nvntrRESPONSE

David is a multifarious designer, inventor, product developer, parallel entrepreneur, technologist, strategist, and futurist working with renewables since the ‘70s. 

He advocates for the Circular Economy, solar generators, biomimicry, generative design, advanced manufacturing, bio-based plastics, AI, AR, VR, and IoT. 

David started working on behalf of inventors in 1986: counseling, upgrading a newsletter, publishing a magazine (Invent!), consulting, and is most recently founder and CEO of nvntr Inc. with related projects organizing and applying the world’s inventive genius to the world’s problems. 

He is also a notorious haiku master.

1. There is a "chaos chasm" between first-responders and front-line heroes needing all viable solutions and an organized creative community who can collaboratively provide those solutions.
2. nvntrRESPONSE is a platform that provides (a) connection, communication, and collaboration; (b) public posting of challenge and solution responses; (c) vetted solutions triggering funding as needed, and (d) assisting the manufacturing and distribution of funded solutions.
3. Although our community is focused on inventors and innovators, this powerful resource embraces inventors in all countries, of all ages, and all genders to collaborate on common solutions that provide health, protection, comfort, and aid for our fellow humans.

Hundreds of thousands of first-responders and healthcare workers have to accept one-size-fits-all solutions, products that don't fit or don't work as "advertised," or are forced to improvise or do without if the products they need are not available/accessible/affordable. This situation affects, in turn, millions of people they are trying to treat/inform/assist/help. For the COVID-19 crisis, this literally affects people in every country on the planet. 

nvntrRESPONSE is a secure, distributed platform that:

1. solution providers can use to connect, communicate, and collaborate with each other, as well as find information, statistics, and other cogent resources
2. enables the posting of challenge and solution responses so anyone can see the status and contribute
3. vetted solutions trigger funding as needed from pooled funds
4. assists in the manufacturing and distribution of funded solutions

nvntrRESPONSE serves both sides of the problem, which is lack of or mis-communication, lack of organization, individual or siloed efforts, and no secure platform for either side to collaborate on. On one side you have first-responders, healthcare workers, and front-line workers who provide services for citizens. On the other side you have a global creative community who either have solutions for better equipment, more protective apparel, helpful data/algorithms, or for challenges what have no good, current solutions. In addition, the secure, distributed platform provides transparency so bad actors cannot corrupt the platform or the solutions provided. Example: we are working with a front-line nurse who is trying to better protect herself and her coworkers with face masks, shields, and other PPE that meet their specific needs for safety, protection, sterility, and recyclability — specific example: nearly all available face shields do not cover the ears and necks of nurses working in close quarters with patients who are very ill in advanced stages of COVID-19, intubated and on ventilators. 

Awareness is Step One. Having a platform where those seeking specific solutions can fully express these challenges within a creative community equipped to respond to those challenges. The current Coronavirus pandemic is very likely not the last pandemic or other crisis that the human race will have to deal with. The intention of nvntrRESPONSE is to maintain its crisis-response platform to build on what we collectively learn is current and past crises so we are better prepared to respond to the next crisis. 

nvntr Inc. is a startup that has been building its team and readiness to receive funding to address the challenges all inventors face — lack of resources: time, money, connections, direction, education, and information to get from idea to income. To do this we have been designing a platform and ecosystem where inventors/product developers worldwide can sign-on from any device to research, record, design, choose materials, prototype, build, market, and distribute their product. When COVID-19 hit in mid-March 2020, we saw the more urgent opportunity to pivot and build a similar platform to connect needs with the kind of resources we are best capable of providing.

I have a passion for helping inventors since 1986, when I started working with the nonprofit [now defunct] Inventors Workshop International Education Foundation, counseling independent inventors and upgrading their newsletter (The Lightbulb), and founding Invent! Magazine. I was the Publisher, Editor-in-Chief, and Creative Director (chief cook and bottlewasher); we bootstrapped it to 20,000 circulation in four years... best in genre. Helped create and organize the first international invention trade show. Since Invent! was folded in 1992, I've worked as a strategy consultant and industrial designer, helping hundreds of inventors move their inventions along. In 2004 I started a nonprofit — Designfluence — to work on "Products for the Other 90%," facilitating inventors and designers to work on "extreme affordability" or "frugal design" of products for global, underserved markets. In 2018, the elements of "nvntr" started coming together, and I'm dedicated to serving this creative community for the rest of my days. 

See above "Why are you passionate about your project?" and add:

• 30+ years in service to inventors 
• Dedicated to creating/inventing better tools for inventors to invent better/easier/faster
• Have several pathways to provide those tools/resources:
  • Designfluence
  • nvntr Inc.
  • nvntrMEDIA
  • nvntrRESPONSE
  • InventorCorps (.org)
• nvntrMEDIA is the media/event partner for the 2021 Silicon Valley International Invention Festival, a Geneva Invention Fair; Vice Chair of Steering Committee
• Newly-named head of IFIA (International Federation of Inventors' Associations) USA office in San Francisco — IFIA works in 80+ countries and last year hosted 55 events worldwide
• Through nvntr's affiliation with IFIA, we are partnered with WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization), MIT, and the Smithsonian's Lemelson Innovation Center

Perserverence: 

• Bootstrapped Invent! Magazine until forced to fold it due to lack of capital
• Kept learning from and working with independent inventors
• Started Designfluence to work on inventions/products for the poorest of the poor — now "dark" due to lack of funds
• Started nvntr Inc. and have attracted a stellar team and advisors, building relationships and partnerships toward funding
• Running out of funds, we landed contracts to provide media/event support for an international invention festival at the Santa Clara Convention Center
• COVID-19 hit and all conventions, festivals, and large gatherings were cancelled, so we created nvntrRESPONSE to provide solutions for this crisis

I was Publisher, Editor-in-Chief, as well as Creative Director for Invent! Magazine, creating interest from inventors worldwide, with the support of a small nonprofit membership, one part-time assistant, and one part-time salesperson. Bootstrapped on limited funding, we built it to 20,000 circulation and best-in-class magazine, with international subscribers. (It was so popular, people would steal it from library shelves... providing replacement copies alone was a drain on funds!)

nvntr Inc. is a Delaware C-corporation; nvntrRESPONSE is a side-pivot for nvntr Inc. to keep moving forward while building more urgently-needed tools for the current and future crises. 

Instead of focusing on one finite product/project, we are building a platform to support cogent information, 

1. A handful through personal and partner relationships currently
2. 100,000 in one year
3. 1,000,000+ in five years

IFIA (International Federation of Inventors Associations): David is head of the IFIA USA office, connecting Silicon Valley with Geneva to bring broader opportunities to inventors worldwide. 

Sponsorships and grants leading to a subscription model as we develop benefits on the platform. 

We have a great team, advisors, and partnerships. We lack the funds to pay for outside services, engineers, and salaries.