Interview: Martin Tobias of Kashless.org
You sure know how to make some noise and get some press. So it seems everyone knows who you are. But maybe that’s not the case. Where are you from and how did you wind up working in tech?
I am actually a Seattle native. Born at Virginia Mason as my father did a medical internship and my mother was a hippie watercolor artist in the Pike Place Market. In college I took Computer Science (on a Burroughs card reader) but wasn’t smart enough to write device drivers so I decided to focus on business applications and languages. I used to like to reprogram the TRS-80s in Radio Shack to loop profanity on the screen. My first computer was a Timex Sinclair, then TRS-80 with a cassette player as “mass storage”, then Compaq luggable running CPM, then a Zenith lunchbox running DOS, then I started selling Leading Edge PCs running the Microsoft stack. I came back to Seattle after college in ’87 to work for Andersen Consulting (Accenture) as an RPG (for the IBM S/38 and AS/400) programmer for $19,500/year and I thought I was the bomb. Deep in by bones I am a computer nerd and gadget freak. But I have this need to use technology to actually solve real life problems rather than just be technology for technology sake. I guess I am in Technology because I really believe things like the PC, the Internet, wireless, et al have changed the world and can continue to improve my life.
You’ve raised more money than anyone I’m likely to interview. You took one company public. Now you’re latest company is called Kashless. What’s the elevator pitch?
Yea I have raised over $500M for different companies, invested a couple million of my own in over 40 companies and helped VC’s invest about $30M more. I like being both an investor and inventor. I am in inventor mode with Kashless.org now.
Kashless.org is the first online marketplace where everything is free. The company calls it ReCommerce. Kashless.org helps consumers find reusable and recyclable items in their local communities that they need in their daily lives. Currently available only in the Puget Sound, the site lists thousands of items free for the taking today. The Company hopes to provide the service nationally in the coming months.
Why is it the best place to search for and publish free items?
We provide a single place that aggregates all free items locally across other listing services. Kashless.org has scheduling tools, offer tools, user reputation, feedback, saved searches and lots of other advanced e-commerce features that are missing in existing free listing services. As a giver of stuff, you can get a tax receipt for giving through Kashless.org and have tools to manage your response cue (other than your email inbox) and track your positive impact on the planet, all new features to the free transaction marketplace.
Mind if I ask how the idea came to you?
Like every idea I have had (and acted on) and every idea I have ever invested in, personal need. Last summer, I was cleaning out my garage, had a bunch of failed Craigslist sales and failed pick-ups when offered for free (blog post). I was frustrated by the lack of good ecommerce tools and the poor experience trying to give something away. It was easier to throw it in the trash. That is why so much good stuff goes in the trash, it is too hard to give away. I thought I could do better.
What other start-up(s) in Seattle do you think are cool?
One of my favorite things about Seattle is the vibrant start-up community. Especially in the last couple of years with the addition of mixers and lots of local networking sites, there has really been an explosion. Unfortunately I can’t use them all and I haven’t considered the business models of many of them, so I wouldn’t presume to judge the “coolest” startups. I also do a lot with alternative energy start-ups as founder of NW Energy Angels, so they are different. As far as ones I use and personally hope succeed, I would include 43Things, Divvy, Dibspace, Greenwood Technologies, Brammo (Ashland Oregon), RYNO Motors, Blue Marble Energy, and EnerG2.
You could give tons of advice to a new entrepreneur. We’ll save that for a book. If you could share just one sentence of guidance or warning for the first time CEO what would you say?
Find a problem that personally pisses you off and fix it.
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I love his last quote about finding something that pisses you off, and fixing it. The definition of entrepreneurship!
Most important question that was never asked:
How does Kashless make money with their free marketplace?
The definition of entrepreneurship!
Came across your website…interesting, same name…what can you do for a
semi-retired artist?…….an older (possibly maturer Martin Tobias)
Martin’s going to sell all of your (kashless members) information to the highest bidder. He’s a sell out and duping all of you. Green…yea right at least Craig Newmark has not sold out…yea he’s the guy you bag on at the same time listing all of their items.
Wish this website would allow for some fair balance.