On June 13 2020, TEDxLagos had its first virtual gathering themed UPSIDE on Hopin; an online events platform and it was nothing short of a success. With over 300 people in attendance from different parts of the world, our speakers shared ideas and experiences which inspired, enlightened and redirected the gaze of as many who were in attendance, upward. The team led by Mercy Akamo decided to make good of the movement restriction placed on states & countries by connecting the TEDxLagos community with people of great repute across sectors and one of such was Chika Nwobi, a thought leader in the tech ecosystem & a serial entrepreneur. Nwobi provided solid context for the bustling startup culture in Nigeria and made quite the revelation of the role startups play in a nation’s economic revolution.
Watch Chika Nwobi’s brilliant talk here:
Chika Nwobi is founder of Decagon, where an army of world-class software engineers are being equipped with the skills to fuel the growth of the African technology ecosystem. Through his venture development firm, Chika has been involved in incubating over 20 startups including Babybliss – Nigeria’s top omnichannel platform for mom and baby, Jobberman and Cheki. He was the founder of MTech where he launched Nigeria’s first mobile internet service with MTN Nigeria in 2001 and helped pioneer the Mobile VAS industry. Chika has also led consulting engagements for Ford Foundation and IFC.
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x=independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.
UPSIDE is a world of perspective, opportunity and leverage. With challenges being inevitable, it is up to us as a community to actively look out for the upside in situations. And where there is none, as a community, we will create the UPSIDE.
Welcome to our world. Welcome to TEDxLagos 2020: UPSIDE.
