Buspreneur interview with Joe Mellin
Published in
2 min readNov 12, 2013
Joe Mellin, a San Franciscan designer living in Sweden, is experienced in designing web based systems of employment and behaviour change. He has a strong sense of responsibility to create things that benefit humanity by, in part, supporting already existing institutions.
- Who are you? Describe yourself in 3 sentences.
I am a designer from San Francisco, currently living in Sweden, who has designed everything from wheel chairs to web based employment systems. I think that working with someone is the best way to get to know them. - What do you expect from your participation on the bus?
I expect to have my skills tested and get inspired by other great entrepreneurs. - Why Africa? Why now?
I don’t see Africa as a separate place from the rest of the world. As development and connectives accelerate, the divide between Africa and the rest of the world will fade away. - What is your area of expertise — mobile development, healthcare, or the energy sector? Please talk a little bit about how you gained this expertise…
My main area of expertise is designing web based systems of employment and behaviour change. I am a student of humanity, how we think, what we need, what invokes our emotions. I studied at Stanford University and co-founded Proven.com. I am now building the next generation of mental health treatment. - Please share an idea for a technology (mobile, health, energy) that can solve a problem/s local to the South African region.
As I have yet to be in SA, it is too early for me to say. What I am most interested in is supporting the institutions of the society that enable long term growth. These can be anything from property rights, to the ability to open a business. I think that helping strengthen these institutions is the best way towards long term prosperity. - Everyone has a special story. What is yours?
I was lucky enough to have been born in a country where I have great opportunity. The rest of my story is simply fulfilling the responsibility that comes with that great opportunity. I believe that to do that I need to create scalable systems that benefit humanity. - Are you sponsoring yourself or do you have sponsors? Please tell us about your sponsors…
I am sponsoring myself.