Episode 20 · International

Social impact in a time of scarcity, and the power of community

Nick Martin · Founder and CEO, TechChange

Oct 2025

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Social impact in a time of scarcity, and the power of community

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About this episode

Nick Martin is one of the biggest voices in social impact - a connector, builder, and community organiser who has spent two decades training Ministry of Health officials and bringing global digital health people together. We talk about the USAID funding crisis: what happened, what it revealed, and what the sector needs to do differently. Plus: the Global Digital Health Forum, fail festivals, and how to navigate a career and an organisation in a world of scarcity.

Global Health Funding USAID Community Career Digital Health

“Nobody wants to fight this administration. I understand that. But I was hopeful there would be more stepping up - and there hasn't been.”
Nick Martin

What we cover

01Before the freeze: what was working at USAID and what wasn't - and why the sector didn't build a political constituency
02The week it all fell apart: stop work orders, the globalaidfreeze.com response, and the power of community rallying
03Eight months on: organizations pivoting to government sales, mergers, graceful wind-downs
04Career advice for people affected - new grads vs mid-career vs senior - and why AI skills plus sector knowledge is the combo
05Why philanthropy has been disappointing in its public response, and the reasons behind that
06TechChange: 20 years of digital training across 300+ organisations and 90+ countries
07The Global Digital Health Forum moving to Nairobi - why leaving Washington mattered
08Fail festivals: the origin story, the songs Nick performed, and why failure-sharing is the most valuable format at any conference
09Wisdom corner: constraints breed creativity, prioritise learning and community above all else

About the guest

Nick Martin

Founder and CEO, TechChange

Nick Martin is the Founder and CEO of TechChange, a social enterprise that has become a leading provider of digital health training and convening solutions worldwide. Under his leadership, TechChange has trained thousands of Ministry of Health officials in more than 90 countries through flagship programs including Digital Health: Planning National Systems, developed in partnership with USAID, WHO, and Digital Square. He also leads the Global Digital Health Forum, the premier annual gathering for policymakers, donors, researchers, and implementers working at the intersection of technology and health.

Chapters

00:00Intro: Nick's story

03:58USAID cuts - before, during, after: reflections from the development sector

21:13Career transition advice

24:14Funders need to step up more, but it's not that simple

26:34TechChange origins

28:22The Global Digital Health Forum: bringing people together

34:30Fail festivals and creating the space to talk about failure

38:56Wisdom corner: Nick's top tips

Transcript

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Shubs consults on clinical leadership, evidence strategy, and digital health market access. If this conversation sparked something, it is worth a conversation.

Shubs takes on consulting work with startups, investors, and global organisations across digital health.

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