Skypod Helps Loved Ones Make Memories During COVID Pandemic

Interview by Naomi K. Bonman

For the past few months, COVID-19 has drastically changed the world as we once knew it. Gatherings, birthdays, and major milestone celebrations have turned into drive-by or Zoom celebrations. In the midst of everything, a new platform, Skypod, has been helping loved ones to stay connected while #lockeddown.

Skypod is an innovative new cloud platform that allows you to record and upload personal videos, photos and other digital files to be delivered to one or more recipients and made viewable at a later date. A safe, secure, digital time capsule that can deliver memories and messages to your loved ones both during, and after life.

I recently interviewed the founder and CEO where he chatted more on his vision and mission behind the company.

Hi, Richard! For those that may be unfamiliar with you, can you give the readers a brief background of who you are, where you come from, and what you do?

I grew up in a multicultural family in public housing. My biological father passed away when I was very young, and my mother struggled to build a better life for us. I literally picked roaches from my cereal box in the morning, all the while wishing for a better life.

My whole childhood, I carried with me a deep desire to break out of the systemic poverty and inequity my family faced. I also carried with me a giant void in my heart from not having known my biological father.

After barely graduating high school, I enlisted in the US Army National Guard where I graduated top of my class in avionics school. After graduation, I was fortunate enough to build several successful businesses. While the success I achieved through business was welcome, I still carried with me a feeling that I was meant to do more with my life. I wanted to help other people find safe, affordable places to live, so I started buying multifamily buildings in Chicago and managed them using a neighborly, service-oriented approach. I’ve always put people over profits and that helped to develop mutually beneficial relationships with tenants.

I think my life’s goal has always been to help people around the world share messages, pictures, and videos with loved ones both during and after life. The strong desire stemmed from not having even a single letter or picture from my father. That’s what led me to Skypod.

What inspired you to launch Skypod, and what is it?

I was traveling a lot for my businesses, and every time I was in a plane above the clouds, I would think of my family and wonder whether I had created enough memories with them. What messages would I want to pass down to my kids? What words of wisdom would I want them to hear from me?

The more I thought about these questions, the more I wanted to develop a way to pass along those memories and messages both during and after life. That was the genesis for Skypod. Skypod is a safe, secure, encrypted digital time capsule platform. Its patent-pending technology lets people fill digital time capsules with messages, pictures, and videos which are delivered immediately but only made viewable to their loved ones at a time and date of their choosing, days or even years into the future.

Essentially, Skypod does for people’s memories and messages what wills and trusts do for people’s material possessions—it allows them to share things that matter both during and after their own life.

How can Skypod be useful amid the COVID-19 pandemic?

During these unpredictable times, Skypod wanted to help as many people as possible, especially the people who have been most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. To that end, Skypod has donated $3 Million in credits to the first 30,000 first responders, healthcare workers, doctors, nurses, and people who have fallen ill with coronavirus. To spread awareness and get these free Skypod credits in the hands of frontline workers and coronavirus patients as quickly as possible, we’ve created the Skypod Challenge.

To participate in the Skypod Challenge and help us spread the word, we are asking the public to share on their Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts a photo of someone they’ve lost and wish they could hear from again. We ask them to mention that Skypod is giving away $3 Million in Skypod credits to the first 30,000 first responders, healthcare workers, and coronavirus patients who sign up for a new account at www.Skypod.com/Together and add the hashtags #SkypodChallenge and #SkypodTogether. Finally, we ask them to nominate three other people to do the same to further help spread the word about Skypod’s donation.

What makes Skypod different from other platforms out there that may be similar? Why should people join?

Great question. Skypod uses patent-pending technology that maximizes user control, security, and experience to create digital time capsules that preserve, protect, and pass down memories and messages unlike any other platform.

Our platform is safe, secure, encrypted, and backed up. Before Skypod, precious memories were stored in phones, laptops, tablets, papers, and shoeboxes, which could easily be lost or destroyed. Skypod encrypts these important messages and memories and stores them for our users. They are then delivered immediately but only accessible by the people the creator designates at the date and time the creator chooses.

With Skypod, our technology allows people to create age-appropriate messages with separate times and dates to be accessed, months or even years in the future. This can create months or even years of anticipation with family members as they wait to access their digital time capsules, knowing their loved one left several messages for them to open.

Finally, other platforms are not as advanced as Skypod in that they require users to go through third-party approval to access information from loved ones. Our team developed patent-pending technology to protect your digital time capsules and automatically grant access to the recipients you designate on the date and time you set.

Even before COVID-19, the best way for people to build wealth and to keep it was to always start their own businesses. What is your advice for our 2020 graduates who may not be certain about what their career futures may look like? How can they start building a profitable business for themselves?

I have several pieces of advice for 2020 graduates. Build memories. Hear your grandparents’ and parents’ words of wisdom. Those words will come in handy later in life. Follow your passion, wherever it takes you. And know that you can do anything you put your mind and heart to. Your mind is the most powerful tool you have. And your heart provides the fuel that will push you beyond your limits.

Also, get started. Don’t wait until the “right time” to start. The economy will never be perfect. There will always be challenges in life, but don’t allow anything to stop you.

There are thousands of reasons to push your dreams aside and wait for “the right time.” But if you’ve done your due diligence and are passionate about making your dream a reality, roll up your sleeves and get started.

With respect to how to start a profitable business, my best advice has more to do with people than processes. There’s no one way to start and grow a business that will work for everyone.

But if you combine passion with hard work, you can figure out the details as you go. That can be challenging for new graduates. But it’s true. Keep it simple. Put your heart and soul into your business, surround yourself with good people and you’ll be able to overcome obstacles as quickly as they appear. The sooner you start, the sooner you can begin to help people with your business.

Here is some other advice I wish someone told me when I was just getting started.

You’re good enough.

I know this to be true because you’re investing time to learn from people who have created businesses before you. That tells me a lot about you. So let me be the first one to tell you: you’re good enough. Always remember to invest in yourself.

Avoid the naysayers.

If you listen to the naysayers, your dreams will die inside you. Avoid those people. And, if you can’t, don’t let their negativity stop you. Instead, fully dissect your idea, look for obstacles along the way, make a plan, and take small, smart steps forward.

It’s not about the money.

Many young business owners make two mistakes when it comes to money. First, they try to build the business that will make them the most money. Second, they try too hard to pinch pennies as they grow. Both of those are costly mistakes.

Instead, build the business you’re most passionate about, and surround yourself with the right people. Make the best investments you can with the money you have available. If you do, others will be much more willing to invest in you, too.

Be bold and unafraid to ask for help.

You’d be surprised how many successful people are willing to give free advice and free help. All you need to do is be bold and ask.

Your company is donating $3 Million in credits to first responders. Can you tell us more about that?

It’s easy…

Frontline workers and coronavirus patients all around the world can claim their free Skypod credits by signing up for a new account at www.Skypod.com/Together. The first 30,000 eligible new accounts will receive $100 in free credits to share their messages and memories.

No credit card is needed, and no strings attached.

Because Skypods can be created for as little as $1.99, these free credits can be used to create multiple digital time capsules for their loved ones.

My partners and I wanted to make a difference during these challenging times.

And we wanted to give back to the people most impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. This is Skypod’s way of giving back and offering hope to the dedicated men and women who are putting their lives on the line every day, as well as the patients they serve. We want to provide some peace of mind that their loved ones can hear from them no matter what happens.

What other ventures are you working on?

My partners and I are always looking for ways to give back to people in need. Some of our current ventures involve partnering with nonprofit organizations to donate free Skypod credits to the people they serve.

We are currently working on forming partnerships with hospices, Alzheimer’s foundations, and other organizations that work with people suffering from cancer and other terminal illnesses.

Our goal is to ensure everyone can preserve memories that matter for their loved ones.

How can people join Skypod?

We make joining simple. People can start creating and sending digital time capsules at Skypod.com.

If you want to join the Skypod Challenge to help us give away $3 Million in Skypod credits, spread the word on social media and ask any eligible friends or family to visit www.Skypod.com/Together. There, they can claim their $100 in free Skypod credits and start creating digital time capsules for their loved ones absolutely free.

How can people stay connected with Skypod on Social Media?

Stay connected and follow Skypod on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Twitter.