Jacopo Ottaviani
Italy
Code for Africa
How to recalibrate your grant work in the post-USAID era
Jacopo Ottaviani (X, Linkedin) is a computer scientist who works as Code for Africa’s Senior Strategist. As an ICFJ Knight Fellow in 2016-2019, Jacopo built teams and programs funded by the World Bank, Google News Initiative, GIZ, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. His mix of technical skills, as a computer scientist and data journalist, has resulted in a series of projects published by, among others, The Guardian, Der Spiegel, El País, and Internazionale. He worked on multiple grant projects supported by the Pulitzer Center and the European Journalism Center. He is a member of the European Press Prize preparatory committee and works as a trainer with BBC Media Action.
Devansh Mehta
India
Ethereum Foundation
How investigative journalists can get funding after their stories result in outcomes
Devansh Mehta works on funding mechanisms at the Ethereum Foundation, a leading blockchain for smart contracts. As founder of VoiceDeck, he has focused on new ways for audiences to financially support the impact produced by investigative reporting. He has a masters in journalism and international relations from Columbia University. He has been published at numerous outlets including the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, Columbia Journalism Review, International Journalists Network (IJNet) and more.