Last week, WIRED UK hosted its annual 2-day conference in London, at the very trendy Tobacco Dock. Their goal is simple: invite some of the most inspiring and innovative individuals from around the world to share their expertise and insights. From music to fashion, politics, business, tech and design, this year’s speeches and presentations were absolutely mind-blowing. Our very own CEO, Alisée de Tonnac, was invited as a Fellow Speaker to discuss our mission as startup seekers in emerging markets. So here is our selection of the top 5 WIRED talks stemming from and revolving around emerging markets!
1. Arunima Sinha (India) — World’s First Female Amputee to Climb Everest
Sinha, a former national level volleyball player, suffered a terrible accident in 2011. She was thrown out of a moving train fighting off thieves who were trying to rob her. Another train crushed her leg and she had to be amputated below the knee. Worn down by incessant gossip about the accident being a suicide attempt, Arunima decided to rise up undefeated and challenge herself to climb Mount Everest. That she did in April 2013, with the help of a supporting team.
She achieved her goal on May 21, 2013 and made history as the first female amputee to successfully climb Mount Everest. This 52-day journey strengthened her will and she is since on a mission to conquer all seven of the highest summits in the world, with Kilimanjaro, Elbrus and Kosciuszko already under her belt. She is also dedicated to improving social welfare in India and is working on opening a free sports academy for poor and handicapped people.
More info here: www.arunimasinha.com
2. Jose Miguel Sokoloff (Colombia) — Taming Guerrillas with Marketing
The FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia), are a source of violence and terrorist tactics explains Jose Miguel Sokoloff, a creative agency leader in Latin America. So how do you demobilize a guerrilla that is spread out in the Colombian jungle? You create ad campaigns. This may seem strange to some, but it’s actually a brilliant idea that has shown incredible results. By collaborating with the army, government and civilian bodies, Sokoloff and his creative team launched “Operation Christmas” in 2010, whereby they decorated trees with 2,000 LED lights that read: “If Christmas can come to the jungle, you can come home. Demobilize.”
331 guerrillas demobilized as a result, about 5% of the guerrilla population in Colombia. The important thing to remember, says Sokoloff, is that the guerrillas are as much prisoners of the organisations as the hostages. So reaching out to them on a human level is a smart move.
More info here: www.mullenlowegroup.com
Twitter: @JMSokoloff
3. Freeman Osonuga (Nigeria) — Front-Line Ebola Doctor
Osonuga is a Nigerian native who studied medicine to become a doctor. He was deployed by the Nigerian government to the African Union Support For Ebola Outbreak in West Africa (ASEOWA). He spent six months in Sierra Leone as part of the African Union’s Ebola Response Team. On top of his efforts to care for patients, Osonuga is an Associate Fellow of the Royal Commonwealth Society, a One Young World Ambassador and the Founder and executive director of Heal The World Foundation Nigeria.
He was named one of TIME Magazine’s “Person of the Year” in 2014 and is also one of the 2013 “Ten Outstanding Young Persons In Nigeria”. An impressive track record!
More info here: www.oneyoungworld.com
Twitter: @freeman_osonuga
4. Claudio Sassaki (Brazil) — Education Innovator
Sassaki is the founder and CEO of Geekie, a pioneering Brazilian company that uses technology for personalized learning at massive scale. Him and his team have developed an adaptive learning platform that customizes students’ learning experiences by analyzing their performance. Sassaki graduated in Architecture and Urbanism from Universidadede São Paulo (USP) and followed with an MBA in Education at Stanford. He then spent almost ten years in investment banking, reaching the position of VP at Goldman Sachs. Having three children himself, Sassaki understands the value of education.
And so, in 2011, he decided to quit the financial sector and pursue his dream of helping others get access to a better and more tailored education. Today, more than 3 million students have already used the technological solutions developed by Geekie, a very promising number!
More info here: www.geekie.com.br
Twitter: @ClaudioSassaki
5. Alisée de Tonnac (Nigeria) — Startup Seeker
In the eyes of Seedstars World, emerging markets are centres of innovation. Nigeria, Colombia and Indonesia are no longer symbols of corruption, drug wars or overpopulation, but actual incubators where talented entrepreneurs live. An ‘emerging market’ is any country that has many characteristics of a developed market, but does not yet meet the standards to be considered ‘developed’. By 2030, 87% of the world’s population will be in an emerging market.
One of the most fascinating facts about these countries is the concept of leapfrogging says Alisée, which is the act of adopting a more advanced technology as it is more cost efficient and productive for consumers. “The future of high tech is not necessarily in disruptive technology or in an exciting new patent, but in the way we access the consumer and their habits. That’s what’s happening in Africa, South America and Asia.”
More info here: www.seedstarsworld.com
Twitter: @aliseedt
For more information about the 2015 WIRED Conference and its speakers, click here!
All pictures have been kindly provided by © WIRED UK
