Greetings!
This sounds like an exciting opportunity on campus for those interested in
approriate technology development.
-Tim

Mari Ostendorf wrote:

> Tim,
> I've included the seminar announcement below that I mentioned the weekend.
> I'm working on the schedule of meetings for Jim tomorrow and will let you know
> what times are left tomorrow afternoon, but there will probably be some open
> times on Weds and Thurs afternoons (April 2-3). Sorry for the late notice.
> If nothing works out for this week and someone wants an email contact I'm
> happy to help. For more information on Benetech, see www.benetech.org.
>
> Mari
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------
> UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
> Seattle, WA 98195
>
> Department of Electrical Engineering
> Box 352500
> talk@...
>
> COLLOQUIUM
>
> SPEAKER: Jim Fruchterman, Benetech
>
> HOST: Mari Ostendorf
>
> TITLE: "Saving the World with Technology: How to do Socially Beneficial
> Applications"
>
> DATE: Thursday, April 3, 2003
>
> TIME: 10:30 - 11:30 a.m. (Refreshments to follow)
>
> PLACE: EE 125
>
> Abstract:
> Technology has great power to serve humanity. However, many socially
> beneficial applications don't offer the 40% a year return on investment that
> venture capitalists need to finance a start-up. Benetech offers a new model
> for bridging the gap between possibility and profitability by running social
> enterprises inside a nonprofit. Operated like regular high technology
> businesses, these efforts build technology tools, content and services for the
> communities who are most in need, but less able to pay. With a financial goal
> of eventually breaking even to assure long-term sustainability, Benetech can
> focus on meeting the needs of people generally ignored by the technology
> industry.
>
> This talk will explore how to make social technology ventures viable, with
> successful examples of social enterprises spanning a wide range of
> applications from assisting the disabled to promoting human rights and
> delivering pharmaceuticals for diseases that western pharma companies can't
> afford to cure. These and other similar projects need to get done even if they
> can't make somebody wealthy. By combining solid technology and business
> skills, it is possible to make these happen with philanthropic rather than
> venture capital.
>
> Biography
> A successful and seasoned technology entrepreneur, Jim Fruchterman has been a
> rocket scientist, founded two of the foremost optical character recognition
> companies, and developed a successful line of reading machines. Fruchterman
> co-founded Calera Recognition Systems in 1982, raising more than $25 million
> in venture capital. Calera developed character recognition that would allow
> computers to read virtually all printed text. In 1989, Fruchterman founded
> Arkenstone, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit social enterprise, to produce reading
> machines for the disabled community based on the Calera technology. Following
> the sale of the Arkenstone product line in 2000, Fruchterman used all of the
> resulting capital to found Benetech, with an explicit goal to use power of
> technology to serve humanity. Fruchterman has also been active in public
> service, with two stints on U.S. federal advisory committees. Fruchterman was
> named as an Outstanding Social Entrepreneur 2003 by the Schwab Foundation and,
> as such, participated in the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland in
> January 2003. He also received the Robert F. Bray Award from the American
> Council of the Blind in recognition of his outstanding efforts to make
> literary works accessible to people who are blind or visually impaired. In
> addition, Fruchterman is a cofounder, director and the chief financial officer
> for RAF Technology, Inc., America's leading high-end OCR technology company,
> used by the United States Postal Service to route the mail. RAF is based in
> Redmond, WA.
>
> The University of Washington is committed to providing access, equal
> opportunity and reasonable accommodation in its services, programs,
> activities, education and employment for individuals with disabilities. To
> request disability accommodation, contact the Disability Services Office at
> least ten (10) days in advance of the event at (206) 543-6450/V, (206)
> 543-6452/TTY, (206) 685-3885/FAX, or by email: access@....
>
> Email: talk@...
> Website: http://www.ee.washington.edu/research/colloquium/
>

--




Tim K. Takaro, MD.
Occupational and Environmental Medicine
University of Washington
4225 Roosevelt Way NE, Suite 100
Seattle, WA 98195
(206) 616-7458
616-4875 (FAX)