Erik Hersman
Encyclopedia
Raised in Sudan and Kenya and a graduate of Kenya's Rift Valley Academy
, Erik Hersman is a widely respected technologist, blogger and commentator who specialises in the impact and application of technology throughout Africa. He runs two popular websites - WhiteAfrican and AfriGadget, a multi-author website dedicated to showcasing African ingenuity. AfriGadget was named one of Time Magazine's "Top 50 Sites of 2008".
Erik is also the Co-Founder of Ushahidi
("testimony" in Swahili), a groundbreaking crowdsourcing
website created to map incidents of violence during the 2007–2008 Kenyan crisis
. Ushahidi has since been used around the world in a wide range of initiatives from reporting violence in Madagascar to election monitoring in Afghanistan. In December 2009, the Omidyar Network announced a significant investment of $1.4 million to support the continued growth of the platform.
Erik Hersman's work is widely recognized among the technology, development and humanitarian communities, and in 2008 he was named a Pop!Tech Social Innovation Fellow. In the summer of 2009 he was awarded a TED Fellowship, and later that year named a Senior TED Fellow. Married to Rinnie with three young children, he moved back to Kenya from his Florida home in December 2009. He founded the iHub
, Nairobi's Innovation Hub, in March 2010 - an open space for the technologists, investors, tech companies and hackers in Nairobi.
Rift Valley Academy
Rift Valley Academy is a Christian boarding school located in Kijabe, Kenya, founded in 1906 by Charles Hurlburt.-Early years:Having met with Hurlburt in the White House in 1905, President Theodore Roosevelt visited Kijabe shortly after leaving office four years later...
, Erik Hersman is a widely respected technologist, blogger and commentator who specialises in the impact and application of technology throughout Africa. He runs two popular websites - WhiteAfrican and AfriGadget, a multi-author website dedicated to showcasing African ingenuity. AfriGadget was named one of Time Magazine's "Top 50 Sites of 2008".
Erik is also the Co-Founder of Ushahidi
Ushahidi
Ushahidi, Inc. is a non-profit software company that develops free and open source software for information collection, visualization and interactive mapping....
("testimony" in Swahili), a groundbreaking crowdsourcing
Crowdsourcing
Crowdsourcing is the act of sourcing tasks traditionally performed by specific individuals to a group of people or community through an open call....
website created to map incidents of violence during the 2007–2008 Kenyan crisis
2007–2008 Kenyan crisis
The 2007–2008 Kenyan crisis refers to a political, economic, and humanitarian crisis that erupted in Kenya after incumbent President Mwai Kibaki was declared the winner of the presidential election held on December 27, 2007. Supporters of Kibaki's opponent, Raila Odinga of the Orange Democratic...
. Ushahidi has since been used around the world in a wide range of initiatives from reporting violence in Madagascar to election monitoring in Afghanistan. In December 2009, the Omidyar Network announced a significant investment of $1.4 million to support the continued growth of the platform.
Erik Hersman's work is widely recognized among the technology, development and humanitarian communities, and in 2008 he was named a Pop!Tech Social Innovation Fellow. In the summer of 2009 he was awarded a TED Fellowship, and later that year named a Senior TED Fellow. Married to Rinnie with three young children, he moved back to Kenya from his Florida home in December 2009. He founded the iHub
IHub
iHub is a coworking space and business incubator in Nairobi that was started in March, 2010 by Erik Hersman a renowned blogger, TED fellow and entrepreneur...
, Nairobi's Innovation Hub, in March 2010 - an open space for the technologists, investors, tech companies and hackers in Nairobi.