Eggs 267: Starting and scaling a business during a global pandemic with Ian Foster

Since that time, Ian’s journey took a turn for the entrepreneurial. , While finishing his Master's internship as a social work counselor when COVID-19 hit, he and his fellow interns transitioned to remote counseling using video-conferencing technology, but they quickly discovered the quality of the relationships they’d built with their patients was beginning to suffer.

Ian stumbled upon the simple fact that the screen edge cameras commonly used today created a “focal dilemma.” A major part of interpersonal communication relies on making and sustaining eye contact, ut nearly every built-in webcam makes that very challenging. That insight birthed Center Cam, a webcam that hangs to the center of your screen, allowing you to look right into the eyes of the person you are talking with online. It was a simple fix to an important problem.

Joining us today to talk about his exciting new invention, the challenges he had to overcome in producing a technology-driven product amidst a global pandemic, and how he manages to raise more than 2.2 million dollars for his idea by crowdsourcing on IndieGogo. Please join us in welcoming back friend of the show, Ian Foster.