FOUNDER & CEO

Chandran Sankaran provides overall guidance and direction for the development of Gigafact. He has also founded Repustar, an incubator of technologies to strengthen societal immune systems against online misinformation. He is a judge for the annual Mirror Awards for excellence in media industry reporting. Sankaran has previously been a successful software entrepreneur, having built two companies that helped change how corporations manage their supply chains and financial management processes. He graduated from Yale University with a Master’s degree in Computer Science. He received an undergraduate engineering degree from the Indian Institute of Technology in Madras where he was the recipient of the Governor’s Medal. Sankaran is based in the San Francisco Bay Area, and has lived and worked across continents.

CO-FOUNDER & HEAD OF OPERATIONS

Robyn leads the day-to-day operations of Gigafact. She is responsible for building and supporting the network, guiding our product roadmap, and ensuring high impact results for network members’ fact briefs. Robyn is a former researcher at USC Annenberg School of Journalism, where she taught undergraduate and graduate classes on journalism and propaganda. Prior to that, she worked as a campaign manager in Alaska and as a public affairs consultant with the National Journal in Washington, DC. Robyn holds a BA in international relations and an MA in public affairs from Brown University.

CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER

Roshan provides strategic technology leadership in the development of AI-driven products that empower newsrooms to combat misinformation. With a passion for creating impactful solutions, he draws on his expertise in AI, software engineering, and system design to drive innovation. Before joining, Roshan co-founded two successful ventures in the media OTT and urban mobility sectors. He holds an undergraduate degree in engineering from Manipal Institute of Technology, and brings a strong technical foundation and entrepreneurial spirit to his role.

EDITORIAL MANAGER

Austin oversees the onboarding and training of new newsrooms that join the network, ensuring ongoing compliance with editorial guidelines. He has been involved in all aspects of writing and editing fact briefs and helping shape the editorial guidelines from the early days of Gigafact. Austin is a journalist with a background in sustainability. He worked as a reporter for Environment and Energy Leader and the senior editor for Electric Car Insider before joining Gigafact. Austin has a BA in environmental advocacy from the Johnston Center for Integrative Studies at the University of Redlands, and is currently pursuing an MA in creative publishing and critical journalism from the New School for Social Research.

TECHNICAL OPERATIONS MANAGER

Sean focuses on developing, maintaining, and communicating the tools within Gigafact’s ecosystem. His role involves collaborating with newsrooms to introduce Gigafact’s products, working closely with the development team to create and improve technologies, and staying hands-on with product improvements. He graduated with honors from the University of California, Davis, where he received a department citation for academic excellence in Cognitive Science. Sean also earned an award for entrepreneurship through UC Davis’ startup accelerator and played a key role in founding one of the university’s largest tech clubs.