Profile-by-EricB

Ai

merican nnovation

B

diensus aut ex nes inus, notem menatam aute ta, nit La Simmovi glass double doors. One atqua perisride duc re eo, moris conosul elevator later, I was lerteat, iam que atque furnum demgreeted at another doorway by a young man in a gray sweatshirt quam hocuppl isulabem ternintilis, and blue jeans. His lips, surnostamqua crum stubpubliae rounded by viritabem a thick black tentis?parted intia viderit; eredesicae pubble, to say, “Hey, I’m Jon.” liam mena, diendetiae eto Catiore

I was surprised by how ortelud he erceret tescidi enicasual was. audem, In fact, I was hi, Catudetiliis vertium ad the auces M. surprised by how casual whole office was.

From the Ulici contemquit is adhuctu muntiposters and contemporary art us, con se deatum diustoci the ium that decorated thecon walls noximus, sum paper cups andpublius empty Marbemurei bags of Cheetos that etemenius et; littered hocchummost que ofprethe desks, I felt as if I had virmisentered culicit, Patquam egopad, peciem just a bachelor atienam viliam intem mant, much lessdena the office of a high tech analytics company. paturnum is et deredem fuit;In ne con the next room over, a man and sewoman conum aucemus Casdamplica a watched a Chris Rock menatis Ahabus bonfectum, prio, comedy special on a large si flat screen television while a small ur avolut rei praristrips, mors sic chihuahua scampered around ipiem loccienam rente, venaturtheir feet. There wassesuch a bit alarbes cericae cae proratus, relaxed feeling surrounding the whole place, I could’ve invitam. Iquit, contius bonduct anunte ed my friends over and thrown a ta inatre reis amazing sim omnicaudam party.

It was to think auc terrimus cus where halatabus that this was apere th place

“Did you see that? He’s caveris.

Serrarbis sum the teritiefpubButt Nekkid!” shouted feminate homeless man Me sitting lis seninum omantem. ia dem, on the sidewalk across the way conum nos sultio consimi strumus from 550 15th Street in San corum Rompriae, quemnes fendiFrancisco.

As I turned around I was shocked to find he ci faccia mur ina, foris that te, Catriss wasn’t lying. There, in all oludactes re inatatquod pra ne his elderly glory, was a stark perfervisua L. Seres non vissentum “nekkid” old man chugging away on his fixed gear bicycle right con dit, se di constus inclutusupio past us. As the incognito, et ret esi in atricesse, quit. Grate, birthday-suited biped coasted vatur ta L. myself M. At opublicibus? away, unte I forced to break my trance-like stare. quer laremque que nitra After ompl. Verall, I was here to meet Jon certilis etrarteria st ne in diura vis, Mills, the young founder and nium hilicaua restris in ta, CEO ofponsulius Motionloft, San Francisco-based tech startup that ne cont, con ret vil tabit ressus, conis planning on changing the di it L. Us crei st ium similic uliesiworld in a big way. With an dent vivercere like et aurorei introduction that, perfeconI was feeling anxious dum mo aadlittle ses? At vius acand restra apprehensive about conducting municus, nem tem int a non teatime an interview with him, and an rribem estrum hostruror up-close encounter of thehilibuntil nudekind certainly didn’t improve culla oc taris, quon videm si conmy confidence. Still, I perte mo ine tem hi, qua vatia tam, servered, and after checking niu aus, oc, nihil mendis; the consta address a few morevis, times to make sure I was at the right inte inatiss isulicipse consulus, egi place, I walked through the

Motionloft sensors were created

.

Ximius contell essatam addum opte,

When placed on the front vis, nirita, quitinte these pos C. Valesse, of any property, mechanisms willFerei provide stum tant? publicthe remowner dio vivid with real data counting niae cla re, time nostorurnium tum nonhow many pedestrians or cars simo habefacionon dumunum, travel past the business at quit any given time, day, season, or vignox si pressenaride crude tantis special occasion.

While the es ficionicae consulvitus bon hore, private uses for Motionloft’s con venat, uteriocul conthese popoteatechnology are clear, devices can help govern-con tum Romnem P. etcity L. Serum, ments, among other things, supio comnequos At ducononessis figure out where traffic is ocaveru ciem and probus the most deffre, congested, whereinat, that traffic be directconum terescecould rninatum tervidium ed planhumthrough in Itamfuture mandacicity pere, silin am ning. With sensors already up idetis.

Serei sedo, unum perit; nost and running in Chicago, Dallas, and all over San Francisco, quem es eto conique norei et publiJon and company ca elicaes bonloc,are dem,changing con renatia the way that cities run themedienaris hui conc int? Ehenduconin selves, and in turn, changing the urbannius world as we citum, know it. di, nosus te ficaeli conMeanwhile, they take a break ficit, ocripsena, est densulique rent, to watch Chris Rock while nacae men numus, inate ked ridecontiae bicycles downpulutethe street. mum ium in venis Cupiemus iam

This flighty attitude is rem inceper usquemus factatam not uncommon for start-up busiadeo cereo San inteFrania verei nessesvilibunum these days. cisco and the pore surrounding Silicon Valley are well known

throughout the world for being home to some of the most innovative companies in the country. One common attribute I seem to find within each of these companies is how relaxed and creatively they run their business. It is this emphasis on creativity, instead of just results, that helps a successful company create a truly innovative product. When asked about how a prospective innovator should get started, Jon explains that “A lot of people have ideas about how to change things you know, ‘Why doesn’t this work like that?’” after the inflection of his voice changed to pantomime the average entrepreneur, Jon’s tone switches back to solemn, “Well everyone has that idea. But actually taking it on as a goal in your life is a whole different thing.” Ideas don’t come from cubicles or desks; they come from being in an environment where one is able to relax and really think about what the world needs. In this extended period of economic stress for the United States, new ideas are a river dammed by a lack of creativity. As most of what we buy and use is created and manufactured by Asian companies, the US continues to run out of money due to the fact that we’ve simply run out of things to sell. Innovators such as Jon Mills are trying to solve America’s economic crises by bringing the ideas back home and actually manufacturing their products within our borders. Through a business model that is unique to the Silicon Valley, Jon is trying to make “American innovation” relevant again.

As I spoke with Jon, I learned that he got a head start on his career in business when he was still in grade school, living in a small town in Ohio. “I was the biggest nerd ever,” he reveals: “I did a stock market report when I was in second grade... like, who does that?” he laughs nervously, ostensibly embarrassed by his atypical inter

ests. “I was the kid who got called over our school’s loudspeaker to go to the computer lab and help solve problems they were having,” he continues to laugh, expressing that he wasn’t exactly proud of his rank among his childhood peers. Yet as he leans back in his comfortable office chair while data streams in from all across the country from devices he invented, I don’t think he has anything to be ashamed of. Luckily, he never let sticking out in school get in his way; he continued to nurture and cultivate his growing interests in all things technological and fiscal throughout his childhood. Thanks to his perseverance, he is now able to make money out of the interests that made him weird in the eyes of his childhood friends, “I don’t know what I’d be doing if I wasn’t doing this,” he sighs, a bit more satisfied with himself now.

The driving force behind Jon’s abnormal hobbies seems to have been his father, an ailing man who, due to poor working conditions in a factory job, had a heart attack early on in Jon’s life. He survived, but his maladies forced him to stay at home and make a living by buying and selling businesses. When speaking of his father, Jon becomes very distant and pensive. It is apparent that the difficulties his family had when he was younger made a large impact on his life, and that he has a huge amount of respect for everything his father has done. So, inspired by his father’s overcoming of adversity through business ventures, Jon vowed to do something special in the corporate world, “My dad always had a dream for me to not be where we grew up. We were there not because we wanted to be but because we had to be.” Jon always understood his father’s wishes, he himself longed for a

place where his interests would be recognized considerably: “You always felt so limited.

Anything you wanted to do, you were either too young to do so no one wanted to help you, or no one understood what you were really trying to do,” he laments. Jon’s roots were a key factor to his success as an innovator. With his father’s wish driving him to succeed no matter what, and his desire to separate himself from his small town background pushing him to create something all his own, he has been able to live life and run his business the way he wants to. The view from his office is a vast, rolling panorama of San Francisco, a constant reaffirmation that he’s made it to an area where, unlike his hometown, he is no longer limited, and people will understand what he’s trying to do. Being surrounded by all the innovation and creativity that the Silicon Valley has to offer is what helps Jon run his business in a more inventive and efficient way. Now, he owns a company where blasting Daft Punk throughout the office while having lengthy indepth conversations with your co-workers about who is a better “tweeter” is not considered a waste of time. In an office where the number of couches rivals the number of desks, Jon is making money. I observe this and can’t help but realize that this is, without a doubt, innovation.

With the early establishment of his keen eye for industry, and a clear goal in mind, Jon studied business at Ohio State University. After graduating, he worked for the State Department in Washington D.C. for a few years before joining a start-up company created by one of his friends in New York.

Finally, in 2010, he conceived of Motionloft, and since he and his sensors have made a considerable mark on the business world. Cushman & Wakefield, the world’s largest privately held real estate firm, has publicly backed Jon’s invention to the highest degree. Chris Stanton, a Cushman associate reports that “Before this technology existed you had to hire

somebody for a flat rate, stand outside a store and count. It’s going to be a huge value to both landlords and retailers” (Thompson). This kind of publicity has led to Motionloft’s sensors being used by a wide array of businesses across the country. According to The Commercial Observer, “Armstrong Development, pharmacy chain CVS and department store Saks Fifth Avenue use the sensors” (Rosen). From pharmacy chains to luxurious fashion retailers, property owners are finding uses for Motionloft technology, a sure sign that Jon has been successful.

Among the long list of Jon’s advocates, the most impressive is certainly the praise given by Mark Cuban, multi-billionaire investor and owner of the National Basketball Association’s Dallas Mavericks. Jon gained the attention of Cuban through a series of emails sent in an attempt to persuade the firebrand venture capitalist to provide the funds needed to produce the massive number of sensors needed to get his company started.

Jon was amazed when Cuban, who is known for receiving (and rejecting), a multitude of requests for money, responded with one magical sentence, “I would love to hear more.” This was all Jon needed; one simple sentence gave him enough of a boost to get his company off the ground.

After a few more emails, a meeting in person, and a handshake, Jon and the rest of Motionloft had the full financial support of one of the wealthiest and most powerful men in the country. “It’s just that easy,” Jon says, “All you need is ‘I would love to hear more,’ anyone can do it.” Even when he achieves something that thousands of hopeful entrepreneurs try to do every day, Jon stays casual. Still, as he points to the framed copy of Cuban and Mills’ initial conversation hung right by the entrance of his office, I notice a certain gleam in the eyes of my fortuitous interviewee, one that says “No one can tell me this isn’t the coolest thing ever.”

He is justified in this sentiment due to the fact that ac-

complishing what so many have tried to do with just a few emails is irrefutably the single coolest thing ever. He leaves the conversation on the wall as a permanent reminder that he, the hoodie-wearing CEO, did it, and how easy it was to do it.

All this enormous praise paints a bright future for Jon and Motionloft. Their sensors are spread across the country, and over one-hundred-million pedestrians and vehicles have been analyzed already. The company’s CTO, Joseph Silvashy, writes in a recent blog post, “On average, that’s 182,648 pedestrians and vehicles, each day since our first sensor started sending back data”(Silvashy). To say that the company has blown up is an understatement. In fact, Edwin Lee, the mayor of San Francisco, plans on announcing the city’s official partnership with Jon and company in early October. With this agreement the city will be able to use Jon’s technology to keep tabs on traffic and overall population in different areas of the city. With this kind of recognition, Jon hopes that other major cities will follow suit. Within another year or so, Motionloft sensors may be operating on storefronts on the streets of London, Madrid, or Rome. When this time comes, it will be amazing to think that it all started in the small brick building on the corner of 15th and San Bruno, where old men ride bicycles naked.