Category Archives: Strategy
The Case for Connectivity (part 2)
December 11th, 2018 by Erik Hersman
(Part 1 here) I’ve argued before, alongside others, that the main inhibitor of ubiquitous and perpetual internet connectivity at a global level isn’t a technology problem, it’s a business model problem. Mostly the tech exists to put the signal everywhere. What we overlook when we say this is, that while that is true, it’s unsavory […]
Read moreThe Case for Connectivity (part 1)
December 10th, 2018 by Erik Hersman
As with most CEOs of younger companies, I find myself on the investment raising treadmill. Doing so for a company focused on internet connectivity in frontier markets provides an extra layer of complexity, since it’s not as sexy of a proposition as a new app for ecommerce, agtech, fintech, etc might be. Those are easier […]
Read moreReflecting on 5 Years of BRCK
October 15th, 2018 by Erik Hersman
It was 5 years ago that we created BRCK as a company, and I’ve had the great joy of being on a journey with some fantastic people, including the three here with me in this picture (Reg Orton, Emmanuel Kala, and Philip Walton). We had an idea of what we were getting into back in […]
Read more21st Century Economies Need Power and Connectivity
November 20th, 2017 by Erik Hersman
I was bumping along a waterlogged dirt road on the island of Pemba a couple weeks ago, trying to find my way to a lighthouse where the BRCK team was setting up a weather station. I stopped to check my map, and had a solid 3g signal I could use to check my map. Looking […]
Read moreEating our Own Dogfood on BRCK Expeditions
November 15th, 2017 by Erik Hersman
This last week I was part of a BRCK expedition team that traveled from Nairobi through the Chyulu Hills, and oversea to the small island of Pemba in the northern part of Zanzibar. On the way, we installed some of our equipment, including: A point-to-point link running Moja WiFi, providing free internet access for Kenya […]
Read moreBRCK, INTEL – Designing at the periphery
April 7th, 2016 by Juliana Rotich
There has been a lot of talk about “inclusive business” since the term was coined by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development in 2005. A business is said to be inclusive when it’s value chains purposefully “include” the needs and wants of low-income people and communities, and the company then implements on a business model […]
Read moreBRCK’s CEO at WEF: Digital Ecosystems in Davos
February 4th, 2016 by Nivi Sharma
Two weeks ago our CEO Erik Hersman was invited by the Economist to speak on a panel about digital ecosystems at the World Economic Forum in Davos. A short video was created with soundbites from the event. The discussion was chaired by Matthew Bishop, Editorial Director, New Initiatives, at The Economist between the President of […]
Read moreFurther Capital to Grow BRCK
January 8th, 2016 by Erik Hersman
2015 was a big year at BRCK, transitioning from designing, engineering and manufacturing a product to creating services that use the BRCK as an enabling device. The team itself grew from 9 people at the beginning of the year to the 40 people we have on staff today, and we expanded our offices (still in […]
Read moreAnnouncement: Collaboration with Kenyatta University for Digital Literacy
August 7th, 2015 by Juliana Rotich
With the recently announced learning division of BRCK Inc led by Nivi Mukherjee, comes this exciting news about a major agreement signed between BRCK Inc and the venerable Kenyatta University. Do see the announcement on the Kenyatta University website too. Kenyatta University, BRCK sign digital literacy MoU Nairobi, 7 August 2015 –Kenyatta University, a leading […]
Read moreBRCK Education: Nivi Mukherjee to Lead the Team
August 5th, 2015 by Erik Hersman
There’s a press release (which always seem boring to me, but have added it to the bottom of the page) about Nivi Mukherjee, the founder of eLimu and long-time iHub member, joining the BRCK team offically. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing her grow her company from nothing, getting out ahead of the curve to […]
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