A couple of months ago, one of my close friends asked me, “I haven’t heard anything from Terrabyte in awhile – how are things going?”
It’s an unintentionally loaded question. Should I tell them “things are fine” and to expect a Pixel Planet Today post soon? Or should I tell them how my hope for an environmentally-conscious future is seeming more and more unrealistic; and when combined with state-of-the-world burnout and the never-ending search for funding, Terrabyte’s future seems more reliant on my personal tenacity than having the basis for a sustainable business in today’s society? Should I say something about how dev work on this newest project is coming along great? Or should I say something about how this project is where it is because I temporarily stepped away from other avenues of Terrabyte like Pixel Planet Today and Wasted Space?
I don’t remember what exactly I said, but I think I said something like, “I’m applying for grants and working on dev stuff, but I’m hoping to have something to show for the Pixel Planet Today anniversary.” Like ‘Terrabyte is in sleeper mode’ right now – which sounds way cooler than it feels. So, what have I been doing? Navigating the confusing maze of fundraising, and ultimately, nixing it to build my dream project on my own accord (Canapi).
In Search of Funding
I want to share a small glimpse into my fundraising struggles – not to rant, vent, or even to prove that I’ve been doing something – but to hopefully help the next person that finds themselves in a similar situation. Really, I think a lot of time could have been saved if I had had guidance from someone that raised specifically in sustainable technology (I just didn’t have anyone in my corner that fit the bill). This won’t be a masterclass on fundraising (nor do I even have the experience to offer that), but rather ‘considerations from a fellow founder’.
Though every company/organization is different, there are/were a few factors that worked against me/Terrabyte from the start. One is that Terrabyte is a for-profit LLC (not a nonprofit). Even though the goals of Terrabyte fit the definition of a nonprofit (doing public good without being driven by profits), the organizational requirements for nonprofits, our size at the time, and the need to work quickly (not to “move fast and break things,” but because we can only prevent further climate crisis for an increasingly short amount of time) – all meant that creating an LLC just made the most sense.
Unfortunately, in skipping out on becoming a nonprofit, I was also skipping out on the grant opportunities available to nonprofits. Not all, but many grants are exclusive to nonprofits. It makes sense when you look at the tax-incentives and rigorous paperwork (that organizational oversight does have a purpose after all), but unfortunately for me, this cut down on the pool of grants I could apply for with Terrabyte.
Being an LLC also cuts down on the ability to raise funds from capital investors. Not that it is impossible, but investors often like getting a share of a company in return for an investment (something you can’t do with an LLC). I never planned to raise capital from investors anyways (I have heard horror stories about receiving investment and then losing ownership of your own company), so this wasn’t in the cards, but as time went on looking for grants, it quickly became clear that I might have to give in a bit… However, Terrabyte being a “purpose-driven for-profit” is an oxymoron that doesn’t often excite investors. Investors are usually wanting to multiply their returns, for their company or their own profits. Purpose-driven angel investors are quite a bit different, but if you can find one of these unicorns, please send them my way. 😊
Another factor is where we’re located: Terrabyte is based in Omaha, NE (USA). While Omaha is the urban hub of the area, Nebraska as a whole is largely agricultural. So, many startup opportunities available here are geared toward ranching, farming, and transportation. With some creative maneuvering, sure, Canapi could be applied to any product in these sectors, but it’s not at the core of what Terrabyte, or Canapi, is. There are other startup opportunities available (don’t get me wrong), but the majority are geared toward these sectors.
With the remaining startup opportunities – again, being a largely rural state – only a tiny amount are geared towards environmental startups. The best lead I could find on non-dilutive environmental funding within the state was with the Nebraska Environmental Trust. Applying for this in itself was a lot of work – I had to prepare the project’s timeline, budget, secure estimates from contractors – and in total, took about 3 months of direct prep work and then 3 months of waiting to hear back and following up on where my grant application went wrong. For this particular grant, the project (Canapi) was found to benefit the private party (Terrabyte) more so than the public. I argued that Canapi actually would benefit the nonprofit space – even the Nebraska Environmental Trust – more than Terrabyte. Other than a small transaction fee, all of the money moved through the platform would go directly to those partner organizations. However, in their eyes, they would be paying a private company to build software for themselves (albeit software used to bring about social good). Ultimately, I understand where they were coming from, but also adds confusion to whether they would ever fund a software project…
Perhaps surprisingly, the difficulty regarding location doesn’t stop there. Funding and research opportunities in the EU and even the Global South dwarf the number of opportunities found in the US. This makes a bit of sense when you zoom out and take the current political climate into consideration, but still. The US is king when it comes to investment opportunities, but again, those non-dilutive, “we just want to fund the green transition” opportunities are much more rare here. Or, opportunities that I could find for domestic companies were limited to certain climate solution types (physical, not digital), certain regions (East Coast or West Coast, not Nebraska), or other factors that meant we were just out of the running.
The last factor I want to cover in this is our lack of traction. For the opportunities that I did find Terrabyte to be applicable for, many required (or gave preference to) those that had proven a market need. It’s easy to see the “chicken and the egg” problem here. I needed funding to cover my time to build out the prototype, and therefore, get sales, make money, and get traction. BUT, how am I supposed to get this funding if it requires the prototype to already be built and have customers? This led to a lot of emails, inquiries, and getting passed between contacts until finally I ended up where I am now:
if I can build this thing in my spare time and get funding later, great; but I can’t waste more and more time trying to get funding to build this when I could have already built with it with the time I spent trying to get funding.
Building Canapi
So despite the funding woes, the break from Pixel Planet Today posts, and the overall fight for inspiration I have been grappling with in today’s modern world – it’s with great pride I can announce the Beta launch of Canapi! Due to the technical nature of the API and dashboard, only tech-inclined folks (professionals or hobbyists) will likely find value in the beta right now, but future integrations with Zapier and WordPress will bring the functionality to low- to no-code folks. These, of course, will take some time, but you can still sign up for beta access to be in the first group of these users.
If you know me personally, you know I have long talked about “the API”. When a customer places an order or does something else within your app, website, etc., your company automatically plants a tree or makes another environmental contribution (like restoring coral, protecting habitats, and removing ocean-bound plastic from waterways). Or, if you’re an individual wanting to make a contribution every time you get paid, or, say, every time you make flight reservation, you can do that too. Right now, there will only be a handful of causes available on the platform, but the ultimate goal is to partner with environmental causes based in every US state and completing work across every continent.
Sound cool? You can request beta access on the Canapi website. We’ll start the gradual rollout of beta accounts starting this week, with more accounts being added as updates are made to the platform! If you’re more interested in partnering with us and adding your name/organization to our list of supportable causes, please reach out to us!
A Call for Your Support
One thing you should know about me – I’m not one to ask for help. The search for funding was difficult enough, but as we enter this stage of carrying on as best as we can, we can’t go on forever without help. Times are tough, I know better than most, so however you are comfortably able to help is all I truly ask. 🙂
Become a Pixel Peep (The Wallpaper Fan Club)
For just $2/month, as a Pixel Peep, you can receive a new environmental pixel art wallpaper every month! These wallpapers explore past Pixel Planet Today posts, current environmental issues, holidays, or otherwise create a byte-sized window into our world. It’s like Pixel Planet Today 2.0 – the pixel art is no longer exclusive to Instagram. Wallpapers are provided in mobile and desktop sizes so you can rock them wherever you want.
Not sure what to expect? You can get a freebie wallpaper here. Some of the wallpapers we’ve sent recently centered around Earth Day, Valentine’s Day, and past Pixel Planet Today posts covering polar bears, Sandhill cranes, and gay giraffes (yes, giraffes have Pride too).
Making a donation
Running, building, and maintaining our projects is unfortunately not free. Server space, digital tools, and other costs to ‘keep the lights on’ are minimal at this stage, but your donation helps us remain online longer than we can on our own.
Shop our merch
Want to wear your love for pixel art and the environment on your sleeve? We have upcycled shirts, paper stickers, and ready-to-print artwork up for sale on our webstore! I do really want to expand these offerings, so if there is something in particular you wish you could get, let me know and I’ll see what I can do. 🙂
Volunteering your time
If it’s time you have to spare, we could sure use some help bringing our projects to life! Right now, our biggest needs are Android developers (Canapi and byteOS), web developers (Canapi), and content writers (Pixel Planet Today), but we are happy to find a fit for anyone who might want to help on our mission.
Social media engagement
Are you a chronic scroller? Do us a favor and like, comment, and/or share our posts to extend our reach. Even though we haven’t posted in a while, tell us your favorite Pixel Planet Today post or what kind of post you would like to see in the future.
Sign up for the Canapi Beta
Even if you’re just curious about the platform, showing your interest by signing up for the beta helps us establish interest. Then, we can drill down to see if the majority of users are looking for no-code integrations, what kind of platforms they want the most, and expand functionality that actually helps make a difference for those using it.
If there is one thing I can leave you with (and what I have to keep telling myself), it’s that societal trends aren’t that different than the waves and the tides. The tide comes in, waves wash the shoreline, and then the tide pulls back out to the sea. Right now, we’re at low tide (in the US, at least). We’re in a state of retreat when it comes to addressing social issues, with only ‘dry times’ in sight. However, just like the tides, it is only a matter of time before the tides turn and progress jumpstarts again. I/Terrabyte might not be able to compete with society’s current ~vibe~, but we can build for the period that comes after. That’s something I find exciting, and really, the thing that still makes this work worth doing. We’re not building for today anymore – we’re building beyond tomorrow.