During the Afrikoin conference in Nairobi, we were lucky to attend the Demo Day of the Savannah Fund, a Kenya-based VC betting on startups all over Africa. Because sometimes (even for me!), a picture is worth thousands words, I’ll just leave you browse this Slideshare. Startups are all working on local behaviors (gifting from the…
Tag: immigration
Singapore and “Little India Riot”: When demographics knock on the door again
Yesterday night saw Singapore having its first riots for more than 40 years, so you can imagine it’s the hot topic everybody is talking about this December 2013. Incidentally, I’m living in Little India area too, and went to bed hearing the not so common police siren, so I told myself, ok, let’s see tomorrow…
Somali diaspora and mobile money: a research on hawala presented at Afrikoin
After a few panels and talks on mobile money at Afrikoin, we had the opportunity to listen to Gianluca Iazzolino, a researcher from the University of Edinburgh. Gianluca works on the way Somali people deal with mobile money as a people that moves a lot – for political reasons with refugees, but also as they…
How communities are replacing states in the XXIst century
I’ve recently published an article in a collective book in French about online influence. I’ve long been curious, researching and working on, with, and for online as well as offline communities, and I felt, as a Frenchman, that this word was not innocent, as it conveys a history of more than 200 years and a…
How CIA’s Global Trends 2030 reveal, again, a world of communities
You know I’m obsessed with the concept of communities, ecosystems, as I’m convinced it’s a long-time trend that is disrupting, bits by bits, our ancient world made out of companies, states and organizations that adapt too slowly and too badly to the empowered people grouped in communities, across genders, race, countries (end of the…
Is Japan compatible with social media ?
The forthcoming community-based world Coming back from a two-weeks trip in Japan, I want to share a few thoughts about the state of the digital & social media over there, while pursuing my articles on “Going social in Asia” and “Rise of the communities”. As you know if you read me before, my take is…
Competitiveness, technology and immigration in Singapore
A few thoughts about the way Singapore, and conversation by tech, digital and social players, are turning bitter these last months. Disclosure first if needed : I’m now living and working here, and hopefully have secured my visa even as a foreigner (-1) qualified individual (+1) working (-1) in a start-up (+1, but for how…