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Re: [kictanet] Digital solutions for Social Good
by Patrick A. M. Maina 07 Jul '19

07 Jul '19

Eric, Not sure if you had noticed but your original message made it appear like *you* were the investor. This is more clear. How you fit in as an intermediary is still not clear however. So how exactly do you tailor these pitches to improve the applicant chances (what's your specific value proposition)? Can you give some examples? Are you offering a free service or do you charge? What is your fee? What are your T&Cs so that those who go thru you know exactly what the relationship between you, them and the accelerator entails? I'm still puzzled as to why the UK visa has been dangled because according to the website, it is not even assured. The BGV website clearly says that you qualify if "You have the right to work in the UK (Unfortunately, you cannot take part in our programme on a tourist visa)" Do you have a confirmation letter from the UK consulate that indicates that it is now not "near impossible" for participants of this initiative to get a visa (provided they are not on a bad-guys watchlist of course)? Also not clear from the website... who pays for Visa, return Airfare & accommodation? The accelerator is charging GBP £20,000 as "training" fees??? They also get a 6% stake. So the "lucky startup" gets no cash (1-1=0) but gives up equity??? Or they get the cash, which is spent where (in kenya or UK?) and come back with £20K debt + still give up 6% equity? This deal is full of red flags IMO. How can they purport to train a Kenyan company to succeed in Kenya yet they don't have any experience or a presence in Kenya? Or do they? Don't they have better odds of offering better value and success if they first come to Kenya, learn about the local business landscape and set up a local chapter here? It doesn't make sense. Even more puzzling, they are asking for already proven business models? How do they advise a company to scale in a market that they barely know (if at all)? What's really going on there? Can you expound on how that works? If the investors saw promising startups at the Nairobi Innovation Week, have they engaged and onboarded them? Doesn't make sense to start from zero when they have already made progress. I know there are those who will ignore these red flags and trust blidly in hope. Good luck to them. I wish them success and I sincerely wish that my instincts are completely wrong about this. Thanks and good evening. Patrick. Patrick A. M. Maina[Cross-domain Innovator | Public Policy Analyst - Indigenous Innovations] On Thursday, June 6, 2019, 9:51:48 AM GMT+3, Erick Mwangi <erick.mwangi(a)gmail.com> wrote: Listers / Patrick A bit of background. The organisation in question is BGV (Bethnal Green Ventures). The premise was from investors asking to look beyond EEA. I advised the partners on E Africa and even attended the Nairobi Innovation week. They were impressed and we identified a number of start ups we could work with, to get Visas was near impossible. From then we have worked tirelessly to lobby UK government and now this is now a reality. Secondly from the initial fillers, our comms are different hence why I was asking interested parties to come through me and we can curate stories better for the partners. However feel free to engage directly. The website is comprehensive and answers the bulk of your questions. But I will not go as far as saying the want to steal IP from us - that's a stretch of imagination. Eric E Njoroge MwangiTechnology| FINTECH | Big Data Cell +44 7539372742Skype: Erick.mwangi On Tue, Jun 4, 2019 at 4:35 PM Patrick A. M. Maina <pmaina2000(a)yahoo.com> wrote: Hi Erick, Which organization is doing this? Is there a website that people can visit for more details? How does the UK visa come into play? Is there a bootcamp in UK or something like that? Where are the details + past bootcamps? How many startups are you looking to invest in? What is the range of investment amount? What kind of deal (debt, equity or convertible notes?) Do you have a portfolio of startups that founders can contact to get independent info about the program? Can you share your list of succesful investments, exits and big wins, including the duration under your portfolio? What are the T&Cs and do they contain robust features (like non-disclosure, non-circumvent & non-compete provisions) to protect our hopeful enterpreneurs / youth from the risk of losing trade secrets and intellectual property that would be critical to their competitiveness and long-term survival? I'm asking the above on behalf of inexperienced founders because there have been numerous cases in the past (in other platforms/fora) where "investors" call for pitches but in reality they are exploiting our policy vacuum to mine for ideas from our hopeful - but sometimes gullible - founders, which they ultimately pass on / sell to other startups (or to "partner" corporations) to avoid R&D costs. GENERAL REMARKS (FROM A POLICY-GAP PERSPECTIVE) Dear Listers, While a "bounty" approach is often pitched to corporations / investors as a smart "cost saving" measure, it is, in reality, an economically destructive, ruthless, and inhumane form of intellectual property transfer because it relies on trickery and false hope to achieve unpublished agendas. It demoralizes our youth and stifles innovation by unfairly misallocating opportunity/reward to the undeserving, whose only advantage is their connection to capital gatekeepers. Bounty programs pervert the idea of enterpreneurship, turning it into an unregulated GAMBLING affair, where for every one "jackpot winner" there are thousands of "losers" who discover that they handed over their IP to future competitors for FREE, and who are not protected from unfair future sale/exploitation of their mined IP. Such programs have led to the rise to serial pitchers, a type of gambler who plays for the bounty, instead of real enterpreneurs who truly want to solve real problems. This has resulted in the rise of "shiny object" enterpreneurship that focuses on impressing ponzi-style investors rather creating value to society. More so when they predate on poor countries, where REAL opportunities are scarce and desperately needed. It is unfortunate that ICT regulators have not yet recognized the real cost of such losses in terms of wealth transfer and destruction of jobs / opportunities. How do you create jobs without sources of sustainable advantage? In a recent media interview, I heard CISCO's CEO say something very powerful when discussing Huawei. He said that if the US didn't care about IP, it would be a "third world country", because third world countries only focus on raw materials instead of innovations. Intellectual property is highly valued in developed economies. Paradoxically, poor countries tend to adopt policies that sustain poverty. These general comments are not meant to cast shade on Erick's initiatives as I have no information to draw any objective conclusions, so I hope my motives will not be misunderstood. I have been consistent on highlighting IP mining risks in the past on this and other forums. Without clear policies and rules, there is no telling what/who is really genuine, and our enterpreneurs remain vulnerabe to predation from within and from without. Our "wild wild west", "every man for himself" business landscape makes it difficult even for the genuine investors to get high quality, diverse pitches because of low trust levels (everyone loses). It's sad to see our Universities and innovative MSMEs struggling to get funding yet they are sitting on billions of shillings in intellectual capital. Hoping the Competition Authority and the Trade, Labor, Education & ICT ministries can team up with stakeholders (not just corporate reps who have a conflict of interest because they fear innovation, but also academia, independent innovators, enterpreneurs and MSME reps) to solve this at policy level. If you need ideas or help in architecting this, feel free to onboard me. Economic prosperity doesn't just happen on its own, or with ad-hoc "spray and pray" policies. It has to deliberately planned for, designed and implemented. Good evening, Patrick. Patrick A. M. Maina[Cross-domain Innovator | Independent Public Policy Analyst - Indigenous Innovations] On Tuesday, June 4, 2019, 2:15:08 PM GMT+3, Erick Mwangi via kictanet <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote: Listers, I am looking for start-ups who fit the below criteria. Investment focus We invest broadly in tech for good, but we are particularly interested in startups that address the following challenges: - Affordable, accessible health and social care - Effective education and employability - Climate change, resource efficiency and conservation of the environment - Civic participation, maintenance and advancement of democracy - Empowering vulnerable young people, improving health and wellbeing and giving them the tools to thrive - Pro-worker innovation for the low-wage economy, solutions that increase bargaining power, boost pay and curb work insecurity Investment criteria At the accelerator stage we select teams based on: The team - A talented team (more than 1 person) of diverse founders with a strong commitment to a shared vision and mission - A strong understanding of the problem and the market they will be operating in - Technical experience within the team The idea - An innovative idea with some evidence of its merits and how it would solve the problem - A clear hypothesis of how to produce, sell and distribute the solution The potential for impact - A strong ambition to scale and positively impact millions of lives. We will provide early stage seed funding as well as apply on your behalf a "start-up visa" to come to the UK for 3-6months. If thats you, please reach me directly with your pitch deck. Best Wishes, E Njoroge MwangiTechnology| FINTECH | Big Data Cell +44 7539372742Skype: Erick.mwangi On Sun, Jun 2, 2019 at 1:40 PM Lydia gachungi via kictanet <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote: Listers, Anyone with an idea of an individual / private sector in Eastern Africa using digital solutions to create impact in the culture industry/ Artistic Freedom (film, music, events, broadcasting, webcasting, anything in that sector)? Please inbox me Lydia Gachungi UNESCO Liaison Office to AU and UNECA _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet Twitter: http://twitter.com/kictanet Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KICTANet/ Unsubscribe or change your options at https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/erick.mwangi%40gmail.… The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development. KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications. _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet Twitter: http://twitter.com/kictanet Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KICTANet/ Unsubscribe or change your options at https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/pmaina2000%40yahoo.com The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development. KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.

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How Qualcomm shook down the cell phone industry for almost 20 years
by Ali Hussein 07 Jul '19

07 Jul '19

Listers A look at how modern-day monopolies operate and how Systemic Failure in how regulators regulate can cause a player to use heavy-handed tactics to gain and maintain Market Dominance. Is it time to relook at how State Players navigate the increasingly complicated Technology Landscape to ensure Market Driven Monopolies don't abuse their powers? The examples are many but of note are:- 1. Microsoft in the '90s 2. Google and Facebook in the 2010s 3. And now Qualcomm whose bad behaviour is now coming to light in a scathing indictment by Judge Lucy Koh in an Anti-Trust ruling in the US. This latest misbehaviour by #BigTech calls the whole 'Free Market' ethos of the Capitalist System to question. How will the world deal with such Systemic Failure and State Capture by huge multinationals? The Qualcomm Story <https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2019/05/how-qualcomm-shook-down-the-cel…> is even more shocking in its scope because it held to ransom some of the biggest players in the Global Telcom sector - From Lenovo, to Apple to Blackberry to Samsung. It is amazing how it took so long to unravel and even now as we speak the game is not over yet. Read on:- In 2005, Apple contacted Qualcomm as a potential supplier for modem chips in the first iPhone. Qualcomm's response was unusual: a letter demanding that Apple sign a patent licensing agreement before Qualcomm would even consider supplying chips. How Qualcomm shook down the cell phone industry for almost 20 years! <https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2019/05/how-qualcomm-shook-down-the-cel…> *Ali Hussein* *Principal* *AHK & Associates* Tel: +254 713 601113 Twitter: @AliHKassim Skype: abu-jomo LinkedIn: http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim <http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim> 13th Floor , Delta Towers, Oracle Wing, Chiromo Road, Westlands, Nairobi, Kenya. Any information of a personal nature expressed in this email are purely mine and do not necessarily reflect the official positions of the organizations that I work with.

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Data Scientists Kaggle Meet Up In Nairobi
by Timothy- Coach- Oriedo 07 Jul '19

07 Jul '19

Thank you Listers for following our Journey in bridging the Data Science Talent gap in the country. We are pleased to welcome you to our very first meet up of our Predictive Analytics Lab partnership with Kaggle, the leading Global community of Data Scientists. This evening we are privileged to hold our inaugural to be hosting Saikumar Allaka, Senior Analytics Manager Equity Bank and a master Kaggler. The event is free and shall also be live streamed please register on this link https://events.predictiveanalytics.co.ke/ Because we believe the best way to learn is learning through practice and through meeting people. Creating a connected and well-knit Data Science community will enable participants to motivate each other to learn more, and inspire to do great things. What is more, the aim of creating this community is for its participants to have fun together and make new friends with common passion - Data Science. To sum up, we create this community for 3 things. NETWORKING, EDUCATION and ENTERTAINMENT See online and Poster for more details and stay tuned for future events. Timothy Oriedo Founding Data Scientist Predictive Analytics Lab

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Kenya Industry & Entrepreneurship Project Beneficiaries
by Kentice Tikolo 07 Jul '19

07 Jul '19

Listers, The Ministry of Industry, Trade & Cooperatives (MoITC), in partnership with the World Bank Group, launched the Kenya Industry and Entrepreneurship Project (KIEP), on 4th June 2019. The USD 50 million project aims to increase innovation and productivity in select private sector firms in Kenya over the next six years (2019-2024). KIEP highlights the importance of technology and innovation to the development of industries and recognizes the centrality of firm-level support to Kenya’s industrialization. KIEP will be implemented through the following components: Component 1: Strengthening the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem Component 2: SME linkages and upgrading The target beneficiaries are: - Accelerators/Incubators - Technology Bootcamp Providers - Startups - SMEs - Students - Corporates The project aims to have a countrywide presence. Kindly share (inbox) ideas on how best to create interest and demand among the beneficiaries, that will encourage them to apply. I have attached a fact sheet for more information, which can also be found on www.kiep.go.ke. Best regards, Kentice Tikolo, MScPR, FPRSK *Strategic PR & Communication Consultant* *Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift. Regina Brett*

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Digital solutions for the Culture industry/ Art
by Lydia gachungi 07 Jul '19

07 Jul '19

Listers, Anyone with an idea of an individual / private sector in Eastern Africa using digital solutions to create impact in the culture industry/ Artistic Freedom (film, music, events, broadcasting, webcasting, anything in that sector)? Please inbox me Lydia Gachungi UNESCO Liaison Office to AU and UNECA

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Five Things to Know
by Alice Munyua 07 Jul '19

07 Jul '19

> > > > > 5 Things to Know in Less Than Five Minutes > > 1. Block "Fingerprinting" & Increase Privacy with Firefox > Fingerprinting is a type of online tracking that's different from cookies or ordinary trackers. Companies use it to make a unique profile of your computer, software, add–ons, and even preferences. Settings like the screen you use, the fonts installed on your computer, and even your choice of a web browser can all be used to create a fingerprint. The latest Firefox has a new feature to help you block fingerprinting coming from many ad trackers. Learn how » > > > 2. Mozilla Brings Ethics to Computer Science Curriculum > Mozilla joined with others to award funding to 17 initiatives that integrate ethics into undergraduate computer science courses. "Today's computer scientists write code with the potential to affect billions of people's privacy, security, equality, and well–being," says Mozilla Fellow, Kathy Pham. Check out the winning initiatives, and learn more about this important work » > > > 3. "Deepfakes" are Here. Now What? > Mozilla's 2019 Internet Health Report digs into "deepfakes." Deepfakes are photos, videos or audio clips manipulated using artificial intelligence to depict a person saying something that they have never said, or doing something they have never done. See the report to learn more about what deepfakes are, how they've been used, and what strategies might work to deal with them. > > > 4. The Latest Firefox Release is Faster than Ever > Firefox has gotten up to 80% faster than a year ago (and still going) by making improvements at an average of 1% faster every week all while protecting your privacy online. Learn more about how we made such huge gains » > > > 5. We're Making Virtual Reality Available to Everyone > Even though virtual reality (VR) has been in the mainstream for several years now, it's still not very accessible. It often takes trained engineers to create, release and distribute VR content. That could soon change, however, thanks to a new project built on top of the WebVR platform that Mozilla has pioneered. Read more » > > > Bonus Content! > Get more power and privacy. Sign up for your free Firefox account » > > Access your passwords across devices for free with Firefox Lockwise » > > Firefox Send just launched — a free way to share files safely and privately. > > Sign up for Firefox Monitor. Recieve alerts if your data is involved in data breaches — and it's free! > > > Thanks for reading! > You're receiving this email because we think you're neat, AND you subscribed to hear from us. > If our emails aren't sparking joy, we'll understand if you unsubscribe. > > You can also update your email preferences at any time. > > > > Donate to Mozilla | Download Firefox > > > 331 E. Evelyn Avenue Mountain View CA 94041 > Legal • Privacy

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Information Controls Cocktail
by Robert Muthuri 07 Jul '19

07 Jul '19

Dear Listers, First, apologies, I've just been alerted my email from earlier in the week may not have been delivered here. CIPIT is holding a cocktail tomorrow afternoon - program attached - to reflect on the question: what have we learnt from 3 years of information controls research? We will share the key learnings and recommendations from the related project and hope to have a lively discussion with you ranging from online censorship and digital rights to Cambridge Analytica and elections security. As always, we very much look forward to welcoming you to Strathmore. Kindly register so we can cater for you in the best way possible: https://bit.ly/2YSHlJ8 [image: InformationControl-01.png] Best, Robert.

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Raising money for your startup
by Eric Osiakwan 07 Jul '19

07 Jul '19

Sent from my iPhone

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Babusi Nyoni TownHall Meetings Tour , 5 days, 6 Towns Across Kenya
by alfred＠kenya.ai 07 Jul '19

07 Jul '19

Dear Listers, Ai Kenya in partnership with Majadiliano is proud to bring you a series of town hall meetings across 6 different locations: Kisumu, Kakamega, Siaya, Miwani, Nairobi and Mombasa. Our first guest is a brilliant self-taught Artificial Intelligence (AI) innovator & speaker from the Netherlands. He has never been to University. He is a high school graduate who schooled and grew up in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. Babusi Nyoni, a 31 year old Zimbabwean and a self-taught emerging technology pundit will be sharing how he began his journey leaving Zimbabwe as an economic refugee, entering South Africa, where he lived for 5 years before moving to the Netherlands. In 2016 he created what Forbes magazine described as "the world's first Artificial intelligent football commentator" for the UEFA Champions League final. In the same year, he created a prototype for the prediction of human displacement in Africa using artificial intelligence & thereafter worked with UNHCR to actualize a pilot project in the same field. He founded the Ulwazi Accelerator in 2018 to equip young Zimbabweans with the skills needed to contribute to the global digital economy. In 2019 he created an app for the early diagnosis of Parkinson's disease & presented his findings at Oxford University on the Skoll Foundation stage. Babusi has a strong passion for fresh new ideas that will change the lives of those around him and is a firm believer that AI is shaping the technological zeitgeist worldwide. Join us for an informative session as Babusi shares on his innovation journey and the work he has done in the artificial intelligence space. Event Venues are as follows: Kisumu, 3rd June - University of Nairobi Auditorium Kakamega, 3rd June - Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (MMUST) , MCU hall Siaya, 4th June - Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology Miwani, 5th June - Nyakoko High school Nairobi, 6th June - Daystar University Mombasa 7th June - Swahili Pot Hub To be a part of the event(s), ensure you REGISTER FOR YOUR TICKET(s) on http://bit.ly/majadiliano Full event details and schedules can be obtained on the same link Kind regards, Alfred Ongere Team lead, Founder www.kenya.ai <http://bit.ly/AIKPODYTB> Watch Ai Kenya Podcast | <http://bit.ly/2vRuV7Y> World Ai Show Nairobi 2019 Keynote

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Grant Funding: £50,000 - £500,000 / Mobile Innovation Fund
by Philip Adar 07 Jul '19

07 Jul '19

Dear listers, I found this interesting and felt to share. GSMA is promoting innovation in use of mobile technology to address humanitarian challenges, with a focus on developing countries – particularly in Sub Saharan Africa. Grant Funding: £50,000 - £500,000 More details in the link: Mobile for Humanitarian Innovation Fund <https://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/mobile-for-humanitarian-innovatio…> Kindly, please feel free to share within your networks Kind regards, -- Philip Adar

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