Speaker Bio
Sebastien Codeville is CEO of KaiOS Technologies, the company behind an ecosystem of afford- able digital products and services empowering people around the world through technology.
KaiOS solution enables mobile manufacturers to design a new category of affordable internet- capable phones called Smart Feature Phones, which combine the key characteristics of smartphones (internet, 4G, GPS, WIFI, payment and popular apps such as Youtube or WhatsApp) and the key characteristics of basic phones (affordability, robustness, long battery life).
KaiOS platform includes the Operating System itself, but also an application store/ecosystem, a data analytics platform, an advertising platform, and a financing platform.
Under Sebastien’s leadership, KaiOS experienced and explosive growth, with more than 175 mil- lion devices shipped. Through partnerships with Orange, AT&T, Verizon, HMD, Jazz, MTN, Vodacom, and Transsion, KaiOS-powered devices have been shipped around the world to the U.S., India, Pakistan, Tanzania, Nigeria, Mexico.
As CEO, Sebastien’s responsibilities include corporate direction, developing new business part- nerships to accelerate global deployment, and attracting key talent to the organization.
He oversees KaiOS Technologies’ seven offices around the world, including the U.S., China, India, and France to facilitate the expansion.
Under his leadership, KaiOS has recently been recognized by the Red Dot for its design excel- lence in the Interface and User Experience category. Last year, the company was ranked at #11 on Fast Company’s Top 50 Most Innovative Companies list, as well as #1 in the Consumer Elec- tronics category. It was also the proud winner of GSMA’s GLOMO Awards 2020 in the category of Best Mobile Technology Breakthrough. In 2019, the company was ranked among TIME’s Best Inventions in the Social Good category and has won several other awards, including the “Chang- ing Lives Award” at AfricaCom.
Prior to his role as CEO at KaiOS Technologies, Sebastien spent 15 years in various management position in the telecom industry with TCL, Philips Semiconductors, and Alcatel.
Sebastien holds an MBA from HEC Paris and a Master’s degree in Electronic Engineering from ISEN France.