Leo Radvinsky: “Open Source and Borderless Tech is the Future”

Published: January 21, 2022 / Updated: January 22, 2022 danielfinnigan Company, Software

Tech visionary and entrepreneur Leo Radvinsky has long been an advocate for open source software development. While many large technology firms tend to wall off their intellectual property and keep frameworks and algorithms proprietary, Radvinksy has done the opposite and invested in the open source community.

Unlike proprietary software, open source programs are not just free for users. Developers of all skill levels can make changes, expansions, mods, and hone an engine or framework’s best practices. Among the most notable of Leo Radvinsky’s investments in open source development would be B4X, the development tool kit based on the Android-native B4A authoring language. B4X is comprised of other components, such as B4i and B4J, that enable developers to easily create apps for iOS and desktop and IoT respectively.

Open source programs subsequently can develop stronger communities and user bases since the barriers to entry have vanished. In the case of B4X’s success, the platform grew significantly from a tool to port apps to different platforms to a high-end suite of development tools that simplifies cross-platform development.

In addition to making programs accessible to developers of all education levels, skill levels, and backgrounds, open source development eliminates international barriers. Anyone in the world can work on B4X and other open source programs.

As technological literacy becomes paramount for the modern world with millions of young students learning the basics of code alongside basic math and reading skills, Leo Radvinsky believes open source and borderless tech is the key to the future.

For students in developing countries who don’t have easy access to coding classes in schools or private boot camps, working on open source projects provides them with both a sense of community and opportunities for paid work. Developers who don’t have funds for professional tools, or can’t access them in their territories, can easily publish and port their own apps with B4X with no restrictions on revenue generation.

How ClassDojo Found Success in the Education Sector

Published: April 23, 2021 / Updated: April 20, 2021 danielfinnigan Education App, Software

ClassDojo is a technological interface that allows teachers and parents to stay informed and involved in the classroom. It also allows important updates to be communicated to parents from the teachers and schools. In its first eight years, the company seemed doomed to fail. They had no paid users, zero revenue, and a team that was stalled in growth. However, ClassDojo received tens of millions of venture capital thanks to prominent elite Silicon Valley investors including GSV, SignalFire, General Catalyst, and Y Combinator. Founder Sam Chaudhary says that the startup lasted so long without financial growth because he and his team believed in the future of the company and that it was a product fit for the long term.

Since 2011, the company has been slowly aggregating fans in public schools both in the United States and around the globe. Every engineer that works at ClassDojo serves a population that is comparable in size to the city of San Francisco. The company has benefited from its frugal approach to spending, as its core service is free for anyone to download and take advantage of. Currently, ClassDojo is being utilized by 51 million people across 180 countries.

In 2019, the company tested the loyalty of its growing customer base by launching its first monetization attempt with Beyond School. This service pairs in-school learning with tutorials that can be done at home. Within four months of launching Beyond School, ClassDojo hit profitability. With COVID-19 impacting education in 2020, the company tripled its revenue with the addition of hundreds of thousands of paid subscribers. They are a success story and prove that a company can be profitable, even after years of stagnant financial growth.