Connecting the unconnected

“Let’s create something valuable.”

Jorge met his co-founders at an international hackathon in a team, where they together represented Mexico. As they were the only team not having access to wifi, on the way to the hackathon, they came up with the idea of building a product – an app – that will work without the internet. A few years later, this idea became a company called Bridgefy.

What is Bridgefy?

Bridgefy is connecting the unconnected by providing companies with software that makes mobile apps work without the internet. We license our software to companies and they can integrate it into their mobile apps and the end-users then simply can use those without the internet. The way it works is instead of using the internet, we connect devices using Bluetooth and thus allow for a regional and national network. With Bluetooth, you can connect over 150 meters and by hopping on other devices, we can also connect over larger distances. It’s basically a chain of devices that allows for communication without having access to the internet. Everything is secure and Bluetooth is also very energy efficient.

In which parts of the world is your app used mostly? Or on which occasions?

Right now we are trending in India, because of the Kashmir conflicts. Last year, we were trending in Mexico City because of the earthquake and then in Iran and Hong Kong because of the political protests. These are some examples, but I would say that generally when people know that they’re going to be in a large event, that’s when they think of Bridgefy. And it’s not only for political events but also for music festivals. We have a lot of download spikes whenever there’s going to be a large music festival, like Coachella.

What about regions with generally bad access, like some rural areas, is this an area of interest?

It definitely is. We actually met with the United Nations this year and we hope to be starting several projects with them in which we help people in the developing regions. We know that we can promote economic and social development with our technology. If people are able to buy or sell things, have a network for logistics or receive educational content – this can make the difference and boost development. We can provide people with this infrastructure in an accessible and easy way and we know that we can make a difference. So we’re really excited about what’s going to happen in this regard.

What is your connection to the Sustainable Development Goals?

Bridgefy’s technology addresses multiple development goals, including the reduction of poverty, the creation of infrastructure and to boost economic growth. If we create this network and provide people with tools, then it will allow them to address several problems. We’re not focused on just one goal, we’re focused on providing people with the infrastructure to solve as many problems as possible. This includes doing a better job or finding a job, being able to participate in commerce, receive educational content, and staying safe during natural disasters or a refugee camp. That’s why we’re really convinced we are a perfect partner for the United Nations, as the majority of their agenda is aligned with ours.

What do you think is or was your biggest challenge as a founder?

This year, the biggest challenge was adapting to all the COVID-19 changes. Now people don’t go to events or protests, so downloads went down significantly. We had to learn, investigate, and adapt to this and find new ways of managing the company. We saw that we can’t just keep depending on large events, as they won’t be happening anytime soon.

Our biggest problem still is that many people, especially with a privileged background, don’t believe that this is a problem we’re trying to solve. They don’t know that so many people need access to means of communication. They think that everybody has access to the internet, always, because they do. That’s something that we’re constantly trying to educate people on. We have to raise awareness so that people understand how important and how needed this is for everybody.

What do you love most about being the founder of Bridgefy?

My favorite thing is to get feedback from the app users, especially when they say things like “Thanks to this app, I was able to go to this concert and I lost my girlfriend and I found her again” or “Thanks to this app, l could find my family, after the Mexico City earthquake”. When receiving this feedback, I’m getting that sense of actually helping people and this is definitely my favorite part.

What was your best moment as a founder?

I would say convincing Biz Stone, one of the Twitter founders, to invest in Bridgefy. He is the high technology world superstar and has already built several million dollar companies and is invested in Slack, Square, and many more. Convincing somebody important is a really cool experience. I like counting on him as one of our investors and one of our advisors. What is also very important to me is being able to build a team that I like working with every day and being able to keep that team.

Do you have some established habits or routines with your team to have a good team culture?

Yes. Every day we check-in at 9 am on Slack to know how everybody is doing and if anyone needs help with anything. I also encourage my team to be honest and say if they don’t feel like it. Everyone should be able to express it and not having to hide anything. Some days you just simply don’t want to work and that’s totally okay, we’re humans, we’re adults. 

Another thing we do at least once a week is having a face to face meeting to check on how the person is doing. That’s not so much about the job, because we talk the whole week about the job. It’s more about questions like “How are you? How’s your family? How are you feeling? Is there anything you need?” You know, taking care of the human part of the company is very important. Generally, I would say a lot of communication and honesty is the key.

Did you establish any habits or routines for yourself as a founder?

Yes. I learned that listening to your body and paying attention to your mind is very important. You can’t just keep working 14 hours a day, every day. If your body is asking you to rest, eat, sleep, or to simply stop thinking about work, you have to listen to it. Because in the long run it will accumulate and you can be seriously affected. You should never sacrifice your well-being for a company. Yes, you have to put all of your heart into it and you have to put all of your attention to it if you can, but not to the point where you can affect yourself on a personal basis. That’s just not worth it.

What is your advice for future founders?

So, in my opinion, there are two types of founders: the ones building companies to get money and the others to create value. The founders that create companies to make money don’t always succeed, but if you create value, then you are doing exactly the right thing to then earn money. If you create value for different people, organizations, companies or governments, then it’s much easier to make money once you’ve become an essential part of their lives/work. Whereas if you only create a company to make money, then yes, of course, you can be successful and of course, you could do it, but there are easier and faster ways of getting rich than building a tech startup. If you create value, then wealth will follow. So, let’s create something valuable. 

Learn more about Jorge Rios

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