Mini-GeekDinner with Dave Birch from M-Pesa April 16, 2009

Joining us for our next Mini-GeekDinner on April 16th will be Dave Birch of Consult Hyperion.

David G.W. Birch is a Director of Consult Hyperion, a global IT management consultancy that specialises in electronic transactions,. Before helping to found Consult Hyperion in 1986, he spent several years working as a consultant in Europe, the Far East and North America. Described by The Independent as a ‘grade-A geek’, and by the Centre for the Study of Financial Innovation as ‘one of the most user-friendly of the UK’s uber-techies’; he is well-known for his “Second Sight” columns in The Guardian’s Online supplement.

Dave will talking about Consult Hyperion’s work on M-Pesa. (Featured on the BBC and all good news outlets.) The M-Pesa payments service is used by 17% of Kenyans [5.5m users], with over 10,000 signing up every day. Despite objections by mainstream Kenyan banks, M-Pesa’s growth not only avoided regulatory issues, but helped trigger legal reforms to open Kenya’s money transfer market.

Dinner will be upstairs at the Holborn Hummus Bros in Holborn at 6:30PM. It’s buy your own dinner (about £15 a head) and book early as it’s not a large venue! To let us know that you’re coming and reserve your ticket, email me at mseckington@gmail.com.

Official Website: http://bit.ly/iexXt