150-WORD REVIEW: The Rise of The Reluctant Innovator edited by Ken Banks

reluctant_innovatorWith a foreword by Archbishop Desmond Tutu this carefully curated book sets its expectations high and those ambitions are realised by the content from the ten entrepreneurs featured here, especially because they found their calling accidentally.

The editor, Ken Banks, is an Africaphile but he casts his net wide in bringing together ten individual stories that serve as inspiration for those of us who would also be reluctant innovators, rather than by design. From Erik Hersman and his experience with real-time African reporting to Louisa Silva’s use of Chinese massage to help troubled people, this book is a marvel.

From Kenya to India, from dermatology to life-saving medicine, Banks has brought together ten inspiring individuals who were sparked off by an idea, but had the guts and determination to share it with the world.

The book is available for £12.99 on Amazon and Ken Banks blogs here.

REVIEW: 9/10

PixelPin picks up plaudit as winner of CEO Summit 2013

ceo_summitMobile startup PIxelPin has won the CEO Summit 2013 Award for Mobile Innovation in front of a panel of industry luminaries including Amazon, Dropbox and Telefónica Digital.

The company was one of seven selected mobile startups that were given three minutes to present and explain why their company was going to disrupt and transform the industry. PixelPin tackles the issue of mobile security with an innovative solution that replaces passwords with pictures. Continue reading

MEF gives UK mobile startups a boost to Silicon Valley

Meffys
The organisers of this year’s Meffys, taking place later this year in San Francisco for the first time, have an extra reason to nominate themselves for an award.

For any mobile company that apples before midnight tomorrow, they may be selected to pitch LIVE at MEF’s CEO Summit on 19th September at Level 39, London’s new tech start-up accelerator in Canary Wharf. The deadline for all submissions will end on 23rd September. Continue reading

Android, not asteroid, sees explosion of commerce apps

AsteroidThe use of functional apps, which allow consumers to make purchases or conduct banking transactions, is growing faster among UK Android smartphone users than the use of gaming or ‘fun’ apps.

According to Global Information company Neilsen, seven of the 15 major apps experiencing the fastest-growing usage are commerce apps. These include apps used to buy digital products, general retail products, and experiences through social commerce. Continue reading

VisibleNation takes data from measurement to comparison

* This is a guest contribution by Allan Ireland Park, the Chairman of social data comparison site VisibleNation

visiblenationOver the past decade as the internet established itself as a household utility, as important as electricity and water, we have experienced a number of phenomena, usually described in single words.

‘Dis-intermediation’ was one of the first, mainly used by consultants, When I first heard this term I laughed. But it was a catalyst for the dot.com boom and this euphoric optimism shook up the established vertical market leaders. Continue reading