Nino studied on the MSc Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship (SIE) programme.
Nino Nanitashvili graduated with Distinction from the MSc Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship (SIE) with the support of the Chevening Scholarship and was recently named on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list.
Nino is a tech evangelist and a social innovator from Tbilisi, Georgia. For the last ten years she has worked in the field of human capital development and digital transformation via her roles in private, public and non-profit sectors. She has spearheaded business development and product design for AgriTech, EduTech and CivicTech initiatives and has mentored more than ten startups.
Nino has been an active member of Georgia’s tech scene as the founder and lead of global community initiatives in Georgia, such as Google Developers Group and Women Techmakers. Nino has a wide international cooperation experience including her appearances at the global events of Google, Forbes, TEDx, One Young World and more. She currently takes on roles as an invited lecturer, programmes lead and innovation consultant.
We spoke to Nino about her career in tech, her time at LSE and her reaction to making the 30 Under 30 list.
Q: What is your current role?
A: Innovations and Digital Development Consultant, currently working on different projects with World Bank, ADB, USAID, and Impact Hub.
Q: What other activities are you involved in?
A: Volunteerism and community service are a big part of who I am, both personally and career-wise. For more than ten years I have been leading different tech communities such as Google Developer Groups or Women Techmakers. I am extremely passionate about bringing more young people and women closer to STEM fields, especially to digital technologies, so that they are able to be creative, make their own startups, improve livelihoods around them and contribute to overall economic growth.
Q: How was your time on the Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship (SIE) programme?
A: My time with the SIE programme was truly unique and memorable. From the first day I entered the classroom I knew this diverse group of people, both students and lecturers, full of creativity and competence, would become my inspiration for life, and so they did.
Q: What does it mean to make the Forbes 30 Under 30 list? What was your initial reaction?
A: Being recognised in any form most importantly is a validation that whatever you have been doing has had an impact, and obviously this gives you so much motivation to keep moving forward and increasing your scale.
Forbes 30 Under 30 is a global programme and it's rewarding to be part of it. I already had interactions with the Under 30 programme five years back when I was invited as a speaker for the 30 Under 30 EMEA Summit 2016. That's when I spoke about some of my projects and the role of using technologies for social good, and my career vision and mission have stayed the same.
I just want to also acknowledge that not everyone gets on a list or is publicly recognised. This in no way undermines their work or impact. I would encourage everyone, under 30 or over 30, it doesn't matter, to just keeping doing what they are good at, what they enjoy doing, and what is needed in the world.
Thursday 3 June 2021