Leah Bae is a strategist and organizer specializing in the intersection of tech and social impact. With over 13 years of experience, she has guided progressive organizations with their innovation programs, digital strategies, and community engagement across the US, UK, and Canada.
She is currently VP of Programs & Partnerships at Higher Ground Labs—the leading funder, accelerator, and incubator of political tech. In her role, she supports 60+ political tech startups in scaling through the firm’s platform initiatives and their flagship Political Tech Startup Accelerator. She also oversees HGL’s anchor programs, including the Progressive AI Lab, a 2024 elections program that saved political campaigns 21,000 hours of staff time, conserved $16 million, and trained 3,600+ professionals on responsible AI usage. She is also Co-founder of the Higher Ground Institute, a strategic innovation engine for progressive organizations that creates spaces to prototype, test, and scale new approaches to organizing, narrative, and digital infrastructure.
Two issues close to Leah’s heart are mental health and civic engagement. Prior to working in venture capital, she founded the social impact consultancy Cause Digital and co-founded the mental health nonprofit The Burnout Project and civic technology community Civic Tech Vancouver.
She has been recognized for her work as a Top 40 Under 40 Emerging Leader by The Peak, Community Builder Fellow by On Deck, DiverseCity Fellow by CivicAction, Global Shaper by the World Economic Forum, Social Innovation Fellow by RADIUS SFU, and TD Scholar for Community Leadership,
Leah brings a global outlook to her thinking. She has travelled to 45+ countries, and has lived in and worked on projects in North America, Europe, and Asia with organizations like Hollyhock, Bloom, Stratcom, Freeformers, Doteveryone, and Futurpreneur, and began her career at TD Bank.
Approaching her work with a servant leadership style, Leah is a proud alumna of the boards of Hollyhock, YWCA Toronto, and CityHive. She holds active memberships with the Banff Forum and Sandbox, graduated from Queen’s University with a B.A. in Global Development Studies, and has trained in Mental Health First Aid.
Leah Bae 