Summary
Mike Dawson is a CEO and founder with 13+ years of hands-on software development and systems administration experience, who has led technology-driven education initiatives across extremely low-resource environments. He co-founded Ustad Mobile to deliver offline-first, low-cost open-source learning tools for feature phones to PCs, and has designed solutions that overcome power, bandwidth, and device constraints. His track record includes scaling an Afghan edtech company from a four-person room to delivering national projects like One Laptop Per Child and securing partnerships with UN agencies, USAID, and Oxfam Novib. Mike blends strategic leadership, business development, and technical stewardship while actively collaborating with open-source communities to pick pragmatic tech for harsh conditions. Based in Dubai and currently also acting CTO at Spix Foundation, he brings rare field experience from 7.5 years in Afghanistan that informs deeply empathetic product design for teachers, parents, and students in low-income countries.
13 years of coding experience
8 years of employment as a software developer
Management, Management, Management, Management at Alliance Manchester Business School