A history of Iran business startups
1980s: Iran implements resource-efficient “Research-Manufacture-Test-Research again” scientific cycle. 2009: Iran national science budget increases from 0.4% to 0.87% of GDP; a target of 2.5% in 2015 2011: Government introduces “Comprehensive Scientific Plan”, deliberate plan to increase Iran’s scientific infrastructure by implementing 224 scientific projects by 2025 Highly successful examples of Iran diaspora as tech entrepreneurs […]
What are hardware startups? Tips from Shenzhen's HAXLR8R conference
Hardware startups are not exactly the same as your usual software startup, and the conversation at the Generator v 1.2 conference in Shenzhen has been a great place to know where the differences lie. The Hardware Renaissance is a positive context for hardware startups As an introductory speech, Cyril Ebersweiler, founder of Haxlr8r, the hardware-focused […]
Traffic Butter, a startup to solve Nigeria's Lagos jams
During Mobile West Africa’s demo day in Lagos, Nigeria, we saw a selection of startups solving local issue, all expecting a reward and more exposure of being the top startup of the conference. Traffic Butter ended up second, behind Find a Med, however it is our personal favorite. Why? Just imagine a Waze for Africa’s […]
Future e-commerce trends from Singapore-based Redmart founder
I do love to network at tech events, and I also do love to sit down and listen when it’s worth, at Echelon, I’m rarely disappointed. The morning session on the Future of e-commerce, by Singapore online grocery store Redmart founder Roger Egan proved insightful, making both a synthesis of all what’s been happening recently […]
We'll be at Echelon Singapore, let's meet to discuss emerging markets startups!
It’s the calm before the storm, and some time to check my social networks, LinkedIn profile and namecards, but YES, we are ready at Innovation is Everywhere for a compact week in Singapore, South-East Asia’s undisputed (yet) startup hub. Echelon Singapore 2014, the biggest events for startups in South-East Asia First with Echelon Singapore, the region’s […]
Makers in the space! How Israel's Space IL is hacking its way to the Moon
Only three nations made it to land something or someone on the Moon (US, USSR, China), but there could be a 4th country there soon, as a team of Israelis is getting nearer and nearer the objective. Yariv Bash, founder of Space IL, delivered a very impressive talk during the Maker Faire Shenzhen on how […]
Not your everyday hackathon: how we made a boat in one day with Protei in Hong Kong
To be honest, when I knew about this hackathon, I had mixed feelings. I have attended many hackathons in France and in Singapore this year, and as a non-developer, I just felt my contributions were minimal, it’s hard to gather a team and speak the same language with designers and tech people, and, well, as […]
Reaching illiterate people in the emerging countries: the power of voice based mobile apps
While attending Mobile West Africa in Lagos, Nigeria, we again were confronted with a key trend of technology in the emerging markets: voice-based apps. In Africa, for instance 38% adults are still illiterate, as well as 25% in Asia (not forgetting the incredibly huge 14% of illiterate people among adults in the US). Internet technologies […]
E-commerce in Nigeria: how Rocket Internet's Jumia, Kaymu and Jovago are taking over Africa's biggest market
If Nigeria is “Africa’s India”, it’s for the sheer size of the market – 170m people now, 440m by 2050 – and because with a GDP growing between 4.5 and 9% each year over the past decade, there is now a small but growing part of the population able to buy online, to travel, and […]
In Nigeria, forget Facebook, 2go and Eskimi are the two social mobile networks that matter
We all saw these world maps of social media, where each country has the color of its main platform: Facebook in all western countries and much more, Qzone in China, and a few local resistants such as VKontakte in Russia. For the main tech giants, such as Google, Facebook or Amazon, the race is fierce to […]
