Marcel Heyne

I am Marcel Heyne, the CEO of the German NGO URIDU and founder of both Audiopedia and Open Source for Equality.

An internet entrepreneur for over 20 years, I started URIDU back in 2016 to develop the Audiopedia platform. Audiopedia.org is a multilingual, mobile-friendly and collaborative website for accessible, audible knowledge. Audiopedia combines appropriate and localized Social and Behavior Change Communication (SBCC) audio information with conveniently accessible hardware and software for narrowcasting.

I strongly believe that open digital tools are key to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, as they provide an accessible pathway for digital transformation in the Global South. My aim is to lay the foundations for local development of inclusive digital tools where they will ultimately be used.

This is why I created the Open Source for Equality initiative in 2022. The goal of Open Source for Equality is to promote the development and use of free and open software that bridges the digital gender gap.