Founders

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Michel Bauwens

Michel Bauwens launched the observatory, curation efforts, and p2p analysis as a key lever for social change, which was at the origin of the launch of the P2P Foundation as a formal organization, with the help of James Burke.

"Michel Bauwens is the founder of the Foundation for Peer-to-Peer Alternatives and works in collaboration with a global group of researchers in the exploration of peer production, governance, and property. He has co-produced the 3-hour TV documentary Technocalyps with Frank Theys, and co-edited the two-volume book on anthropology of digital society with Salvino Salvaggio. Michel is currently Primavera Research Fellow at the University of Amsterdam and external expert at the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences (2008, 2012). In Belgium, he published a best-selling interview transcript, with Jean Lievens, 'De Wereld Redden, met peer to peer naar een post-kapitalistische samenleving', which is nearing its third printing after a few weeks (February 2014), with an updated French-language edition, 'Sauver le Monde'. Palgrave-Macmillan produced an academic book, co-written with Vasilis Kostakis: "Network Society and Future Scenarios for a Collaborative Economy"

Michel Bauwens is a member of the Board of the Union of International Associations (Brussels), advisor to Ouishare (Paris) and Shareable magazine (San Francisco), to Zumbara Time Bank (Istanbul) and ShareLex. He is also scientific advisor to the "Association Les Rencontres du Mont-Blanc, Forum International des Dirigeants de l’Economie Sociale et Solidaire" (2013-) and in the Advisory Board for the 'Fourth International Conference on Degrowth for Ecological Sustainability and Social Equity'. He functioned as the Chair of the Technology/ICT working group, Hangwa Forum (Beijing, Sichuan), to develop economic policies for long-term resilience, including through distributed manufacturing. He writes editorials for Al Jazeera English [1]. He is listed at #82, on the Post Growth Institute (En)Rich list, http://enrichlist.org/the-list/ . In the first semester of 2014, Michel Bauwens was the research director of the transition project towards the social knowledge economy, an official project in Ecuador (see floksociety.org). This project produced a first integrated Commons Transition Plan for the government of Ecuador, in order to create a 'social knowledge economy', with fifteen associated policy papers. The strategic framing of the plan is available at http://commonstransition.org . In the spring and summer of 2016, Michel is Honorary Fellow/Visiting Scholar with the Havens Center at UW-Madison, as an 'activist in resident' funded by the Link Foundation, to produce a major rewrite of the 2005 P2P Manifesto, 'P2P and Human Evolution', in the context of the Real Utopias series edited by Erik Olin Wright.

Michel currently lives in Chiang Mai, Thailand, has taught at Payap University and Dhurakij Pandit University's International College, as well as IBICT, Rio de Janeiro. He is a founding member of the Commons Strategies Group, with Silke Helfrich and David Bollier, organizing major global conferences on the commons and its economics. In his first business career, Michel worked for USIA, British Petroleum, riverland Publications, Belgacom, and created two internet start-ups, respectively on intranet/extranets (E-Com) and interactive marketing (KyberCo), which were sold to Alcatel and Tagora Holdings."

James Burke

James Burke has provided vital and ongoing support as an active member and coordinator of the P2P Foundation, in particular of its legal and administrative existence in Amsterdam.


James Burke (1971)
writes:

I live in Amsterdam, where i run the P2P Foundation together with Michel Bauwens. My role is managing the technology side of the present platform of blogs and wiki while doing the odd bit of writing and editing. I am the official secretary and sort of CTO.

The P2P Foundation is a legal entity registered in the Netherlands under Dutch Law. It is comprised of 5 core members although we rotate annually(actually this has never happened due to not having had any decision-making moments beyond accepting a blog post comment or managing a few unruly users, therefore switching these official roles had no meaning and would cost money and time. When and if this becomes a necessary action, for whatever reason, then we will gladly switch roles and responsibilities). Currently this consists of Michel in Thailand and myself in the Netherlands plus Natalie Pang - in Australia, Salvino Salvaggio - in Quatar and Sam Rose - in the USA comprising our board team.

Work
I am a freelance information architect/experience designer under the moniker,Lifesized working for startups (NARB is actually my own startup, focusing on art]and design agencies. I have also recently been working in the government sector as a strategist and leader in pushing for open architectures and data to improve public services and political transparency guidelines on how to open up government data - site in Dutch. I'm keeping the Netherlands honest in organizing events bringing geeks and civil servants together, Hack the government - site in Dutch).

Before this i founded the Roomware Project with Tijs Teulings and Robert Gaal. We have developed a way to make a room or space more interactive. It's an open-source framework for interactive spaces. It connects a bunch of inputs: from motion detectors and light switches, Bluetooth, RFID, WIFI and produces a simple output that any developer can use to build an application from.

My background
I studied a BA in Archaeology and International Relations at Boston University(incomplete), USA.
Worked as a professional baker and as a chef in restaurants for 6 years including 2 years in the Supperclub
5 years working as a flash animator and coder for design agencies.

Awards
Spin Awards 2008 for Best Mobile Concept - for Hyves Party.
Yu-Gi-Oh! GXGroove Room - Time magazine coolest sites 2006!

Contact

W: www.lifesized.net E: lifesizedATgmail.com Flickr : My Lifestream in Photos


Brice Le Blevennec

Brice provided vital technical support for our launch, but has not been an active member of the Foundation afterwards

I am 39 (born 23/09/67), single with one child. I'm based in Brussels Belgium. In (very tiny) Belgium I'm known as a serial entrepreneur, techno geek and media guru. More about me on my blog, photoblog, wiki, linkblog, Emakina and ContactOffice. I define myself better by what I did until today...

  • 1989-1990 Freelance infographist in agencies Paparazzi, Twogether, Groupe G,...
  • 1991 founded Ex Machina S.P.R.L. Below-the-line studio.
  • 1992 first interactive kiosks with touch screen and video in belgium (Swatch)
  • 1993 first digital video TV-Show edited on a Mac broadcasted (Canal +, JAADTOLY)
  • 1994 first belgian CD-ROM consumer title (Le Mystere Magritte), win several awards
  • 1995 first ‘non-ISP’ websites online in belgium (SonyMusic, Dupuis, …)
  • 1996 start producing and presenting the weekly radio-show CyberCafe for Radio 21
  • 1997 CyberCafe become a tv-show about technologies on La Deux (R.T.B.F.)
  • 1998 Split Ex Machina S.P.R.L. in 3 specialized companies. (Ex Machina Interactive Architects S.A., Web Agency ; Ex Machina Graphic Design S.P.R.L., below-the-line studio & Ex Nihilo S.A., holding)
  • 1999 founded ContactOffice Group S.A., (web based groupware)
  • 2000 founded Ex Machina Television S.P.R.L. (TV and Radio Production)
  • 2001 Merge Ex Machina Interactive Architects S.A. with Emalaya S.A. to form Emakina S.A.
  • 2002 founded Ex Tempore S.P.R.L.
  • 2002 launched ContactOffice France
  • 2003 launched Emakina France
  • 2003 launched ContactOffice Netherlands
  • 2004 start producing and presenting the weekly radio show "Single" broadcasted on PureFM.
  • 2005 Emakina acquire B. On The Net S.P.R.L. (rendez-vous.be, immoweb.be, ...)
  • 2006 Emakina listed on Alternext (ALEMK)
  • 2007 Emakina acquire Design is Dead S.P.R.L. (Antwerpen)
  • 2007 acquisition of Convergences S.A.
  • 2007 founded Tunz S.A., a P2P mobile payment system

Today Emakina is the first Web Agency in Belgium and listed on Alternext (ALEMK). My goal : open more countries and get to European level. ContactOffice is leader in the education market. My goal: grab the global leadership in online groupware.