Drea Burbank
Meet Drea
Entrepreneur
Putumayo, Colombia
Drea Burbank is a Stanford-trained MD-technologist, founder, and CEO of Savimbo, a climate tech company supporting Indigenous and smallholder farmers in the Colombian Amazon through fair-trade carbon and biodiversity credits. A futurist and pacifist, Drea leads a global team of technologists and innovators working at the intersection of science, ethics, and environmental justice. Her mission: use high-tech solutions to solve high-impact social and ecological challenges.
Areas of activity:
Conservation
About:
Drea Burbank is a multidisciplinary force at the intersection of technology, biodiversity, and justice. A Stanford-trained MD-technologist, climate tech founder, and serial entrepreneur, she is the CEO of Savimbo, a pioneering social enterprise helping smallholder and Indigenous communities in tropical forests access global climate markets through scientifically rigorous, fair-trade biodiversity and carbon credits.
With over a decade of experience applying high-tech tools to solve hard scientific and social problems, Drea has led projects across biodiversity measurement, carbon sequestration, AI, Web3, wearables, voice tech, behavior design, digital health, and beyond. Her teams blend cutting-edge innovation with deep respect for Indigenous knowledge and governance.
Under her leadership, Savimbo developed one of the first Indigenous-led, Rights-of-Nature-compliant biodiversity methodologies. The company’s work has reshaped the climate credit landscape by prioritizing data-backed impact, local empowerment, and radical transparency. Her initiatives span from jungle-based fieldwork in Colombia to global-stage policy and technology forums.
A passionate pacifist and self-proclaimed "delinquent savant," Drea is also known for her fearless public advocacy and unapologetically direct commentary on industry practices. Her broader mission is to reduce systemic barriers to innovation by connecting brilliant minds from non-traditional backgrounds — scientists, technologists, artists, Indigenous leaders — in service of a healthier planet and more equitable future.
Involvement:
Savimbo
Savimbo sells fair-trade carbon credits. Buy direct from smallfarmers in tropical forests to go carbon neutral, for global good. Grow something great! We’re a social enterprise. Our nonprofit arm helps smallfarmers and Indigenous groups in tropical forests with land rights, literacy, bank accounts, and community-led ecology initiatives.