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Revolutionizing Online Privacy and IoT Security with Colin Constable

In this episode, we sit down with Colin Constable, co-founder and CTO of AtSign, to explore his journey and insights into creating a more secure and privacy-oriented internet. With over 40 years of experience, Colin discusses his early career at British Telecom and how it set the stage for his work in network technologies at Credit Suisse and Juniper Networks. He explains how a long-standing friendship with Kevin Nichols sparked the idea behind AtSign over a decade ago when they identified fundamental issues with online data sharing and privacy. The conversation covers the creation of the AtSign protocol, which addresses these problems by ensuring secure communications between people, devices, and entities without relying on traditional systems like DNS or blockchain.

Colin walks us through the technical journey of developing encryption keys at the edge and building scalable in-memory databases. He emphasizes how AtSign aims to put the control of data ownership back into the hands of users, rather than companies. The discussion highlights the challenges of innovating a new protocol and finding investors who understand the complexities of this ambitious project. Colin also shares anecdotes about navigating the early stages of AtSign’s growth and establishing a network of entrepreneurs and developers who could benefit from their open-source technology.

As we dive deeper, Colin touches on the strategic shift AtSign made to target secure communications for the Internet of Things (IoT), embedding their solutions into connected devices. He shares stories of how LinkedIn posts about remote device access via Starlink led to unexpected business opportunities, reflecting on the importance of listening to customer feedback and discovering use cases that fuel the company’s growth. We explore how AtSign’s approach enables companies to securely control and monitor their products, enhancing customer trust and privacy.

Towards the end, Colin speaks candidly about the leadership challenges in maintaining focus amid numerous opportunities. He emphasizes the importance of running structured development sprints and delivering business value through "happy surprises" for customers. Colin closes with a glimpse into the future, noting that AtSign is now at a stage where the market is catching up to their vision of prioritizing privacy. He shares his excitement about working with the U.S. Supreme Court on privacy-related cases and offers advice to aspiring entrepreneurs: believe in your mission, surround yourself with passionate people, and trust your vision despite setbacks.

To connect with Colin or learn more about AtSign, reach out via email at colin@atsign.com or www.linkedin.com/in/colinconstable/. For more information about our services, visit nextgengrowth.com.

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