TMS "Teddy" Ruge

TMS “Teddy” Ruge is the cofounder of Project Diaspora, an online platform and blog for mobilizing, engaging and motivating members of Africa Diaspora to engage in matters important to the continent’s development. A technology enthusiast, Ruge writes and speaks extensively on Africa’s current renaissance driven by technology, youth and the Diaspora. He is a frequent contributor to several online publications including CNN, New York Times, PopTech, The Globe and Mail, and The Guardian. In January 2012, he was awarded a ‘Champion of Change’ award by the White House for his community development work in East Africa.

His work includes serving as a founding board member of Hive Colab in Kampala, Uganda -- a co-working space for young digital entrepreneurs working on web applications in Uganda. As an active social entrepreneur, he is a director and shareholder in Uganda Medicinal Plants Growers, ltd., an agricultural start up dedicated to the value-added export of indigenous medicinal crops. Ruge is also the host of The Digital Continent Podcast, an interview podcast featuring the key innovators and entrepreneurs whose work is shaping the digital economies of Africa. He is also the founder of Villages in Action, a grassroots community conference platform that brings the microphone to the villagers, so their voices can also be heard.

He was born in Masindi, Uganda and grew up in Uganda, Kenya and the United States.