Nicolas Friederici, Dr.
Nicolas is Senior Researcher and Lead of the Platform Alternatives and DaPla projects at HIIG. He studies how economic development happens in the digital age, and how the opportunities of digital technologies unfold unevenly across the world. Focal areas are digital platform entrepreneurship in Europe and Africa, inequality in the global digital economy, and entrepreneurial ecosystems and innovation hubs in low- and middle-income countries. His most recent book on Digital Entrepreneurship in Africa was published with MIT Press. Through formats like the Task Force: European Platform Economy, Nicolas exchanges with entrepreneurs and policymakers.
Nicolas holds a doctoral degree from the Oxford Internet Institute (OII). He was also a Postdoctoral Researcher at OII, visiting researcher in Stanford, and Mobile Innovation Associate at infoDev (World Bank). In Oxford, he was a Kellogg College Fellow, a Clarendon Scholar, and a Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship grantee. As a Fulbright scholar, Nicolas completed his MA in Telecommunications, Information Studies and Media at Michigan State University. He also holds a Diplom in Media Management from the University of Cologne.
Nicolas continues to be active as a consultant. For instance, he did work on the platform economy for GIZ, helped the World Bank assess digital entrepreneurship ecosystems in South Africa, Bangladesh, and the Caribbean, and contributed to UNCTAD’s 2019 Digital Economy Report.
Videos
Books
Friederici, N., Wahome, M., & Graham, M. (2020). Digital Entrepreneurship in Africa – How A Continent Is Escaping Silicon Valley’s Long Shadow. Cambridge, UK: The MIT Press. Publication details
Journal articles and conference proceedings
Bohn, S., Friederici, N., & Gümüşay, A. A. (2020). Too big to fail us? Platforms as systemically relevant. Internet Policy Review. Publication details
Friederici, N., Meier, P., & Gümüşay, A. A. (2020). An opportunity for inclusion? Digital platform innovation in times of crisis. Pioneers Post. Publication details
Schmeiss, J., & Friederici, N. (2019). Understanding ‘AI Made in Germany’: A Report on the German Startup Landscape. Delphi - Interdisciplinary Review of Emerging Technologies, 2(2), 87–94. DOI: /10.21552/delphi/2019/2/8 Publication details
Iacob, N., Friederici, N., & Lachenmayer, J. (2019). Operationalising relational theory of entrepreneurial ecosystems at city-level in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Zeitschrift für Wirtschaftsgeographie, 63(2). DOI: 10.1515/zfw-2018-0017 Publication details
Friederici, N. (2018). Grounding the Dream of African Innovation Hubs: Two Cases in Kigali. Journal of Developmental Entrepreneurship, 23(02). Publication details
Foster, C., Graham, M., Waema, T., Mann, L., & Friederici, N. (2018). Digital Control in Value Chains: Challenges of Connectivity for East African Firms. Economic Geography, 94(1), 68-86. DOI: 10.1080/00130095.2017.1350104 Publication details
Graham, M., Ojanperä, S., Anwar, M. A., & Friederici, N. (2018). Digital Connectivity and African Knowledge Economies. Questions de Communication, 23, 345-360. Publication details
Friederici, N. (2018). Delineating African Innovation Hubs from Business Incubators: A Process Perspective. Research Paper submitted to 4th Biennial Conference of the Africa Academy of Management, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 3rd - 6th January 2018. Publication details
Loebbecke, C., Myers, M. D., & Friederici, N. (2017). Deploying internal knowledge portals: Three major challenges. Information & Management, 54(4), 491–505. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.im.2016.11.001 Publication details
Book contributions and chapters
Friederici, N. (2019). Hope and Hype in Africa’s Digital Economy: The Rise of Innovation Hubs. In M. Graham (Ed.), Digital Economies at Global Margins (pp. 193-222). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, IDRC. Publication details
Friederici, N. (2019). Innovation Hubs in Africa: What Do They Really Do for Digital Entrepreneurs? In N. D. Taura, E. Bolat, & N. O. Madichie (Eds.), Digital Entrepreneurship in Sub-Saharan Africa: Challenges, Opportunities and Prospects (pp. 9-28). Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan. Publication details
Friederici, N. (2018). Innovation Hubs in Africa: Assemblers of Technology Entrepreneurs. In M. Tynnhammar (Ed.), New Waves in Innovation Management Research (ISPIM Insights) (pp. 435-454). Delaware, USA: Vernon Press. Publication details
Working paper
Friederici, N., & Graef, I. (2021). Beyond GAFAM: How size-or-silo regulation fails to account for organisational diversity in the platform economy. Internet Policy Review. Publication details
Krell, T., Braesemann, F., Stephany, F., Friederici, N., & Meier, P. (2020). A Mixed-Method Landscape Analysis of SME-focused B2B Platforms in Germany. Social Science Research Network. Publication details
Friederici, N., & Graham, M. (2018). The Bounded Opportunities of Digital Enterprises in Global Economic Peripheries. Friederici, N., & Graham, M.. DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.3249499 Publication details
Other publications
Friederici, N. (2021). Small goes digital: How digitalization can bring about productive growth for micro and small enterprises. International Labour Office. Publication details
Lehdonvirta, V., Park, S., Krell, T., & Friederici, N. (2020). Platformization in Europe. Global and local digital intermediaries in the retail, taxi, and food delivery industries, . Publication details
Friederici, N. (2020). Can European platform capitalism be sustainable? Digital Society Blog. Publication details
Nicolas Friederici (2020). Towards a fair and equitable European platform economy. CARTA – der Autor*innenblog zu Politik, Kultur, Ökonomie und Theorie. Publication details
Friederici, N., Krell, T., Meier, P., Braesemann, F., & Stephany, F. (2020). Plattforminnovation im Mittelstand, . Publication details
Schmeiss, J., & Friederici, N. (2019). How much magic lies behind German AI production? Digital Society Blog. Publication details
Schmeiss, J., & Friederici, N. (2019). Ein Autopilot für Online-Marketing. Digital Society Blog. Publication details
Schmeiss, J., & Friederici, N. (2019). Quo vadis – what types of AI are produced in Germany? Digital Society Blog. Publication details
Meier, P., Friederici, N. (2019). Den Blick weiten: Digitalisierung im Mittelstand. Digital Society Blog. Publication details
Friederici, N. (2019). The Global Digital Economy: Worsening Inequality vs. Pockets of Innovation. Observer Research Foundation, Digital Frontiers Blog. Publication details
Schmeiss, J., & Friederici, N. (2019). The transfer of AI-expertise in to sustainable business models. Digital society blog. Publication details
Schmeiss, J., & Friederici, N. (2019). How AI extends the doctors visit. Digital society blog. Publication details
Schmeiss, J., & Friederici, N. (2019) (2019). The death of manual data entry. Digital society blog. Publication details
Friederici, N. (2019). African innovation hubs coming of age. Digital society blog. Publication details
Lectures and presentations
Inclusive Digital Economies - A quick tour of findings from three research streamsUNDP Chief Digital Office. United Nations Development Programme, Online, USA: 18.11.2021 Further information
Nicolas Friederici
“One strategy does not fit all” – A typology of European platform competition.Session E: Platform Economy. BEYOND4.0 Conference. Online, Sofia, Bulgaria: 01.10.2021 Further information
Tina Krell, Nicolas Friederici
Daten-Kooperationsplattformen für den MittelstandDigitale Plattformen im Mittelstand – Gemeinsame Wertschöpfung als Chance?. Friedrich Ebert Foundation. Online, Berlin, Germany: 16.02.2021 Further information
Nicolas Friederici
Varieties of Platform Strategy: An Exploratory Study of European EnterprisesWorkshop Regulating work in the platform economy (Session: The effects of the platform economy: business models and value chains). Hertie School. Online, Berlin, Germany: 27.05.2020
Nicolas Friederici
Digital Entrepreneurship in Africa: Last Mile Platforms and Other Localized Business ModelsGIZ.Digital Gateway Online Event. GIZ. Online, Bonn, Germany: 27.03.2020
Nicolas Friederici
Economic Geographies of the Digital. Universität Bayreuth. Weizenbaum Institut, Berlin, Deutschland: 24.01.2020Nicolas Friederici
Ethnologisches Kolloqium (Session: Digital entrepreneurship in Africa: Escaping from Silicon Valleys long shadow). Iwalewa Haus, Bayreuth, Bayreuth: 10.12.2019 Further informationNicolas Friederici
Beyond the Silicon Savannah: How Self-Determined are Africa's Digital Economies?Ringvorlesung: Selbstbestimmung in der vernetzten Gesellschaft. Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany: 03.12.2019 Further information
Nicolas Friederici
Digital Entrepreneurship in Africa. BI Norwegian Business School, Oslo, Norway: 13.09.2019Nicolas Friederici
Digital Entrepreneurship in Africa: Escaping from Silicon Valley’s Long ShadowWorld Bank Finance, Competitiveness & Innovation Global Practice. World Bank, Washington, D.C., USA: 21.05.2019
Nicolas Friederici
Digital Entrepreneurship in Africa: How a Continent Is Escaping from Silicon Valley’s Long Shadow. Quello Center, Michigan State University, Michigan, U.S.A.: 20.05.2019 Further informationNicolas Friederici
Colloquium Development Geography (Session: Digital Entrepreneurship in Africa: Escaping from Silicon Valley’s Long Shadow). Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany: 01.02.2019Nicolas Friederici
Digital Entrepreneurship in AfricaManagement Research Seminar: Lecture on Digital Entrepreneurship in Africa. WU Wien, Vienna, Austria: 06.11.2018 Further information
Friederici, N.
Innovation ist überallSymposium: Der smarte Weg für die Energiewende. Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society. Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society, Berlin, Germany: 22.06.2018 Further information
Nicolas Friederici
Digital enterprise & ecosystems in Africa: An uneven and challenging landscape7th GiZ Make-IT Alliance Networking Meeting (Session: Digital Enterprise and Ecosystems in Africa: An Uneven and Challenging Landscape). re:publica, Berlin, Germany: 04.05.2018
Nicolas Friederici
Panels
KI-Leuchtturm-Vorhaben: CO:DINA –Transformationsroadmap Digitalisierung und NachhaltigkeitCO:DINA-Forum „Digitale Souveränität und Nachhaltigkeit“. Institute for Futures Studies and Technology Assessment,, Online, Germany: 04.12.2020 Further information
Nicolas Friederici
Kampf der Plattform-Giganten – wie sieht der deutsch-europäische Weg aus?11. Internet Governance Forum Deutschland. Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft & Energie, Berlin, Germany: 11.09.2019 Further information
Nicolas Friederici
Moderation of workshops and panels
Digital Economies, Digital Connectivity, Digital Margins: Session I: Development, Entrepreneurship, and Inequality5th Global Conference on Economic Geography. Universität zu Köln, Cologne, Germany: 24.07.2018
Mark Graham, Nicolas Friederici, Mohammad Amir Anwar, Sanna Ojanperä
Organisation of events
Platform Entrepreneurship & Society. Lunch Talk with Inge Graef, Jovana Karanović and Christian FieselerOpen Lunch Talk Series. 27.09.2021. Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society, Online, Germany (International) Further information
Maria Gradl, Lena Starke, Tina Krell, Nicolas Friederici
Policy Co-Creation Workshop17.06.2020. Online, Berlin, Germany. Co-Organised by: Federal Ministry of Finance (National)
Tina Krell, Nicolas Friederici, Philip Meier
Platform Entrepreneurship in Europe: Which Business Models are Viable and Sustainable?03.06.2020. Online, Berlin, Germany. Co-Organised by: Oxford Internet Institute (International) Further information
Asal Dardan, Lena Starke, Tina Krell, Nicolas Friederici
Nominations
Member of the Advisory Board: BMBF project Africa digital in cooperation with technopolis group and konnektiv.Nicolas Friederici
Participation as expert
Digitale Entwicklungszusammenarbeit 2021 – Ideen & Aufgaben für die neue LegislaturperiodeFachgespräch: Brot für die Welt, Institut für Zukunftsstudien und Technologiebewertung & Konnektiv. Heinrich Böll Stiftung, Online, Germany: 08.09.2021 Further information
Nicolas Friederici
Development in the Age of Digital Platforms: Finance and E-Commerce. Münchner Kreis, World Bank & Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). GIZ, Online, Germany: 19.08.2021 Further informationNicolas Friederici
Reshaping WorkUniversity of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia: 27.02.2020 Further informationNicolas Friederici
UNCTAD Review Meeting "Digital Economy Report 2019" (Feb 2019)UNCTAD, Geneva, Switzerland: 12.02.2019Nicolas Friederici
Media appearances
Interview with Nicolas Friederici on Digital Entreprenuership in Africa (02.07.2019). Quello Center, Michigan State University, Michigan; Vimeo
Further information
5G, Regulierung, Wettbewerb – Internet Governance Forum Deutschland - Wirtschaft am Mittag (11.09.2019). Deutschlandfunk
Further information
A hub alone does not create a Silicon Valley (26.08.2019). IGF2019
Further information
Position
Former Associated Researcher: Innovation, Entrepreneurship & Society
Contact
