2026 WINNER

Tom Osborn

Shamiri

Shamiri Institute provides scalable, evidence-based mental health interventions for young people, delivered by trained young adults to help youth manage anxiety and depression and improve overall well-being.

Tom Osborn is the Founder and CEO of Shamiri, Africa’s largest youth mental health provider, serving over 100,000 young people annually. Widely recognized for his leadership in social innovation, community building, and entrepreneurship, Tom is a TED Fellow, Ashoka Fellow, Echoing Green Fellow, Forbes 30 Under 30 Global Honoree, Mulago Foundation Rainer Arnhold Fellow, Acumen Fellow, and Draper Richards Kaplan Entrepreneur. 

Before founding Shamiri, Tom launched GreenChar at age 18, an award-winning clean energy venture that provided thousands of low-income families with life-saving clean cooking fuel. A committed researcher and innovator, he has led multiple research projects and authored more than 50 peer-reviewed papers in leading journals, including JAMA Psychiatry, The British Medical Journal, World Psychiatry, and The Lancet. He is also the co-author of What We Can’t Burn, a memoir on friendship, friction, and the global energy transition. 

Tom’s dedication to community and challenging the status quo is deeply rooted in his upbringing in rural Kenya. He attended Alliance High School and graduated with high honors from Harvard University. He now lives in Nairobi, where he continues to work at the intersection of social innovation, community empowerment, entrepreneurship, and systems change.