Tech feels like a barrier.
It should feel like a bridge.
At Fish and Bearpaws, we help mission-driven organizations turn technology confusion into clarity—aligning systems with your people, purpose, and strategy.
Our Mission
Helping Mission-Driven Organizations Make Technology Work for People.
Most mission-driven teams are stuck with tools that look good on paper—but create friction in practice. Clunky systems, high cost, poor adoption, low trust. Sound familiar?
At Fish and Bearpaws, we translate between business, tech, and culture—so your systems actually support your people and how they work.
Because when your tech aligns with your mission, everything flows better:
less burnout, more clarity, stronger impact.
What We Do
We help you make better tech decisions—ones that actually work for your team, your mission, and your future.
At Fish and Bearpaws, we:
01. Translate between frontline needs and IT requirements.
02. Guide you in choosing tools that actually fit your organization.
03. Align tech with mission, workflows, and culture.
04. Support implementation, adoption, and long-term impact.
We're not here to sell you software.
We're here to help you reclaim clarity, connection, and momentum.
The Story Behind our Name
In Chinese, there’s an old idiom:
“鱼与熊掌，不可兼得”
— You can’t have both the fish and the bearpaw.”
It means we must choose between two good things.
But what if we don’t...?
At Fish and Bearpaws, we believe the future doesn’t demand tradeoffs.
You can have both:
Tech that works and people who thrive.
Efficiency and empathy.
Innovation and well-being.
That’s not just our name. It’s our philosophy.
What Guides Us
At Fish and Bearpaws, our work is shaped by a set of core values that keep us grounded, focused, and human.
They’re more than principles—they’re how we show up.
Human-Centered Design
We center people in every solution—because systems that don’t work for humans, don’t work at all.
Translational Thinking
We speak the language of both business and technology, translating across silos to uncover clarity and alignment.
Purpose Before Platform
We don’t chase tools. We chase outcomes. Every recommendation is rooted in your mission, not market trends.
Trust Through Transparency
We lead with honesty, clear communication, and accountability. We build trust by making the invisible visible.
Quiet Bravery
We aren’t afraid to ask the hard questions, challenge assumptions, or slow things down to get them right. Quiet courage creates lasting change.
Continuous Learning
We stay curious. We listen deeply. We evolve—so our clients can, too.
How We Work
Who We Serve Best
Fish and Bearpaws is designed for mission-driven organizations ready to align their systems with their purpose—and bring clarity where there’s been friction.
• Mid-sized nonprofits, NGOs, educational institutions or foundations
• Ready to rethink tech decisions—not just buy new tools
• Struggling with misalignment between teams and tools
• Exploring AI, but don’t want to overwhelm your people
• Tired of one-size-fits-all platforms and oversold solutions
Let’s Talk
Curious if Fish and Bearpaws is a fit for your organization?
We offer a free 30-minute consultation to explore your goals, hear your challenges, and see where we can help.
What you’ll get from us isn’t just advice. It's a partnership—lightweight, strategic, and human.
How We Show Up
A Translator
We sit between program directors and IT leads and say:
“Here’s what they mean—and here’s how we make that work securely.”
A Confidante for Leaders
We bring calm, clear thinking to complex decisions—without judgment or jargon.
A Tech Strategist with a Human Lens
We co-design workflows, not just recommend platforms—so adoption and alignment actually happen.
Lightweight Consulting—Not a Heavy Lift
No 50-page decks. No “transformation theater.”
Just smart steps forward and support you can feel.
Contact Us
Book a free 30-minute consultation or reach out with any questions about our services and expertise. We’ll read everything carefully and get back to you as soon as possible.
Founders of Fish and Bearpaws | Bridge-builders, strategists, translators of complexity
Built on Trust, Clarity,
and Human Insight.
Fish and Bearpaws was founded by leaders who’ve spent their careers bridging divides—between people and systems, technology and purpose, global vision and grounded action.
Together, they bring decades of experience across public service, global education, product innovation, and organizational change.
Hui Min
Co-Founder | Strategist, Educator, Systems Translator
Hui is a builder of bridges—between people and systems, technology and purpose, vision and execution.
She began her career teaching at universities, where her passion for learning, curiosity, and human connection took root. From there, she moved into the world of edtech, leading product development for platforms used in more than 80 countries. She’s ideated and launched tools that have helped teachers connect and grow across continents, and led product teams from early-stage innovation through global scale.
Now, as a senior leader in a nonprofit, she oversees a service division that supports tens of thousands of practitioners—and built and implemented tools to help her team work more creatively and joyfully. She did it not through force, but through translation: helping business and IT finally understand each other, and aligning technology with the people it’s meant to serve.
She founded Fish and Bearpaws to bring that same clarity to other mission-driven organizations. Drawing from decades of experience on both the product and program side, she helps teams navigate complexity, realign with purpose, and implement solutions that actually work.
She believes that when technology and humanity are treated as partners—not opposites—remarkable things happen.
Rafi Calderon
Co-Founder | Diplomat, Technologist, Global Systems Thinker
Rafi is a connector of worlds—between diplomacy and innovation, local context and global systems, vision and real-world implementation.
Before entering public service, he worked in Silicon Valley’s private sector, where he developed a fluency in the fast-paced world of technology and business. That foundation became invaluable when he transitioned to a career in diplomacy, serving across Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and the Caribbean.
Over the years, he has built trusted relationships with government leaders, business communities, and international development partners across dozens of countries. His ability to adapt, listen deeply, and speak multiple languages—both literally and professionally—has made him a sought-after bridge between cultures, sectors, and priorities.
Even within traditionally rigid systems, he has championed innovation from the inside out—introducing process improvements, piloting digital tools, and integrating artificial intelligence into the workflows of diplomatic teams. His approach isn’t loud, but it’s deeply strategic: aligning systems to the way people actually work, and building buy-in that lasts.
At Fish and Bearpaws, he brings a rare combination of global insight, technical fluency, and human intuition. He helps organizations navigate complexity across borders—translating between technologists and leaders, between urgency and wisdom, between the future we imagine and the actions we take today.
He believes diplomacy and digital transformation share a simple truth: change happens best when it’s built on trust.
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