May 6, 2015 - Read the full GoodCrowdinfo article and watch the interview here: http://bit.ly/1OVewoH. Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwitunes or on Stitcher by clicking here: http://bit.ly/ymotwstitcher. Recently, I came across a Kickstarter campaign for the Endless computer and it really got me excited. While I often back Kickstarter campaigns, this was the first time I did so just to get in touch with the founders so I could talk to them on my show! Matt Dalio is the genius behind Endless. He explains the company mission this way, “Ask a person in the developed world whether people in emerging markets want computers, and their guess will often ‘why would they need it?’ Then ask someone in the developing world whether they want a computer and they will tell you ‘of course I want a computer!’ People who can’t afford today’s computers want the same things we do, they just want it to be made for them. Currently, that’s not an option, and that’s where Endless comes in.” “To have truly scalable impact, we need a scalable business model. The sort of scale that one can achieve is much harder as a non-profit. To use a crude measure of impact, to raise a million dollars as a non-profit is hard and to raise a hundred million dollars is virtually impossible,” he continues. “However, if one can generate a profitable return on investment, those resources are readily available. Most importantly, if people can buy the devices, you can reach a whole lot more people than if you have to donate them.” Matt concludes, “While the market for technology in emerging markets is competitive, Endless has opted to work from a bottom up approach as opposed to the more common approach of trickle down technology. We built an operating system and a device that is designed specifically for our target market so they won’t have to adapt. While there are good desktop computers for the developed world, there is currently not a viable desktop solution for a user in an emerging market. Hence, the fact that 4.4 billion people can’t afford a computer. We hope to solve that.” Please consider whether a friend or colleague might benefit from this piece and, if so, share it.
#242: Endless Reinvents Computer; Targets Developing Countries