Uzoma Orchingwa

People coming out of prison often struggle to put their lives back together, but research has shown that family contact and access to education can dramatically improve their prospects. Uzoma Orchingwa, 31, CEO and cofounder of Ameelio, wants to offer those benefits to prisoners via a free communication and education platform. A big part of the problem, in Orchingwa’s view, is the $3 billion prison telecommunication industry, dominated by just two companies. “Families spend up to $500 a month to stay connected with incarcerated loved ones,” he says. His goal is to disrupt that industry and, in the process, help prisoners to earn degrees and jobs, thus reducing recidivism and incarceration.