CFOMO reposted this
Today marks a pretty big milestone with the launch my fifth startup- Skidattl! Skidattl makes it easy for anyone to place virtual signs anywhere in the world, using Augmented Reality. It's a fun, yet meaningful way to help all of us re-connect with the real world. As startup number 5 launches, I can't help but think about the other four and the amazing people I've been able to work with over the years. Starting with #Madentec - where we spent over 20 years helping people with physical disabilities, and building the thriving Assistive Technology industry with magnates like David Dikter, Arjan Khalsa, Larry Israel, Wilson Craig and so many others (#ATIA). #AbleNet, led by the incomparable Jennifer Thalhuber, took over Madentec's product line and continues to serve people with disabilities around the world magnificently. Then, of course, #Swype - the innovative text entry system on smartphones where you type by, well, swiping! Mike McSherry, Cliff Kushler, and the rest of the team built Swype to more than a billion users and an awesome exit to Nuance (now Microsoft). Along the way, we were thinking years ahead about things like pandemics when we made #Cleankeys - a glass-surfaced wipeable aseptic computer keyboard for healthcare settings. It is still being made today by #GETT and led by my great friend, Pierre Beer. Cleankeys led to #Dryft, startup #4, that I did with co-founder Rob Chaplinsky. That company lasted less than a year before being acquired by #Apple where I became an employee for the first time in my career. I had an amazing time at Apple with just too many people to list here, for fear of missing someone. What a ride it was - especially toward the end of my 7 year stretch when I led the #ExposureNotifications project during the pandemic with #Google. That was a once-in-a-lifetime project that saved thousands of lives during COVID. I've always tried to focus the use of technology on improving the human condition. So I hope it means something when I say Skidattl is the most significant startup I've done so far; it holds the promise of helping us spend less time with our heads buried in a screen, and more time engaging with the real world around us. And it lays the groundwork for rich content that will be waiting for AR Glasses when they become ubiquitous. So many studies have shown the best thing we can do for our mental and physical health is to simply get outside; go for a walk, enjoy nature, attend an event, and mix with our fellow human beings. It's a magic pill - and Skidattl is the pharmacy. :-) I'm so proud of the Skidattl team and what we've accomplished to bring this product to market: Arianna Rose, Bailey Marsden, Colten Marsden, Maxwell Swadling, Riley Mcilwain, Sara La Torre, Talon Marsden, Vernon Schierding, and our incredible team of advisors and angel investors. Lots of exciting things to come! Let's Skidattl!