Marco Ferrario
I investigate the Technology & I build Softwares for the places that need it most
Italian architect and technologist. 15+ years in humanitarian and impact work in India, Afghanistan, Jordan, Bhutan, and across the field.
I've spent years working on projects focused on social and environmental impact — not from a desk, but in the field alongside mission-driven organisations and the communities involved. I co-founded a social enterprise in India, working with diverse stakeholders across different geographies. Over time, I began adopting technology to support and deliver the services at the heart of our projects. I've since built platforms recognised by the UN and supported by Cisco, among others. Now I work as an independent practitioner, helping organisations strategise, design, and develop digital tools that advance their missions and projects.
Work
Selected work
RESEARCH & EXPERIMENT
Smaller tools, prototypes, and personal explorations. Shipped, half-shipped, or still in motion.
Approach
The FOIL principle
A boat on a hydrofoil uses what's already there, differently. A foil does not magically increase the wind or reduce the waves. It is a new technology that uses existing resources more efficiently, lifting the hull above the water and the choppy waves. Carefully choosing the right technology can help projects work in the same way — not by throwing more resources at the problem or eliminating the challenges, but by finding the leverage that changes what's possible, often within the same constraints. Technology does not solve the challenges. It changes what is possible within them.
The new AI tools, cheap cloud infrastructure, and mature open-source ecosystems are resources that not long ago were exclusive to well-funded organisations. Now they're available to anyone building for social and environmental impact. I build software that uses that leverage. Quickly, precisely, with the people who will use it.
Background
Background
Italian architect and urban designer by training, technologist and social entrepreneur by practice. I co-founded mHS Global Impact, a social enterprise registered first in India and later in the Netherlands, working on housing resilience and digital inclusion. For years I directed a team to develop NEEV, a platform aimed at delivering construction technical assistance at scale. NEEV received recognition from UN agencies and was supported by Cisco, among others.
I have also designed data systems and impact measurement frameworks with the World Bank and MIT J-PAL, and led field programmes across India, Afghanistan, and Jordan.
While building NEEV I struggled to find software developers able to understand the context of the work. Now I work as an independent consultant to help strategise and build digital tools for impact-oriented agencies and organisations.
Let's talk
I'm currently taking on selected consulting engagements with mission-driven organisations. If you're working on something where the digital piece is critical but hard to get right, I'd like to hear about it.
Drop me an email and let's schedule a time for a (virtual) coffee to discuss your project and start thinking together.