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:material-history: Project History

!!! info "What is this?" 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:

  • The Context Engine: An algorithm predicting user needs based on physical location
  • Automatic delivery of relevant web apps
  • Working prototype proving the concept

What stopped us:
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:
- Context-aware app delivery proven
- User need confirmed
- Technical feasibility demonstrated
- Platform dependency identified

[:material-file-document: Transient Apps Research Report](../assets/pdfs/Final Report_HTSM TKI Transient apps.pdf){ target=_blank .md-button }

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:
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"

  • Context Engine repurposed to identify relevant groups
  • Seven Dutch business partners provided feedback
  • UX and architecture developed

The revelation:
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:
- Android prototype functional
- Backend architecture designed
- UX patterns established
- Business validation complete

[: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:

  • Public-good technology
  • Complex social mission
  • Poor fit for VC model

The insight:

"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:
We began designing a new type of organization based on:

  • Collective ownership
  • Democratic governance
  • Scientific rigor
  • SDG alignment

!!! success "Phase 3 Outcome" New organizational model conceptualized:
- Smartup governance structure defined
- Economic model designed
- Democratic principles embedded
- Blueprint for future documented

[: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:

  • Security challenges addressed
  • UX refined for crisis scenarios
  • Concept validation in pandemic context
  • Technical feasibility confirmed

The world suddenly understood why decentralized, resilient communication matters.

!!! success "Phase 4 Outcome" Academic validation achieved:
- UX patterns for crisis communication
- Security model validated
- User research completed
- Emergency use cases confirmed

[: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:

  • Open-source mesh network implementation
  • Smartphone-native protocols
  • Beyond proof-of-concept to production-ready
  • Ad-hoc network formation without infrastructure

We weren't just building an app anymore. We were building alternative internet infrastructure.

!!! success "Phase 5 Outcome" Mesh protocol designed and tested:
- 75+ node networks achieved
- Android implementation working
- Bluetooth/WiFi Direct integration
- Open source architecture defined

[:material-file-document: Mesh Network Protocol Design](../assets/pdfs/NLUUG - Smartup Zero - Hanze Copy .pptx.pdf){ target=_blank .md-button }

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:
Not just "online live"—but a network for LIFE itself. When everything else fails, ONLIFE remains.

The focus sharpens:

  • Emergency communication for citizens
  • Works without internet or telecoms
  • Mesh network using existing smartphones
  • European civil resilience infrastructure

!!! success "Phase 6 Outcome" The experiment begins:
- Smartup Zero launched
- Community forming
- Development starting
- Everything transparent

**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
- Multiple pivots based on ethical considerations
- Academic validation
- Technical proof of concept
- Organizational innovation
- Now: Building it together as Smartup Zero

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

:material-arrow-right-bold: Read the Current Mission{ .md-button .md-button--primary }

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