Many moons ago, during two happy years as a Visiting Fellow at Stanford University, I had the pleasure of meeting more than my fair share of Valley multi-millionaires (and the odd billionaire). Back in those days there were plenty of them about and many – after years of playing nasty as they built their businesses – decided it might be a good idea to develop a bit of a conscience and do something good with all their wealth. I enjoyed sharing my work with them, explaining how emerging mobile technology was helping reshape the humanitarian and conservation sectors, and how FrontlineSMS was at the forefront of much of it. I could never have done what they’d achieved, but I did get some comfort knowing that their work hadn’t had the kind of positive impact mine had.
One thing constantly niggled me back then though, and twenty years later it still does. Meeting those wealthy individuals who only decided to turn their attention to making the world a better place after they’d got rich, made me wonder if I’d done things the right way round. While they were ruthlessly building their startups, I was either building schools or doing conservation work in East Africa or running primate sanctuaries in Nigeria. While I was busy laying the foundations for a career in social impact, opportunities to join the tech boom and make a few quid were passing me by.
Would it have been better for me to try and make some serious money like them, and only then focus on doing good?
When I did eventually do something impactful with FrontlineSMS, when I stepped back people assumed I’d got rich from it. After all, it was incredibly successful and had scaled to just about every country on earth. But the reality was very different. FrontlineSMS was always a free tool, it had no business model behind it, and when I stepped away there was no big pay day.
I now look back with envy at those who are able to self-fund their ideas. As I reflect on a lengthy career trying to do the right thing – while at the same time looking at how messed up the world has become – the need feels greater than ever. At a time in my life when I should probably be stepping back and slowing down, I’m as engaged and motivated and driven than ever.
So, if you’re reading this and by some crazy twist of fate we happened to have met in the Valley in 2007 or 2008, and you’re still looking to invest some of your hard-earned cash in doing a little good in the world, I’d love to talk. In the new year I’ll be throwing everything I’ve got at my new project, apathy to action, and I could do with a little help.
To do that I’m seeking a small amount of seed funding from a high-net-worth individual, an angel investor or a charitable foundation who sees both the urgent need and the enormous potential. The funding will give me six months to fully focus on building out the core concepts for the app and website, refreshing my coding skills, and preparing the platform for private beta release.