Smartup Zero
A Smartup is a collective that democratically creates, owns and governs a technology that helps communities progress on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Smartup Zero is the first Smartup. Here you can learn everything you need to know about it’s technological proposition in the Official Smartup Zero Business Plan and decide if you want to support this project and/or join it.
We are creating a network technology for overcoming communication challenges in the wake of our rapidly changing natural and cultural climates.
It operates autonomously, independently and free from external hardware or software dependencies, exemplifying its innovative and resilient potential for the many challenges our communities face now and in the coming decades. This technology has two components:
1. a network protocol that can establish mobile ad-hoc networks without relying on the internet (Onlive) and
2. a browser that allows people to experience and use the network (Deckpack).
It's novel transient network protocol designed for smartphones forming dynamic groups within a shared physical context, omitting the need for traditional servers, transmission towers, or even satellites. Operating independently of standard internet infrastructure, the protocol enables connectivity based on the prevalence of mobile phones in a specific area..
Deckpack is an app for Android and IOS. It's the first browser for the Onlive network protocol. It allows people to experience and use the Onlive network. The app allows users to host their own networks or join the networks of others. In those networks people can use group-specific software and share interactions via a card-based UI for sharing, collecting and trading of content and data.
This version of the Official Smartup Business Plan (OSBP) contains the following chapters :
The technology of a Smartup must contribute to at least one of United Nations Sustainability Goals. Find out what goals Smartup Zero contributes to.
Onlive runs on the smartphones that are in the same area. It’s a mobile ad-hoc network protocol capable of establishing local private networks for rapid data sharing in areas with a sufficient number of smartphones. Learn more about this protocol.
Our UX research into mobile ad hoc networks let to an innovative User Interface for the first browser of the Onlive network: Deckpack. Learn everything about this research and the results.
How the network can sustain itself is not only a question of technical nature but also one of business modelling. We’ve identified 3 potential business models that can keep Onlive self-reliable and sustainable. Read more.
We’ve done a lot of research and prototyping over the last years. There is a lot of code, papers, whitepapers and reports. Find out what has been done!
A Smartup goes through four phases. Each phase has it’s milestones. These milestones form the definition for validation. If these milestones are hit, the Smartup can pass through to the next round. Validation is the first round for every Smartup. Read more.
Best case scenario
A new tool people can use all over the world to change their systems for the better of their nature and culture & a new technology-design-template for the many more tools that we are going to need to prevent an inhabitable planet for ourselves and future generations.
I am Robbert Schep. I create collective tech. I started this project in my head 15 years ago, when studying Digital Culture at Utrecht University. In the years that followed, I tried two startups and drowned in shareholders and lawyers quickly enough. I learned my lessons and developed a different method that suited my vision for technology creation better: the Smartup model.
Now I started the first experiment to test this method. In this experiment we are exploring a new way to built technology collaboratively. It proposes a predefined process that should lead to better digital technologies that help communities solve complex natural and cultural issues they are facing. Smartup Zero is the first Smartup. It owns, creates and governs the Onlive technology. You can help me validate, design, produce and organize it.
Since I am inviting you to join an experiment in technology design. the least I can do is tell you why it’s so important to me.
Read more and/or watch my videos where I try to do the same.
I refuse to dedicate my time and energy to a system that steadfastly fails to change course, even as our ‘cruise ship’ approaches an ‘iceberg’. Instead, for the past ten years, I’ve steadfastly worked on designing an technology that can empower us to steer our own course correction and enhance our chances of survival as a species.
This is my protest—a venture into an alternate reality that is within reach. I’ve conducted research, prototyping and fund raising activities into this new frontier. I embarked on expeditions with small crews and created a solid fundament to depart from. Now we know how to get there, we require a much larger crew to go there.
We must forge ahead collectively, paving the way through this uncharted territory that is complex and rugged. We need bright, brave, and courageous people to get aboard our Smartups. Together, we can demonstrate to the world how to construct state-of-the-art, game-changing technology from the ground up.
Join me in the world’s first Smartup: Onlive. If you resonate with our vision and support what and how we are building here, consider to join this experiment.
Are you with me?
Without the drama this is my trail:
When I booted up company RSNMC I designed concepts on how smartphones could enhance live music experiences without using the Internet, such as concerts and fashion shows:
2013 – 2016 Audio watermarking applications → Groovidi (RSNMC)
2016-2017 Bluetooth Beacon applications → Vidimoda (RSNMC)
I realized that I wasn’t suited to sustain these intriguing yet gimmicky technologies as a business. Accepting my losses, I assessed what remained. On one hand, this realization confirmed that I wasn’t cut out for entrepreneurship and shouldn’t attempt it again when taking a third opportunity. On the other hand, I demonstrated through design, prototyping, and deployment that our phones can assume different roles in our lives than the roles they play now. They could serve the group instead of the individual. This idea evolved in the Onlive concept. This concept took shape through a process of thorough research, prototyping and experimentation.
2020-2022 UX prototype research → ONLIVE prototype/proof of concept (RSNMC and Erasmus +)
Now it’s time to stop researching and start building. I hope together with you.
Smartup Zero is creating a network technology that can help people all over the world to progress on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. These clear and well-researched goals serve as a frame to validate the need for a technology.
With Onlive, we take back control from big corporations and governments. No longer will decisions be dictated by those with the most money. We, the people, hold the power to shape our future.
Onlive isn't just about digital connections; it's about fostering real-world relationships and communities. It brings us together in meaningful ways, allowing us to organize and collaborate for positive change.
By harnessing the power of Onlive, we reduce our reliance on traditional infrastructure like servers and satellites. This means less strain on the environment and a more sustainable future for generations to come
Onlive sets up local networks in cities and villages – still, it's a global movement. By joining Smartup Zero, you become part of a worldwide network of like-minded individuals dedicated to restoring, protecting, and strengthening our relationship with nature.
2019 - The original vision document that explores the necessity and urgency for the idea of Smartup Zero.
2022 - An essay on Smartup Zero that explores the idea as a socio-technical system.
While being designed to connect with the internet, our smartphones are perfectly equipped to form networks themself. We’ve developed a mobile ad-hoc network protocol capable of establishing local private networks for rapid data sharing in areas with a sufficient number of smartphones. It’s particularly suited for small to medium-sized private networks during communication blackouts, such as those following natural or man-made disasters.
It outlines procedures for connecting smartphones as groups as they transition through various situations, events, and areas with their owners, establishing a transient communication infrastructure utilizing UDP. This facilitates the sharing of vital information during dire circumstances, such as natural or manmade disasters, serving as a resilient tool for communities.
Onlive empowers communities to enhance disaster response, expedite resource sharing, and foster informed discussions in classrooms, ultimately offering a self-reliant solution for navigating the impacts of a rapidly changing natural and cultural climate. The network achieves these goals without dependency on third-party hardware or software
We aim to provide an autonomous and reliable network for overcoming communication challenges in the wake of our rapidly changing natural and cultural climates.
It outlines procedures for connecting smartphones as they transition through various situations, events, and areas with their owners, establishing a transient communication infrastructure utilizing UDP
Onlive is a novel transient network protocol designed for smartphones forming dynamic groups within a shared physical context, omitting the need for traditional servers, transmission towers, or even satellites.
Onlive is designed to connect groups of people in the physical world where ever they are, focusing on a culture that restores and strengthens our relationship with nature and each other.
2024 - Webpage to create a summary and status of the Onlive-mesh research mission.
2024 - The full code repository of the Onlive-mesh protocol including documentation
To show the potential of this new network we’ve researched and prototyped a browser for Onlive. It’s called Deckpack and is an Android and IOS application that utilizes the Onlive protocol and gives it functionality. It has three elements:
Deckpack creates groups of smartphones
In those groups plugins are active to facilitate relevant and impactful functionality.
To use the plugins we've desiged a card-based UI system.
2022- A document outlining the research results of our UX research into DECKPACK.
2024 - The full code repository of the Deckpack application for Android.
Distinct from conventional models reliant on commercial investors or governmental backing, Smartups thrive on the collective support of their community through crowdfunding. By contributing to a Smartup, individuals not only become stakeholders in its mission but also actively shape its trajectory. This democratic approach not only validates the viability of the venture but also fosters a culture of collaboration and shared responsibility. Ownership in a Smartup is equitable, with each member having an equal stake, contingent upon their active involvement in its tasks. Moreover, Smartups conduct crowdfunding rounds for each phase of their journey, ensuring continuous engagement and resource allocation.
For the business case following our market entry, we have identified three models for Deckpack. The Onlive network will be supported by revenue sharing by the browsers that are made for the Network (such as Onlive). The three models for Deckpack are:
2018/2019 - Final report of the OnLive ClickNL Project: The social network of the real world - TNO & RS New Media Concepts
2019/2020 - Research into open source governance models for technology design - RS New Media Concepts
2020/2022 - Erasmus scholars worked on the Onlive prototype for Android while identifying future challenges on security and user experience- Erasmus Program & RS New Media Concepts
2023/2024 - The project aims to create an open-source ad hoc mesh network implementation for smartphones, allowing people to set up local private networks for quick data sharing - HanzeHogeschool & RS New Media Concepts
Validation is the crucial first step for a Smartup. It involves building a strong community around your solution, reaching financial goals, building teams and proving demand. This phase lays the foundation for your Smartup, proving to the world that your technology is needed and ready for design. These are the goals of Smartup Zero for the validation phase:
Essentially, a Smartup utilizes crowdfunding to finance its crowdsourcing activities. Throughout the “4 phases of creation,” the Smartup engages in continuous crowdfunding, with each phase having its own budget target and campaign strategy. A Smartup always begins with a crowdfunding campaign to validate an entrepreneurial idea.
While community-driven, a Smartup relies on its Leadership Team for day-to-day operations across the four Creation phases. Composed of team captains and the founder, they guide and energize the Smartup, making decisions and aligning through video conferences. Post-Validation, they oversee progress and budget, initiating work with their teams. During Validation, their main task is refining the OSBP, crucial for community cohesion and progress to the Design phase.
This document (for Smartup Zero it’s this website) serves as the dynamic central hub where all information about the Smartup is logged and readily accessible to all Smartup owners. It is initially provided by the entrepreneur and essentially represents the reviewed, edited, and validated business plan used to introduce the solution.
The power of a Smartup lies in the hands of its people. It operates as a democratic institution, actively involving its community in crucial decisions. The General Forum serves as a platform for communal voting and discussion on various matters related to the creation process. A Smartup can only pass through the next phase if there is a majority vote in the General Forum.
Your membership fee is required one time. Your money will become part of the Smartup Zero Workplace budget. Together with the money of other Smartup Zero members and of generous sponsors we have a budget to work on the challenging tasks.