Karen Bakker — SPARQNOW

At-a-Glance

Recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship and Stanford University’s Annenberg Fellowship in Communication.
Vice President Strategy at Riipen since 2017, a social impact tech company enabling online internships for over 150,000 youth.
Founded and led two tech companies as CEO, achieving one exit.
Authored 'The Sounds of Life' (2022), which won the 2023 Sigurd Olson Nature Writing Award.
Professor at the University of British Columbia and a Matina S. Horner Distinguished Visiting Professor at Harvard Radcliffe Institute.
Led the Smart Earth project, researching digital tools for environmental challenges like climate change and biodiversity loss.
Rhodes Scholar with a DPhil in geography from Oxford University.

Biography

Karen Bakker was a Canadian scientist, author, and entrepreneur recognized for her extensive work on digital transformation, environmental governance, and sustainability. She served as a Professor at the University of British Columbia and was a Matina S. Horner Distinguished Visiting Professor at the Harvard Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. Bakker was also the Vice President Strategy at Riipen, a social impact tech company.