Biography
Richard FOLLY is a Space Entrepreneur, Geospatial Data Scientist, Educator, and Public Speaker
Richard has over a decade of professional experience in technology, entrepreneurship, education, and media. He was a journalist and have covered environmental topics and presidential elections campaigns. Richard’s entrepreneurship journey began over ten years ago with the discovery of technology, which led him to collaborate on projects across Africa, the USA, Europe, and Asia. Richard has worked with private businesses, diplomatic institutions, international organizations, and government agencies, including ministries in Togo. Richard also had a Professional Development Experience at NASA, where he focused on disaster risk management and environmental monitoring. A Geography graduate from the Université de Lomé, Richard is leveraging geospatial technology, digital transformation, and data to address our planet’s most pressing challenges for the benefit of humanity.
He believes in open innovation and creative solutions. As a key figure in the open data movement in his country, Richard co-founded and led the OpenStreetMap Togo community, and is involved in other open data initiatives, including training journalists and civil society stakeholders on leveraging data storytelling and civic tech for positive impact.