In the land of Lamborghini bros and unicorns, one doesn’t usually hear about veteran tech executives who genuinely want to make the world a better place. More often than not, especially so in recent years, we hear tales of these executives selling their soul (as well as their customers’ private user data) for the sake of a billion-dollar valuation and more capital investments into their latest visionary product or idea.
As a strategic executive within the technology industry, and a 20 year practitioner of Soto Zen (who studied under the lineage of Kobun Chino Ottogawa Roshi; who was a mentor to Steve Jobs), Scott Swanson sees the world differently—a lot more differently, in fact—and he is on a mission to bring the digital technology sector back to what it was meant to be: a tool meant for humanity to bridge connections and collective improve our quality of life, rather than a tool to be used against ourselves. This is just one reason why Swanson developed Bonder, the world’s first location-based communication platform (LBCP) of its kind, as his swan song. No pun intended.
According to Swanson, all that he wishes to accomplish through the release of Bonder is to help people connect with other like-minded individuals and the things they love in the comfort of their own privacy. No ham-fisted advertisements. No collecting of his users’ personal information, no censorship, and no selling of private data to third parties.
“For over 18 years, I have helped some of the largest companies in the world vet, buy, and deploy the most advanced platforms, technology, and infrastructure to support and grow their businesses,” says Swanson, whose past is steeped in consultative solutions that challenge companies to rethink what, why, and how to integrate new technology in support of the very best outcome.
“I am inspired to evolve how we leverage technology to interact and connect with each other on a daily basis,” Swanson continues. “Seeing the misses and challenges within proximity, retail, or social technology is one thing; developing the appropriate response takes keen insight, a ton of research, and an amazing team on top of meticulous execution.”
With a Series A of capital raise now in motion with some notable names already behind it, Swanson wants to ensure that both current and potential users of his location-based communications platform receive the unedited scoop on what exactly Bonder is all about.
Unlike other, more “traditional” social media platforms, Bonder isn’t limited in its capacity to connect others based on simple likes, shares, and follows. As for how the platform earns its revenue, Bonder only takes a 10% cut from funds exchanged between vendors and users on its platform, meaning that users are never bogged down with advertisements or risk having their personal information collected and sold to third parties. In this way, Swanson’s vision for Bonder has allowed it to not only become the first location-based communication platform of its kind, but a hub of local ecosystems in which users never have to worry about risking their privacy, both online and offline.
”We sell powerful tools to retailers that benefit both the retailer and their customers, and we recoup a small percentage every time someone decides to Pay-It- Forward on our platform,” added Swanson. “It’s good money, doing good things, and it flushes out the need for an advertising model. This ensures that our users will never be used as data points or intrusively monitored.”
Swanson aims for Bonder to become a true “peoples’ platform” where its users can foster deeper and more meaningful connections—be they personal or professional—by connecting users to like-minded individuals in their own local communities. Since its soft under-the-radar launch in January earlier this year, Bonder’s user base has grown with hundreds of new users from all over the world each week.
One of the most fascinating aspects of Bonder’s steady growth and initial success has been in large part due to Swanson’s vision of the platform where users can easily connect with not only other personal users in their communities, but local retail businesses in their communities as well. In doing so, Bonder’s users can be given additional benefits from shopping with local retailers in their communities, who in turn reward those users with deals and discounts they may not otherwise receive except through Bonder itself.
Similarly, Bonder’s users can likewise build and strengthen relationships in their own individual networks by connecting with like-minded individuals local to their communities through the platform’s “Point, Click, and Message” feature. Users can also join local community groups and topic-driven conversations, and even offer gift cards or other charitable contributions to those in their network.
“It’s a platform that creates community with purpose and instantly connects like-minded people,” Swanson tells us, “Bonder is about ecosystems, not followers. Our vision is to build a massive ecosystem of people helping people, and more efficiently coming together in the most positive and productive way possible.”
“We didn’t just build an App; we’ve developed an empowering utility that will evolve how we interact with each other one kind gesture and positive experience at a time.”
Find out more about Bonder here.
