The decade-long journey from a TNO research project to ONLIFE—and how it birthed the Smartup model itself. This is our collective memory of how we got here.
## The Evolution: From Apps to Emergency Infrastructure
### Phase 1: The Origin - Transient Apps (2016-2017)
Our story begins with a research collaboration between **TNO** (Dutch research organization) and **RS New Media Concepts**. The problem: smartphone users drowning in app choices. The solution: **"Transient Apps"**—lightweight applications that appear when needed, disappear when not.
**What we built:**<br>
- The **Context Engine**: An algorithm predicting user needs based on physical location<br>
- Automatic delivery of relevant web apps<br>
- Working prototype proving the concept<br>
**What stopped us:**<br>
Platform gatekeepers (Google, Apple) would never allow it. They were already building their own versions (Instant Apps, Progressive Web Apps). We hit a dead end.
!!! success "Phase 1 Outcome"
Research validated but path blocked by platform control:<br>
### Phase 2: The First Pivot - "Onlive" Social Networks (2017-2019)
Rather than abandon the Context Engine, we pivoted. If we couldn't change how apps work, could we change how people connect?
**The ethical awakening:**<br>
As Facebook's scandals mounted, we faced a choice: build another data-harvesting social network or find a different path. We chose differently. Instead of connecting individuals online, we'd connect **groups of people in their immediate physical world**.
**"Onlive: the social network for the real world"**<br>
- Context Engine repurposed to identify relevant groups<br>
- Seven Dutch business partners provided feedback<br>
- UX and architecture developed<br>
**The revelation:**<br>
We weren't building an app. We were building an **Operating System for group interaction in the real world**.
!!! success "Phase 2 Outcome"
Proof of Concept delivered:<br>
- Android prototype functional<br>
- Backend architecture designed<br>
- UX patterns established<br>
- Business validation complete<br>
[:material-file-document: Onlive Research Report](../assets/pdfs/Onlive final report.pdf){ target=_blank .md-button }
### Phase 3: The Governance Pivot - Birth of the Smartup Model (2019-2020)
With research complete, the logical next step was forming a traditional startup. But was it the *right* step?
**The dilemma:**<br>
- Public-good technology<br>
- Complex social mission<br>
- Poor fit for VC model<br>
**The insight:**<br>
> "How we create is as important as what we create."
The organizational structure itself needed to embody our values: open, democratic, mission-driven.
**The Smartup Model emerges:**<br>
We began designing a new type of organization based on:<br>
- Collective ownership<br>
- Democratic governance<br>
- Scientific rigor<br>
- SDG alignment<br>
!!! success "Phase 3 Outcome"
New organizational model conceptualized:<br>
- Smartup governance structure defined<br>
- Economic model designed<br>
- Democratic principles embedded<br>
- Blueprint for future documented<br>
[:material-file-document: Smartup Zero Original Whitepaper](../assets/pdfs/Smartup Zero - a blueprint for disruption (book)_compressed.pdf){ target=_blank .md-button }
### Phase 4: The COVID Pivot & Academic Validation (2020-2022)
The pandemic provided an urgent, real-world test case. Could Onlive enable **"Digital Herd Immunity"** through group-tracing rather than individual contact-tracing?
**Academic collaboration with Erasmus Programme:**<br>
- Security challenges addressed<br>
- UX refined for crisis scenarios<br>
- Concept validation in pandemic context<br>
- Technical feasibility confirmed<br>
The world suddenly understood why decentralized, resilient communication matters.
!!! success "Phase 4 Outcome"
Academic validation achieved:<br>
- UX patterns for crisis communication<br>
- Security model validated<br>
- User research completed<br>
- Emergency use cases confirmed<br>
[:material-file-document: UX Research Report](../assets/pdfs/UX MVP 2022.pdf){ target=_blank .md-button }
### Phase 5: Technical Deep Dive - Mesh Networking (2023-2024)
To truly work without internet, we needed to go deeper into the networking layer.
**Partnership with HanzeHogeschool:**<br>
- Open-source mesh network implementation<br>
- Smartphone-native protocols<br>
- Beyond proof-of-concept to production-ready<br>
- Ad-hoc network formation without infrastructure<br>
We weren't just building an app anymore. We were building alternative internet infrastructure.
### Phase 6: The Final Pivot - ONLIFE Emergency Network (2025-Present)
Ten years of pivots, research, and refinement crystallized into a clear mission.
**From ONLIVE to ONLIFE:**<br>
Not just "online live"—but a network for LIFE itself. When everything else fails, ONLIFE remains.
**The focus sharpens:**<br>
- Emergency communication for citizens<br>
- Works without internet or telecoms<br>
- Mesh network using existing smartphones<br>
- European civil resilience infrastructure<br>
!!! success "Phase 6 Outcome"
**The experiment begins:**<br>
- Smartup Zero launched<br>
- Community forming<br>
- Development starting<br>
- Everything transparent<br>
**As an owner, you get access to all code, documentation, and decisions in real-time.**
!!! quote "Why the Name Change"
"ONLIVE was about being online in live settings. ONLIFE is about staying connected when life itself is at stake. It's not just a network—it's a lifeline."
## The Dual Innovation
What makes our history unique is that we didn't just develop technology—we developed a new way to develop technology:
1.**ONLIFE**: The emergency communication protocol
2.**Smartup Model**: The organizational form to build it
Both innovations emerged from the same insight: existing systems—technical and organizational—aren't fit for planetary challenges.
!!! success "From Research to Reality"
- 10 years of research<br>
- Multiple pivots based on ethical considerations<br>
- Academic validation<br>
- Technical proof of concept<br>
- Organizational innovation<br>
- **Now**: Building it together as Smartup Zero<br>
## Key Partners Along the Journey
- **TNO**: Original research partner (2016-2017)
- **RS New Media Concepts**: Initial development
- **Seven Dutch businesses**: Early feedback partners
- **Erasmus Programme**: COVID-era validation
- **HanzeHogeschool**: Mesh networking research
- **You**: The next chapter begins with collective ownership
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[:material-arrow-right-bold: Read the Current Mission](../smartup-zero/onlife.md){ .md-button .md-button--primary }
