Toby Shapshak

Consultant, Foodie, Idea generator, Journalist, Technologist, Writer/Editor

Toby Shapshak writes and speaks about how innovation is better in Africa. His TED Global talk in 2013 on how Africa is solving real problems has had over 1,4-million views, and he has been featured in the New York Times. Toby is the editor-in-chief and publisher of Stuff magazine; is a contributor to Forbes and writes a weekly column for the Financial Mail. He believes Africa is a mobile-driven continent, about which he has written for CNN, The Guardian in London and for Forbes. He is writing a book on innovation in Africa, looking at how the problems Africa is solving for itself will benefit the rest of the world. Toby was named in GQ's top 30 men in media and the Mail & Guardian newspaper's 300 influential young South Africans list; and has won the ICT Journalist of the Year. GQ said he "has become the most high-profile technology journalist in the country" while the M&G wrote: "Toby Shapshak is all things tech... he reigns supreme as the major talking head for everything and anything tech." He has spoken at numerous conferences about innovation in Africa, including TED Global in Edinburgh (2013). Toby has spoken four times at the South by South West (SxSW) conference in Austin, Texas, on South Africa's tech landscape (2011); on how mobile is being used in Africa (2013): and how music is being consumed (2014); and how innovation is better in Africa (2017). He has also spoken at The Guardian's Activate: Johannesburg on innovation out of necessity, Intel's IDF conference in San Francisco, Germany's Zukunftskongress (Future Congress), Sweden's The Conference, AfricaCom in Cape Town, TEDxGateway in Mumbai, Pivot East in Nairobi, and Tech4Africa in Joburg. He co-hosted a weekly TV show on CNBC Africa for the past three years. As a news and political journalist, he ran Mail & Guardian newspaper’s website when it was the first news site in Africa, shadowed Nelson Mandela when he was president, and covered the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. He has interviewed a range of tech industry luminaries, including Apple co-founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. More: www.shapshak.com

“People are solving real problems in Africa because we have to, because we have them. And when we solve real problems, we solve them for the rest of the world.” | “‘Pay-as-you-go’ was an idea pioneered in Africa by Vodacom 20 years ago. Now, pay-as-you-go is one of the most dominant forces of economic activity in the world. You’re using African technology.” | "The gold of today is mobile.” | “People call Africa a ‘mobile-only’ continent, but actually it’s ‘mobile-first'.”

Journalism, innovation

I spoke at TED Global in Edinburgh in 2013 and it changed my life.

Seeing patterns. Reading history. Being calm in a crisis. Excellent non-practising health fanatic. Throwing a balled up paper towel into a dustbin.