5 ms·

Then he happened to be having breakfast with Sting, a friend from his days in the music business. Mr. Jahnigen told him how soccer helped the children in Darfur

Then he happened to be having breakfast with Sting, a friend from his days in the music business. Mr. Jahnigen told him how soccer helped the children in Darfur cope with their troubles and his efforts to find an indestructible ball. Sting urged Mr. Jahnigen to drop everything and make the ball. Mr. Jahnigen said that developing the ball might cost as much as $300,000. Sting said he would pay for it. Well...that's always helpful.

josefresco 14y ago
Always helpful to know a super rich guy whom you can have lunch with and propose business ideas to. Funding aside, I'm sure it helped to have Sting's backing when this guy was approaching material producers and manufacturers and other corporations for sponsorship. I'm happy that it did get done, but how far would an average hacker get without those kind of connections? I suspect the startup cost would have been larger.
debacle 14y ago
Sting: Like Bono, without the douche?
- jff 14y ago
  Somebody never watched Dune.
kanamekun 14y ago
True! However what's amazing is that with a vision like this, he could have pretty easily funded this through Kickstarter... and given out indestructible soccer balls as a reward. I would've funded something like this in a second... it's a powerful vision.
- NathanKP 14y ago
  Essentially they do the same thing as One Laptop Per Child. You buy one and a third world child gets one. They didn't go through Kickstarter but I think the model they use is more effective anyway.
brudgers 14y ago
That's just the startup/angel investor template.
aortega 14y ago
> Mr. Jahnigen told him how soccer helped the children in Darfur cope with their troubles and his efforts to find an indestructible ball. Indestructible balls will only lead to a race of stronger, indestructible-ball-destroyer children.
qq66 14y ago
That's what Kickstarter is doing very successfully -- turning the Internet into your rich friend who sponsors your projects.

josefresco 14y ago

Always helpful to know a super rich guy whom you can have lunch with and propose business ideas to. Funding aside, I'm sure it helped to have Sting's backing when this guy was approaching material producers and manufacturers and other corporations for sponsorship. I'm happy that it did get done, but how far would an average hacker get without those kind of connections? I suspect the startup cost would have been larger.

debacle 14y ago

Sting: Like Bono, without the douche?

jff 14y ago
Somebody never watched Dune.

kanamekun 14y ago

True! However what's amazing is that with a vision like this, he could have pretty easily funded this through Kickstarter... and given out indestructible soccer balls as a reward. I would've funded something like this in a second... it's a powerful vision.

NathanKP 14y ago
Essentially they do the same thing as One Laptop Per Child. You buy one and a third world child gets one. They didn't go through Kickstarter but I think the model they use is more effective anyway.

brudgers 14y ago

That's just the startup/angel investor template.

aortega 14y ago

> Mr. Jahnigen told him how soccer helped the children in Darfur cope with their troubles and his efforts to find an indestructible ball. Indestructible balls will only lead to a race of stronger, indestructible-ball-destroyer children.

qq66 14y ago

That's what Kickstarter is doing very successfully -- turning the Internet into your rich friend who sponsors your projects.