Elsa Sze

Cofounder, Agora

Search every verified Elsa Sze interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Elsa Sze, cofounder of Agora, has spoken publicly about the platform as an idea-sharing tool for teams and communities, and about her broader work in civic engagement and technology. At a 2017 Solve at MIT panel, she described Agora as a means to put ideas into action and discussed her background with the 2012 Obama campaign. She also addressed challenges in emerging markets, noting that a lack of national identification in places like Tanzania can hinder access to financial services, and mentioned that her organization had invested in a startup using facial recognition for identity in that country. In the same discussion, she advised that women, immigrants, and minorities in technology should "never take no for an answer," and encouraged those building technology for Africa to spend time on the ground to understand local conditions. In an earlier 2014 presentation at CityWorks (X)po, Sze framed Agora as a response to high barriers to civic participation, arguing that traditional town halls often exclude those with limited time or resources. She said the platform aimed to provide a space for two-way conversations between citizens and representatives, with verified users linked to public records, and noted pilot efforts in Somerville, Massachusetts. She also mentioned working with activists in Libya to crowdsource input on the country's constitution, expressing an ambition to expand Agora beyond the United States.