Erik Hersman

Erik is the CEO of BRCK, based in Nairobi, Kenya.

BRCK creates rugged wireless WiFi devices designed and engineered in Kenya for use throughout the emerging markets. BRCK has a free public WiFi network called Moja that sits on top of the BRCK hardware that creates an affordable model for internet in emerging markets.

In 2010 Erik founded the iHub, Nairobi’s innovation hub for the technology community, bringing together entrepreneurs, hackers, designers and the investment community. He is also a co-founder of Ushahidi, the free and open source software for crowdsourcing crisis information, and also established afrigadget.com and whiteafrican.com as key online communities promoting creative solutions entrepreneurship and development challenges across Africa. He is also a general partner in the Savannah Fund, and sits on the boards of Gearbox, Akirachix, the Kijabe Forest Trust, PopTech, and the Whitaker Peace and Development Initiative (WPDI).

Erik is a Senior TED Fellow and a PopTech Fellow.