Biography
Nicolas Friederici holds a dual appointment as Research Group Lead Innovation & Entrepreneurship at the Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society (HIIG) and as Postdoctoral Researcher at the Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford. He investigates how economic development happens in the digital age, and how the opportunities of digital technologies unfold unevenly in different places and for different actors.
At HIIG, Nicolas coordinates all projects related to digital innovation and entrepreneurship. His own research consists of three streams: digital enterprise strategy, the platform economy, and inequality in the global digital economy. Regions of interest are Africa and Europe.
He received his PhD at the Oxford Internet Institute in 2017, under the title “Innovation Hubs in Africa: Assemblers of Technology Entrepreneurs”. As a postdoctoral researcher on the Geonet project, he has extended his work, studying processes and practices of African digital entrepreneurship more broadly. This research is examining how opportunities of digital entrepreneurship materialize in challenging business environments. He authored and coauthored numerous academic papers, chapters, and a book.
Previously, Nicolas was consultant for the Mobile Innovation for Development program at infoDev (World Bank). He was a Fulbright scholar at Michigan State University, where he did his MA in Telecommunications, Information Studies and Media. He also holds a Diplom in Media Management from the University of Cologne. Nicolas continues to be active as a consultant for organizations like the World Bank and UNCTAD.
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