stage.
Can eLearning Help Increase Teacher Salaries?
In the middle of a tough pivot after losing 80% of our projected funding, I stumbled on a stat that surprised me: we increased teachers’ salaries by 48% last year. A simple pilot in three schools proved that our EdTech for Good platform could be financially sustainable while putting more money in teachers’ pockets. With USAID funding gone, the challenge now is scaling this model. But one thing I know for sure: those of us in this space are resilient. We adapt, we build, and we keep going.
Why Stories Matter: Telling the Stories of Aid That People Don’t See
The school bell rang, but here, there were no roads, no sidewalks—only water. Children rushed from their classrooms, not to a bus or a waiting car, but to small wooden boats bobbing at the edge of their floating school. As they paddled home across the Tonle Sap, I realized: this work is more than projects and budgets—it’s about people, about lives transformed. And it’s time we tell these stories more often.
Balancing Impact and Survival: How the USAID Halt Is Reshaping My Small Business
An exploration of the effects of the recent USAID global stop work order on small businesses in the development sector, with insights into the challenges and potential paths forward.
Featured Videos
Content Pipelines – AI Email Summaries from Captured Content
A demo of my proof-of-concept app, Content Pipelines, which lets me capture content and use AI to generate concise email summaries of the pipeline.
Media Bias Analysis App Prototype
In this video, I’m excited to share a prototype of a bias analysis app I've been developing. The app utilizes AI and custom training data to evaluate the potential bias in news articles, focusing on how the written word is framed rather than political biases. I built this in about a week using Next.js, and I’ll walk you through its features, including dynamic content based on regional and thematic analysis. I’d love your feedback on the app and any suggestions for improvement!
What is ICT4D?
An overview of ICT4D and its importance in development.
Rapid Prototyping a Social Impact Game
A rapid protoype of a social impact game I did as part of my masters program.
Falmouth UX720 Case Study
A case study of the UX720 project at Falmouth University for my masters program.