I am Alan, founder of World of Avatar and CEO of Mxit, Africa’s largest social network. I am a qualified Chartered Accountant (SA). Between 2003 and 2006 I co-founded five companies in the mobile services sector and in 2006 I was appointed managing director of iBurst, a broadband network operator in South Africa.

In April 2008 I published Don’t Panic, a best selling book aimed at persuading emigrant South Africans to return home. In June 2008 I then founded The Trust, an NGO focused on assisting charities access skills and capital. In 2009, I was named as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. In June 2012 I published Mobinomics; the story of Mxit and mobile in Africa.

My idea worth spreading to present at TEDxCapeTown 2012 is about the impact of anonymity in low-income communities in South Africa, particularly as it applies to mobile social networks.