FRANCIS PISANI

Cemil Turun is, without a doubt, one of the most ambitious people I’ve ever interviewed. He wants to create a currency that works in both the online and offline worlds. Facing my obvious journalist’s skepticism, he hurries to add that his company, Yogurt Technologies (yogurt.com.tr) is one of the first six Turkish companies to receive […]

Cemil Turun is, without a doubt, one of the most ambitious entrepreneurs I’ve interviewed so far. He wants to create a currency that works in both the online and offline worlds. Facing my obvious journalistic skepticism, he hurries to add that his company, Yogurt Technologies, is one of the first six Turkish companies to receive VC […]

 Internet connections in Beirut are so bad that people can only laugh … before protesting. About a year ago, one Lebanese wrote a an acerbic post in English saying, “Oh My God, Lebanon you’re number one” on the global download-speed list … if you start from the end of the list.I found the Ookla NetIndex raking for […]

100,000 followers and 27,000 tweets make Sultan Al-Qassemi (@sultanalqassemi) one of the most influential tweeters in the Arab world. A native of the Emirates, he enjoys a great freedom of expression and, more importantly, uses it in service of democratic movements. His columns appear in The New York Times, the Financial Times, The Guardian, and others.We pass quickly […]

I have no idea how many innovators there are in Lebanon fiddling around in their mountain garages with dreams of dethroning Facebook, Google and Twitter. But I’m sure they can find all the resources they need in Beirut’s startup accelerators.Since there’s not really a clear definition, you can get an idea of what a Middle […]

I have no idea how many innovators there in Lebanon fiddling around in their mountain garages with dreams of dethroning Facebook, Google and Twitter. But I’m sure they can find all the resources they need in Beirut’s startup accelerators.Since there’s not really a clear definition, you can get an idea of what a Middle East […]

The first steps of my world tour of ICT and innovation helped me realize that geeks, entrepreneurs (social or not) and activists often gather in communal spaces, and that they have multiple things in common.The raison d’être for these collaborations/relationships in the places I’ve visited so far can be partly explained by their country’s level […]

What do you do when you’re three young Lebanese convinced that your city’s streets are being disfigured by people throwing garbage anywhere they want?Yesterday: protest, complain, get mad, leave.Today: Make a Facebook page. And when you see that it’s gained a thousand fans in a few hours, take action.This is what Nadine Razzouk (22), Lama […]

Did social media influence Senegal’s presidential election?Senegal is one of  West Africa’s leaders in telecom infrastructure. But, with an internet penetration rate of barely 16%, you have to wonder if online information resources and social media had an impact in February 26th’s presidential election.Senegal’s penetration rate for fixed phones is less than 3%. For mobile, […]

Senegal is one of West Africa’s leaders in telecom infrastructure. But, with an Internet penetration rate of barely 16%, you have to wonder if online information resources and social media can make a difference in February 26th’s presidential election.Senegal’s penetration rate for fixed phones is less than 3%. For mobile, it’s 80%. A little more […]