DEMO Africa 2012: A Preview of Next Week’s Coverage from Nairobi
By
Rose de Fremery
Our Founder Bob Fine just returned from the DEMO Fall 2012 Conference in Santa Clara, where he saw more than 70 startups present products ranging from social betting apps to a software-based SIM card before an audience of over one thousand people. For his impressions on the event, read his blog posts on Day 1 and Day 2. No longer just a U.S.-only affair, DEMO is now experiencing rapid international expansion, having just announced that it is planning conferences for India, Russia and Shanghai in 2013.Next week I will be traveling to cover the first ever DEMO Africa Conference in Nairobi, Kenya, where 40 African startups will showcase their innovations in the categories of social media, cloud services, mobile, consumer and enterprise technologies. Countries represented will include South Africa, Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Senegal, Egypt, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.
Having attended DEMO Asia 2012 in Singapore this past February, also the first of its kind in that region, I am looking forward to exploring how the entrepreneurial environment in Africa compares to that of Asia. Expect to hear about this year’s Apps4Africa challenge, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, in which app development firms across the continent will create apps intended to spur economic growth and development in Africa. Likewise the LIONS@frica partnership, launched just this May at the World Economic Forum, has brought together public and private organizations such as the African Development Bank, Microsoft, Nokia, and the U.S. Agency for International Development in support of developing Africa’s startup tech ecosystem.Of course, you will also hear plenty about the entrepreneurs themselves—I’ll be interviewing many of the presenters about their products as well as their passions for their startup ventures. With ideas ranging from social TV companion platforms to mobile textbook subscription applications, these 40 startups selected from over 500 applicants represent some of the most forward-thinking and promising tech companies in Africa.
I’ll be blogging for The Social Media Monthly from Nairobi as well as livetweeting the DEMO Africa 2012 Conference. To keep up with the latest news coming out of Nairobi, stay tuned to this site. You can also follow the updates at @socialmediamos and @rosedefremery.
Rose de Fremery is Managing Editor at The Social Media Monthly. She writes on a range of topics related to social media including crowdfunding, social travel, sports, and startup culture. Her article “Spotlight on Asian Innovation: the DEMO Asia 2012 Conference” appeared in our June 2012 issue.
