Members Erik Hersman

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About me

I grew up as a missionary kid bouncing back and forth between Sudan and Kenya. My youth consisted of two sisters, great parents and a Yorkshire Terrier trekking from Juba to Nairobi to Khartoum. I was able to attend, and am a proud alumni, of one of East Africa's prem ... More »

TEDCRED 200+ TED SpeakerTED Fellow

  • More about me

  • I'm passionate about

    Good ideas. Using technology to change Africa. Mobile and internet platforms that dynamically change society. Questioning the status quo.

  • An idea worth spreading

    Let's talk about connecting Africans. A social network that's actually useful, free to the end user and manages to cause greater social interaction. The only platform worth talking about in Africa is the mobile phone (Africa's PC).

    Let's talk about:
    - Creating a mobile marketplace where buyers and sellers can connect.
    - Providing a repository for news and information that users can upload their own local news to.
    - Connecting employers with future employees.
    - The future of African connectivity.

    It's regional, and it's completely customized by the people wh use it at the local level. It's news, information and community by Africans for Africans.

  • Talk to me about

    African ingenuity and technology.
    Liberating information
    Creating a mobile phone payment platform for Africa.

  • People don't know that I'm good at

    Rugby and soccer. Most board games.

  • My TED story

    TED Global 2007 in Arusha was where we first came together. "We" being the young entrepreneurs, bloggers, thinkers and movers in Africa. It was out of this group that 3 of the 4 co-founders of Ushahidi would arise, just 7 months later in Kenya. One year after this, we've added yet another TED Fellow to the mix, so our team is made of 4 previous TED Fellows. If nothing else, TED brought together people with amazing ideas and catalyzed changes that will be felt for years to come.

  • Comments

  • TEDCred score: +310

    TEDCred reflects your contribution to the TED community.

  • +2

    A comment on Talk: Deb Roy: The birth of a word

    Mar 10 2011: Amazing, and definitely one of my favorite talks from TED this year.
  • +2

    A comment on Talk: Erik Hersman on reporting crisis via texting

    Apr 22 2009: You can find out more about the crowdsourcing filter tool that we call "Swift River" at www.swiftapp.org

  • A comment on Theme: Africa: The Next Chapter

    Aug 1 2007: Great to see these talks starting to surface. Watching these videos brings back the moments at TED Global that inspired so many of us. George Ayittey's speech in particular is incredibly stirring, and watching William restate "I try and I make" still humbles me.