Once upon a time, well, back in 2018...
Made Open shifted its focus from service design to community technology.
We did this because we noticed a common problem affecting all our projects in the social sector: a lack of collaboration. This problem was clearly having a devastating effect on 'service users' in need of services and support.
Recognising this was a widespread problem affecting many sectors, we set out to create a "social network for social good", connecting people, groups and organisations for positive change.
With limited funds, we persuaded some of our clients to licence our software a year before we’d even built it, giving us confidence to apply for a small grant! With this grant, we assembled a team in Cornwall to develop our minimal viable product (MVP).
Rob, Rich and Geoff taking a break by walking Hetty around Devoran village in Cornwall.
We launched our first platform in April 2019, eight months later. Since then, we've continually invested in our platform from customer revenues, leading to the outstanding product you see today.
Despite being a small business, we've achieved some major milestones. During Covid, our platforms experienced a twenty-fold increase in traffic as people sought or offered support. We've adapted our software to provide low-cost online timebanks for small communities. We now licence our platform to customers of all sizes across four continents, and we're an NHS supplier too.
Although we prioritise quality over quantity, we're keen to expand our reach. If you're interested in our story, services or platform, please reach out to us. We're ready to make a difference to your community.