Israeli Tech Firm Brings Disaster Relief to Venezuela

When twin earthquakes buried thousands under rubble in Venezuela last June, rescue teams faced a hidden enemy: chaos. First responders from different organizations couldn't share information quickly enough, relying on WhatsApp messages, scattered emails, and handwritten notes while survivors waited beneath collapsed buildings.

That's when Monday.com, an Israeli tech company known for workplace productivity software, showed up with an unusual solution. Their Emergency Response Team adapted the company's business platforms to create centralized systems that helped rescuers organize information in real time instead of waiting days to compile data manually.

Myriam Kuperman leads the team from Monday.com Foundation, the company's philanthropic arm. She spent a decade in disaster management at the United Nations before joining the foundation in 2022. "When we arrive in the field, we try to understand their pain points," she said. "Usually these organizations know best which challenges they have."

The team deployed again in August when a powerful earthquake killed over 300 people in neighboring Colombia. Each time, they worked with local groups like Venezuela's Red Cross to build custom platforms that brought scattered information into one visible, automated hub.

The technology gap in nonprofit disaster response runs deep, according to Jeffrey Schlegelmilch from Columbia University's National Center for Disaster Preparedness. He said nonprofit technology lags "generations behind" leading companies, creating barriers that cost precious time during emergencies.

The Ripple Effect

Beyond Venezuela and Colombia, Monday.com Foundation has brought this approach to disaster zones worldwide since 2021. The model shows how for-profit expertise can fill critical gaps in humanitarian response, especially for Israeli organizations that sometimes face political barriers in international aid work.

The foundation operates as a public benefit company, letting the tech firm maintain control while focusing on social good. More than 250,000 customers already use Monday.com's platforms for business, but adapting those tools for life-and-death situations required new thinking about speed, simplicity, and collaboration under pressure.

Schlegelmilch cautioned that private sector involvement must be structured and genuine, not performative. Done right, though, it addresses real technological deficiencies that slow down emergency response when every minute matters.

For survivors waiting in darkness, the difference between scattered WhatsApp threads and organized digital platforms can mean the difference between rescue and tragedy.