erik hersman - nairobi's innovation hub

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Corporate Profile 2011 www.ihub.co.ke

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BDigital Apps 2011 - Àfrica Overview

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Page 1: Erik Hersman - Nairobi's Innovation Hub

Corporate Profile2011

www.ihub.co.ke

Page 2: Erik Hersman - Nairobi's Innovation Hub

IntroductionThe iHub is an open innovation space with a 20MB internet connection from Zuku, hardwired and Wi-Fi, and it’s freely available to any tech person in Nairobi to use once they become a member .

It is a paradigm shift towards the areas where technology approaches a barrier, and new technologies emerge to cross it. This is achieved through the idea of Open Innovation which is the process of combining internal and external ideas as well as internal and external paths to market to advance the development of new technologies.

Using syllogism, the *iHub_ can be described as follows:

Mental Frame 1: iHub_ is an open space for the tech community in Kenya.Mental Frame 2: The tech community in Kenya have great ideas.Mental Frame 3: Great ideas lead to development of new technologies

Hence: iHub_ is an open space for the tech community in Kenya with great ideas that will lead to development of new technologies in Kenya.

The concept of the iHub is a first of kind in Kenya and has already spurred a revolution in the technology products and services space with its core focus being giving the tech community a community facility where they bring their ideas to life.

iHub_ is a gallery of technologies that are already emerging to revolutionize the Kenyan Business scene.

Data connectivity is the most important aspect of the iHub, but after that comes a fresh design and an atmosphere that is conducive to techies getting cool stu� done.

Finally, we’re putting our networks into place to give special access to the entrepreneurs and startups who need space to meet with VCs, seed funders and local businesses. We’re trying to create the place where seeds are planted and are easily found by the people with money to help them grow.

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Page 3: Erik Hersman - Nairobi's Innovation Hub

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Our Mission / Vision- To help build and showcase Nairobi as the technology hub of Africa;

- Creat new business opportunities & add value to mature tech companies;

- Fostering entrepreneurship and incubating new innovative companies;

- Generating knowledge-based companies and jobs;

- Building attractive spaces for emerging knowledge workers;

- Enhancing the synergy between industry, government, academic and research institutions.

Our Core ValuesIn working towards the achievement of the mandate and vision set out, The iHub

subscribes to the following core values:

Innovation - Smart approach to complex challenges,

Integrity - Transparent, honest, dependable interactions and decision making,

Teamwork/partnerships - Collaboration to deliver results,

Entrepreneurial spirit - Agile, dynamic, innovative problem-solving,

Value Creation – Value-add mindset and responsiveness to create benefit.

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The iHub Principles

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InnovationInnovation is a change in the thought process for doing something or new stu� that is made useful. The goal of innovation is positive change, to make someone or something better.

For iHub to succeed it has to become self-sustaining knowledge ecosystem. A place which will continuously appeal to great minds and produce innovative applications, systems and ideas. The doers are given priority over the talkers as innovative people like to be around other bright, innovative people.

CommunityA community is a group of people interacting with each other. iHub is a place for all the stakeholders to meet, brain-storm, share ideas and collaborate. This can achieved through meet-ups, workshops, focus groups, hackathons and competitions, bar camps, mobile boot camps and short-talks from guest speakers.

iHub is the nexus point where by the tech community can get to know each other and create synergy within the community thus encouraging innovation at a communal level.

EntrepreneurshipEntrepreneurship is the act of being an entrepreneur, which is a French word meaning “one who undertakes innovations, finance and business acumen in an e�ort to transform innovations into economic goods”. This may result in new organizations or may be part of revitalizing mature organizations in response to a perceived opportunity.

iHub’s initial success is fueled by relying primarily on local talent, the importance of attracting, developing, and retaining a vibrant base of world-class talent increases as clusters mature and grow in complexity, which can be absorbed in other government initiatives.

ResearchResearch is a systematic process towards solving a problem. Innovators tend to solve problems and research is a core requisite of the innovation process.

iHub is a place for problem solving and analytical thinking, to test the feasibility of a product or project based on the research findings from the systematic process the innovator utilizes.

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The essence of iHub is epitomized by the following key principles:

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Meet our teamOur core team is as diverse as it is expert, passionateas it is engaged. It is made up of creative thinkers, tech enthusiasts, web developers and designers.

They have established reputations as thought-leaders in their areas of expertise and have earned the respect of the industry. They have authored & published ground-breaking papers and delivered key note addresses on the trends, principles, practices, processes and tools that have driven or will drive the next big thing in tech.

Advisory board Founders

Community lead web masterResearch lead

Researchers

interns interns interns

Event assistant

Our Organogram

Finance director

Page 6: Erik Hersman - Nairobi's Innovation Hub

Our Partners

The iHub has built strong partner relationships with leading tech companies that include leading corporations that set industry standards as well as innovative organizations that develop and support adjacent technologies.

These collaborations ensure that we continue to achieve the objectives we set out to fromthe very beginings. These partnerships also allow us and our partners to shape and drive new, exciting tech solutions to the marketplace.

Our partners fall into two categories: funding partners and corporate partners