Find out more about our inspiring speakers!
Adrian Wegener
Adrian is the founder and CEO of the @Eye Build It GmbH that addresses and builds internationally recognized solutions for an digital inclusive world. He has won about a dozen awards by the German government, European Union, United Nations and many more for his work as a founderin the field of universal and inclusive design. Additionally he is the chairman of the board for @gamesAHEAD e.V. a games industry association that supports founders and addresses various social issues through technology transfer.
In which way can technology develop in order to improve our society?
Technology and it’s developers need to work towards digital inclusivity thatenables everyone with and without disabilities to take part in this bright and highlytechnical world we see unfolding before us.
What doesstanding on aTEDx stage mean for you? What does stimulate you to participate at our conference?
To talk about the field of digital inclusion on a TEDx stage means to bring thisextraordinary important topic to an audience of existing and future changemakers
Lena Schaumann
My name is Lena and I am an entrepreneur's child as well as a child from the century of digitalization. I am currently taking over our family business as 4th generation and of course one of my big topics is implementing modern technology & connect it with the traditions of our firm. In this process I learned that the most crucial thing in this process are the people. Without their vision, their engagement and their willing to design and perform, the best technology is useless or at least very hard to implement. That’s why I decided to always put my people first, because I am convinced, that this approach will always lead us to the best results and is needed to get the best out of technology.
In which way can technology develop in order to improve our society?
In my eyes technology can improve society bysolvingall the tasks and problems it can simply do better and therefore give us time, money and space to work on the really important topics and tasks that need humanity more than anything: Such asdiversity, sustainability, female empowerment and so on.
What doesstanding on a TEDx stage mean for you? What does stimulate you to participate at our conference?
Standing on a TEDx stage means so much for me. Ever since I was 16 or 17, I've been watching TED talks and started dreaming of standing on this stage at one point of my life. To be honest, I never considered that I would actually come to a point where I have to say something that would be of interest on this special stage. Being a speaker at TEDx and knowing that I do have a message to share makes me beyond proud of myself and the way I've gone so far.
Zachary Goldberg
Zachary Goldberg is a philosopher whose research focuses on the ethical design and use of new technology.
In which way can technology develop in order to improve our society?
The diverse uses of new technologies in a pluralistic society obscures a clear answer to this important question. For this reason, it is paramount to continue asking this question rather than believing we have found its definitive answer. Questioning ourselves and our actions guards against ethical complacency and can help lead to the design and use of technology for the good of society.
What does standing on a TEDx stage mean for you? What does stimulate you to participate at our conference?
I am honored and thrilled to stand on the TEDx stage and to contribute to its environment of learning and to the discovery of new perspectives. The first step toward wisdom is wonder, and I hope I can spark a bit of wonder in my audience.
Dr. Stefan Carsten
As a futurist and urban geographer, I combine the topics of the future, the city and mobility in my work. The future is both a perspective and a method for questioning and uncovering current urban, mobility and living environments. The combination of space and time makes it possible to respond to known challengeswith new perspectives to shape sustainable future societies.
In which way can technology develop in order to improve our society?
In our lived realities, we have to ask ourselves again and again: what kind of society do we actually want to live in? And how do technologies help or hinder these goals. Technologies are always just tools, methods that can help us shape the future differently, better than in the past. Technologies can never be more than that. If we manage to ask the right questions, we are able to understand how technology can support us on this journey.
What does standing on aTEDx stage mean for you? What does stimulate you to participate at our conference?
Presenting my ideas and my perspectives on society to an international audience is the prerequisite for a mutual understanding of opportunities and challenges that are confronting our daily lives.
Sharon Telewa
Sharon trained as a Telecommunications and Information engineer, has worked in product management, strategy development, program and innovation management, and is a passionate ICT4D advocate. She is a founding member of the Kenya Flying Labs and recently founded the Jedimu Elimu Trust to support education and economic empowerment projects in her community.
In which way can technology develop in order to improve our society?
Technology is one of the most powerful tools in achieving the promise of the 2030 development agenda “Leave no one behind”. For communities that are living in over-exploited and consequently under developed regions of the world, it is critical that we explore the correct application of technology solutions to address challenges and create opportunities for better education, healthcare, disaster management and overall to empower communities out of material poverty.
What does standing on aTEDx stage mean for you? What does stimulate you to participate at ourconference?
Standing on a TEDx stage for me is about sharing, connecting and learning. Participating in the TEDx conference is an opportunity to share and connect with other people who have the same passion, while learning from them and sparking an interest in those who are also curious to learn something new.
Traci Ruble
Traci Ruble has been practicing psychotherapy for 17 years, founded a Silicon Valley psychotherapy magazine called PSYCHED Magazine, and started a global human connection movement in 2015 where people listen to strangers on the street called Sidewalk Talk. Her mission is to teach and inspire healthy human connection. She is a recent transplant from San Francisco, CA to Heidelberg, Germany.
In which way can technology develop in order to improve our society?
When technology is more than an intellectual and profit earning pursuit but rather a means to further collaborate, cultivate belonging, and a means to live together in wholeness and harmony with each other and the earth, it can be a force for good in the world.
What does standing on a TEDx stage mean for you? What does stimulate you to participate at ourconference?
It means being real and vulnerable about how my life experiences–achievements, mistakes, and lessons, could make someone else’s life better. For years I had been nudged to give a TEDx talk. I finally felt I had reached a place of humility and experience that I had something to offer.