MIT X TAU Series: Africa’s Next Startups

The second webinar in a seven-part series focused on various aspects of sustainable development in Africa.

Zoom webinar :: 12:00PM–1:00PM  Register at bit.ly/MITxTAU23

Speaker:

Tidjane Deme is General Partner at Partech, co-leading Partech Africa Fund, Partech’s multi-stages tech fund exclusively dedicated to Africa's digital markets. He joined in May 2016. Prior to joining Partech, Tidjane worked for 15+ years in the tech industry in Africa, as an entrepreneur, a consultant and a senior business manager. He worked for 7 years as a senior manager at Google, leading activities in Africa. He started the Google Francophone Africa office in Dakar in 2009, led ecosystem efforts to support developer communities and tech startups across 15+ countries and led Google’s Africa Content Strategy, launching and growing YouTube in 6 markets. He also led business development for Google’s Infrastructure investments in Africa. Prior to Google, Tidjane was a tech entrepreneur who founded and led CommonSys, a consulting and integration company deploying e-gov platforms and enterprise solutions in west Africa. He also cofounded 2 startups, an e-reputation platform in Europe and a SaaS platform for African SMEs. Tidjane started his career working with Cap Gemini in France before joining Cosine Communications, a Silicon Valley startup building network virtualization technology for carriers. Tidjane grew up in Senegal until age 18, then moved to France to attend Ecole Polytechnique (Msc Physics), did an exchange program at Imperial College London, and attended Ensta-Paritech (Telecom and IT Engineering).

Moderator:
Claude Grunitzky is a journalist, editor and entrepreneur. Born and raised in Togo, he is a graduate of the University of London and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is best known as founder and editor-in-chief of the lifestyle publication TRACE, an international fashion and music title, and as a co-founder of the TRACE TV network. He runs TRUE Africa, a media platform championing young African voices; TRUE, a content marketing agency; and The Equity Alliance, an investment fund focused on diverse venture capital fund managers and entrepreneurs. In 2012, Grunitzky's career was the subject of a Harvard Business School case study, which is taught in the "Power & Influence" MBA class.

About the MIT X TAU webinar series: 

The Center for International Studies (CIS) and MIT Africa has partnered with TRUE Africa University (TAU) to host a webinar series focused on various aspects of sustainable development in Africa. Thursdays at noon ET, starting on March 23, TAU founder, MIT alumnus, and CIS research affiliate Claude Grunitzky, will interview the thinkers, shapers and doers who he sees as the inventors of the future of Africa. Each of the eleven webinars promises to be a genre-defining look into the opportunities and challenges facing the African continent and its people over the coming century. 

MIT-TAU Webinar Series | TRUE Africa University | View All Events

Co-sponsors:  MIT Center for International Studies (CIS), MISTI MIT Africa ProgramTRUE Africa University (TAU)

Free & open to the public 
Also watch on YouTube.

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MIT is committed to providing an environment that is accessible to individuals with disabilities. If you need a disability related accommodation to attend or have other questions, please contact us at english7@mit.edu.