Leila Janah facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Leila Janah
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Leila Janah in 2014
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| Born | October 9, 1982 Lewiston, New York, U.S.
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| Died | January 24, 2020 (aged 37) Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
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| Alma mater | Harvard University |
| Occupation | Founder and CEO of Sama and LXMI |
Leila Janah (born October 9, 1982 – died January 24, 2020) was an American businesswoman. She started and led two companies called Sama and LXMI. Sama helped over 11,000 people find work with big companies like Microsoft, Google, and Walmart.
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Leila's Early Life
Leila was born in Lewiston, New York, near Niagara Falls, on October 9, 1982. She grew up in San Pedro, Los Angeles, California. Her parents were immigrants from India who started with very little in the U.S. Leila said her childhood was sometimes hard because her family didn't always have much money.
As a teenager, Leila worked many jobs like babysitting and tutoring. She went to the California Academy of Mathematics and Science. At 17, she won a scholarship from American Field Services. She used it to teach in Ghana for six months during her last year of high school. In Ghana, Leila taught English to young students, many of whom were blind. This experience made her passionate about helping people in Africa. She kept visiting Africa during college.
Leila went to Harvard University and graduated in 2005. She studied African Development. While at Harvard, she worked in Mozambique, Senegal, and Rwanda. She also wrote papers for the World Bank and Ashoka about social and economic rights.
Her Career Journey
After college, Leila worked as a consultant for Katzenbach Partners. She helped companies in healthcare and technology. One of her first jobs was managing a call center in Mumbai, India. There, she met a young man who traveled from a very poor area to work. This experience gave Leila the idea for Sama, the company she started in 2008.
In 2007, Leila became a visiting scholar at Stanford University. She also helped start Incentives for Global Health. This group worked on ideas to create new medicines for diseases that were not getting enough attention.
Starting Sama
In 2008, Leila launched Sama (first called Market for Change). Her experiences in Africa and India inspired this idea. Sama helps people in low-income areas get digital work and training. Its goal is to create opportunities through the internet. This business model has helped over 50,000 people escape poverty.
Sama was one of the first groups to do "impact sourcing." This means they hire people from disadvantaged areas. Sama workers learn basic computer skills. They are paid a fair wage for their work.
Sama also offers programs to help workers grow. These include health education and professional skills training. They have a scholarship program for continuing education. They also offer small loans and advice for people who want to start their own businesses. Fast Company named Sama one of its "Most Innovative Companies." Big clients like Walmart, Google, and Microsoft work with Sama.
Samaschool's Impact
In 2013, Leila started Samaschool (earlier called SamaUSA). This program helped people get out of poverty. It taught them digital skills and connected them to online jobs that paid a good wage. Samaschool had in-person classes in places like Arkansas, California, and Kenya. It also offered online classes worldwide.
Samaschool taught students about digital literacy and how to be ready for work. It also taught them how to find freelance jobs online. The program first started in San Francisco. It helped students learn skills for the "gig economy," where people work short-term jobs. Samaschool was supported by the Robinhood Foundation. Samaschool stopped its operations in 2020.
Samahope's Mission
Leila founded Samahope in 2012. It was a website where people could donate money to doctors. These doctors provided important medical treatments for women and children in poor communities. Samahope believed that clear funding could help more people get medical care. In 2015, Samahope joined with Johnson & Johnson's new health platform, CaringCrowd.
LXMI: Beauty with a Purpose
In 2015, Leila also co-founded LXMI. This was a luxury skincare brand that made a profit. LXMI hired women in poor rural areas of the Nile Valley. These women harvested ingredients for LXMI products. LXMI reported that its workers earned three times the local average wages. The company is named after Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of beauty.
LXMI was developed within Sama. Leila arranged for one-third of her shares in LXMI to go back to Sama. This meant Sama would benefit if LXMI made a profit or was sold.
Awards and Recognition
Leila Janah received many awards and honors for her work. She was a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum. She was also a director for CARE USA. In 2014, she won the Heinz Award in Technology, the Economy and Employment. She was the youngest person to ever win this award.
In 2012, Hillary Clinton gave her the Secretary’s Innovation Award for the Empowerment of Women and Girls. She was also a visiting scholar at Stanford University. She was recognized by magazines like Elle and The New York Times T Magazine. Forbes named her a "Rising Star" in 2011. Fast Company called her one of the "Most Creative People in Business" in 2012. Fortune also featured her as one of the "Most Promising Entrepreneurs" in 2013.
Death
Leila Janah passed away on January 24, 2020. She died from epithelioid sarcoma, a very rare type of cancer.
