About Us

Our Story

Inventions for Good, Inc. was founded in 2014 with a simple mission: to invent solutions and support initiatives to solve humanitarian problems – anywhere in the world.

As a graduate student in science and engineering, IFGI’s founder Demitri Balabanov realized that very little of invention and innovation research was explicitly addressing poverty and human suffering. He wanted to change this, so he created IFGI to enable himself and others to make meaningful efforts to reduce human suffering.

Inventions for Good, Inc continues to be an organization that mobilizes and amplifies the impact of like-minded people who share a passion for and commitment to reducing poverty and inequity for a better tomorrow. IFGI’s most recent focus is on education as the remedy to reduce human suffering and make the world a better place.

2014 – 2023

2023 – Present

Our Vision

A world in which all people have the tools and resources to shape their own futures

Our Mission

To empower individuals and communities with the tools and resources they need to create meaningful, sustainable, and self-directed lives

Multidimensional Poverty: The Context

The United Nations estimates that approximately 1.3 billion people worldwide experience multidimensional poverty, meaning they face multiple, overlapping deprivations in essential aspects of life. These include:

Adequate nutrition
Basic healthcare
Clean water
Proper sanitation
Passable housing
Economic opportunities
Education

These multiple dimensions of poverty cause people to struggle to survive in harsh conditions. And a life of struggle suffocates human potential. By providing people with access to a quality education, we can empower them to more fully participate in economic and civic arenas and create sustainable, meaningful, and self-directed lives.

“A child without education is like a bird without wings.” —Tibetan Proverb

Our Core Values

Integrity

Behaving ethically, honestly, and transparently, and holding ourselves to high standards of conduct.

Creativity

Valuing innovation, invention, and creativity as conduits for improving quality of life.

Accountability

Being accountable to those in our care, and good stewards of the funds entrusted to us by our donors.

Cultural Sensitivity

Maintaining sensitivity to the cultural difference between people and cutlures, and valuing an individual’s right to honor their beliefs and values.

Collaboration

We value working collaboratively and respectfully with our partners, and esteem diversity of perspective and background.

Sustainability

Operating in a sustainable manner, and seeking to reduce our impact on the environment over the long term.

Leadership

Demitri Balabanov

Founder

Chair, Board of Directors

Demitri Balabanov is the founder of IFGI and currently serves as the Chair of the Board of Directors. Born in Belarus and educated in the USA, he has had a life-long fascination with technology, the science of invention, and the human mind that makes it all possible.

He has degrees in Physics and Nanoscience and was a researcher at universities in Massachusetts and North Carolina. In addition to academia, Demitri has worked several years in industry as a Research & Development (R&D) leader for a large multinational corporation, happily splitting his time between the Bay Area and the East Coast. He has recently re-focused his attention on his first love, inventing, and is working to develop robotic manufacturing systems for the apparel industry to reduce the negative effects of “fast-fashion” on the developing nations and the environment.

Demitri has traveled the world extensively, and has been deeply affected by the social, cultural, and environmental conditions he observed that are in stark contrast to the high-tech environment he finds at home. He believes that with appropriate cultural sensitivity, much human suffering can be alleviated with technological capacity, infrastructure, resources, and solutions. He created IFGI for this purpose.

Demitri is an integral part of IFGI and our mission as an inventor, entrepreneur, and humanitarian philanthropist. He lives in Boston, MA with his family.

Stephanie Sedberry

Executive Director

Stephanie Sedberry joined IFGI as the Executive Director in 2021. She has a strong commitment to IFGI’s mission of empowering underserved populations around the world.

Prior to joining IFGI, Stephanie’s career was in higher education, both as a university faculty member in Communication Studies then as an administrator, grant-writer, and project manager for a Physics research group focused on improving educational disparities in STEM fields. She has also served as the director of a childcare nonprofit and spent years volunteering with the Girl Scouts of the USA. She has a Ph.D in Educational Leadership and Cultural Foundations from UNC Greensboro and a B.A. and M.A. in Communication Studies from UNC Chapel Hill.

Informed by science and motivated by compassion, Stephanie believes that we all have both the ability and responsibility to create a more humane, just, and compassionate world. She believes that with access to a quality education, vulnerable communities can invent and implement solutions to their most pressing problems, and help create the infrastructure necessary for future generations to overcome poverty and inequities.

Stephanie loves to travel, solve puzzles, and adores furry creatures big and small. She speaks fluent Portuguese and has two millennial daughters who share her passion for social justice. She lives in Greensboro, NC with her partner, John and 2 orange cats.