👋 I'm David Anderson, aka "Pug"

I'm a curious social entrepreneur and tech consultant.

Technically, it seems that I'm a "xennial" (born between GenX and millenials, tech savvy like the kids, but with a cellphone-free childhood). Ultimate frisbee (or just "ultimate") is both my primary athletic and social outlet, and I'm a huge advocate for it. My nickname on (& off) the field is Pug. Politically, I'm a "libertarian socialist".

For work, I currently consult for non-profits, social enterprises and interesting startups. My professional background is in tech entrepreneurship, as applied to positive change, first in the blogging world, next in the crowdfunding world, and then in the realm of digital currencies. After graduating with honors (Poli Sci+Sociology) at UCSD, instead of grad school I decided to stumble headlong into social entrepreneurship. What started as GreenOptions.com became a network of online sustainability resource blogs. When the economy crashed in '08, Green Options Media joined social enterprise tech incubator Virgance, where I led operations. In 2010, I re-acquired the blog network, rebranded as Important Media, and sold it again a couple of years later. Next, I did a Kickstarter for a short, interview-based documentary about the hot springs my father nurtured for 30 years. When I realized green blogs weren't going to save the world, crowdfunding was just getting big, so next I helped make multiple prototypes for a crowdfunding platform focused on socially-valuable, long-term projects, called openfire, with its first successful public test run at SXSW 2013. I had to let that one go, but ended up consulting in the crowdfunding world (e.g. the historic Huntridge Theater) before realizing the growing power of decentralized technology in the form of blockchain.

Less interested in profit than empowerment, in 2013 I embarked on a deep dive on the history of community currency technology, exploring new projects that could empower people without succumbing to speculative, ponzi-like schemes. In 2014, I ran an experiment with timebanking in downtown Las Vegas with a small grant from VegasTechFund, but the timing wasn't quite right. That led me to being hired to design the currency for a startup called Simbi, which eventually became the non-profit I run today. In 2015, I moved back to the Bay Area, where I decided to take a break from leading my own projects for a few years, instead consulting in the industries I know well: web publishing, crowdfunding, digital community currency, the gig ("sharing") economy, and especially with various nonprofits. I also spend a fair amount of time volunteering for activism projects that pique my interest. Over the years, I've honed and honed my thesis about how best to help the world through positive, voluntary action. And lately, the advent of AI-assitend coding has completely unlocked my ability to build custom solutions for clients that I used to only be able to dream of making (elegantly, at least) with WordPress. Wanna chat? Get in touch!