Jacob Korenblum

Jacob Korenblum is a respected leader in enterprise digital strategy with more than 15 years of experience addressing real-world challenges through technology. Over the course of his career, he has led the design and launch of digital solutions across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, focusing on practical outcomes and long-term impact. His work has been recognized by major media outlets, including The Financial Times, Forbes, Devex, and Scientific American. Jacob Korenblum currently lives in Toronto, Ontario, where he enjoys spending his personal time sailing.

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Career in Social Initiatives and Innovation

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From the early stages of his professional journey, he concentrated on social justice and international aid initiatives. After completing his bachelor’s degree, he began working with the Education Development Center in Washington, D.C., a nonprofit organization with global operations. This organization develops programs that aim to improve daily living conditions for families worldwide by strengthening employment opportunities, education systems, and health services across 80 countries.

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While working there, Jacob advanced quickly and assumed a leadership role as director of monitoring and evaluation and communications for a project based in the Middle East. This position required him to live and work in the region for several years, during which he gained firsthand experience of the social and economic conditions facing local communities. His responsibilities involved evaluating program outcomes, managing communications, and ensuring that initiatives met their intended goals.

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After completing his work with that organization, Jacob Korenblum accepted a position at OXFAM, a globally recognized nonprofit organization. This international NPO supports more than 25 million people annually by developing programs focused on gender equality, economic development, and climate action. Between 2008 and 2010, he traveled to underserved regions in Malawi, India, Haiti, and Kenya to support economic initiatives. During this period, he served as a team leader for multiple microenterprise assessment projects and mobile technology initiatives, contributing to programs that improved income opportunities and local resilience.

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Foundation of a New Social Enterprise

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During his time in the Middle East in the early 2000s, he observed a significant challenge that also presented an opportunity for economic growth: limited internet access. In many Palestinian communities, reliable internet service was either unavailable or too costly, making it difficult for people to access job opportunities and essential information. At the same time, he noticed that approximately 80 percent of residents owned mobile devices.

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This pattern was not unique to any one region and was observed across many developing countries, where mobile phone use was widespread despite low internet availability. In response to this gap, Jacob Korenblum co-founded a nonprofit organization called Souktel in 2005, using the Arabic words for “telephone” and “market.” The purpose of this social enterprise was to connect job seekers with employers through SMS technology, eliminating the need for internet access.

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Through this initiative, Korenblum helped thousands of mobile phone users in Palestine access local employment opportunities. Over more than a decade, he supported the organization’s growth into a trusted partner in numerous countries, reaching over 500,000 users across approximately 30 nations. The organization also collaborated with partners to launch various social programs, including initiatives that provided free local legal advice and supported women in the Middle East seeking work outside the home.

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A Digital Career Focus

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In 2018, Jacob Korenblum shifted his professional focus from nonprofit leadership to roles within government and the private sector. From 2018 to 2021, he worked with the Government of Ontario, where he managed digital policy development. In this role, he supported the Ontario Digital Service in developing policies to deliver simpler, faster, and more effective digital services to residents. His work contributed to the development of COVID-related digital services that were later adopted across Canada, emphasizing accessibility and efficiency during a critical period.

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Academic History

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Jacob graduated from the University of Toronto in 2004 with a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations. In 2005, he was awarded a Fellowship in Social Enterprise by the Catherine B. Reynolds Foundation at Harvard University. The following year, he completed a master’s degree at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, earning a Master of Education with a concentration in social enterprise and international education policy.

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Notable Accomplishments

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Throughout his career, he has advised the UNESCO Pearson Digital Literacy Initiative and has published work for UNICEF. In addition, he served on the advisory board of the Global Youth Economic Opportunities Summit from 2016 to 2018, providing strategic guidance on youth employment and economic inclusion.

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Charitable Work

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For more than four years, he has served as a strategic advisor to The Global Citizens’ Initiative, an international organization whose members collaborate to promote human rights, sustainability, climate protection, conflict resolution, and related humanitarian efforts. Through this role, he has continued to apply his experience in strategy and social enterprise to causes with global reach.

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Jacob Korenblum remains deeply committed to addressing global social challenges and continues to share his time, experience, and entrepreneurial skills to support small business owners and communities worldwide.