Darlene Damm on How to Change the World—And Make It Work

Join us for an inspiring conversation with Darlene Damm, a fellow for impact at Singularity University, whose career spans decades of solving “wicked problems” in some of the world’s most challenging environments. From cofounding drone delivery networks for healthcare to launching global competitions that democratized space innovation, Darlene has shown how bold ideas—paired with the right teams—can create lasting change.

Darlene’s journey includes roles with Ashoka, the World Food Programme, and exponential startups, as well as work in Asia helping communities rebuild and thrive. In this episode, she shares how her early life in a remote town shaped her empathy and determination, and how a neighbor who worked on the first liquid-fueled rockets sparked her lifelong passion for technology and impact.

In this episode, Darlene delves into:

Empowering Communities to Lead Change: Why the people most affected by a problem are often best suited to lead its solution, and how rethinking power structures can unlock innovation.

From Drones to DIY Rockets: The origin stories of her groundbreaking ventures and what they reveal about turning constraints into creative breakthroughs.

Future Forces Shaping Impact: How exponential technologies like digital twins and biotechnology will transform resource challenges and create new opportunities.

Balancing Scarcity and Abundance: Why solving resource shortages is only half the challenge—and how overabundance creates new societal problems to tackle.

Building Future-Ready Teams: What it takes to assemble diverse, empowered teams that blend lived experience, capital, and technology to solve global challenges.

Making Impact Work Inside Big Organizations: Lessons on finding hidden impact in your current role, leveraging existing assets, and spinning out sustainable ventures.

Discover how Darlene’s insights can help you turn big problems into bold opportunities, align doing well with doing good, and create your own possible future.