07/01/2021
2020 was one of the most extraordinary years in living memory. While many might consider it the worst of their life to date, it gave every single one of us valuable learnings about who we are, how we live and what we stand for.
Like you too I’m sure, it was a year that gave PEBBO cause for much reflection. As technology marches forward in pursuit of making our lives even more comfortable and convenient, one overarching question has stayed on our minds:
Is “Human-Centered Design”, this much-celebrated tool for social elevation, really succeeding in helping to create a better world...
Or is it just further fuelling superficial consumption culture - providing what we want, but not what we need?
Or worse still, is it simply a tool created out of and for the benefit of commercial interest?
By playing along in this game of “Disruptive Innovation”, are we really creating the better world that we all want?
Or is there a more “Inclusive” and “Collaborative” model of innovation that might help get us there?
In the last 9 years since PEBBO was founded, we have continuously been asking ourselves…Why does the world need our existence? How would it look different without us? Even with all the clients we’ve helped and projects we’ve completed, can we do more? More specifically, can we go beyond profit as the end goal, and use it instead as a fuel to create more meaningful and impactful outcomes?
So, as we look back on 2020, we’re feeling blessed for a year that has allowed us to push in this direction more deeply than ever. Of course, this was aided in no small part by the fact that life in Taiwan has been able to continue relatively as normal amidst a world flipped upside down by pandemic. For this, we are more than grateful.
These are our 2020 highlights:
1) PEBBO x Formosa Cancer Foundation
Last year we joined forces with Formosa Cancer Foundation to explore how we can better use design & technology to improve the lives of those experiencing cancer. Through the insights gleaned from patients, family members, social workers, doctors, nutritionists and other experts, we came together to develop 台癌e照護：個人化線上個管團隊.
台癌e照護：個人化線上個管團隊 aims to connect patients with personalised information and advice, as well as with others going through similar experiences so that the road to beating cancer doesn’t have to be walked alone.
If you have friends or family who might find such a platform helpful please feel free to share with them. As always, all comments and feedback welcome - we appreciate your help in continually improving the platform so we can help more people 🙂
Download the app here:
iOS: https://canceraway.pse.is/ecaring_ios
Android: https://canceraway.pse.is/ecaring_android
2) Stupid Ideas Night @ UnderStory 共創空間
Next up was the launch of our new event experiment, Stupid Ideas Night, at our co-creation space, UnderStory. With Stupid Ideas Night we wanted to give everybody a chance for their ideas to see the light of day, no matter how early or rough it is. By sharing your idea, you get the chance to hear other people’s opinions, meet potential users/early adopters and even potential partners to help you bring it to life.
We hope Stupid Ideas Night can encourage you to let go of needing your idea to be perfect for you to get started.
A big thank you to everyone who came to our three events and stepped on stage to share your many wacky, interesting and meaningful ideas! Looking forward to more in 2021!
3) PEBBO x ChingPiao
Last year we also started to collaborate more closely with 青瓢ChingPiao, the Taiwan-based startup focused on creating practical solutions for environmental sustainability. Now we’re excited to officially announce a strategic partnership between the two teams starting in 2021.
Rather than the multi-batch approach of conventional startup accelerators and incubators, we are trying a model of a close-knit and long-term collaboration, with PEBBO focusing on areas such as business model optimization, brand strategy & service design on an ongoing basis.
We believe this is the best way for us to truly put the Build-Measure-Learn process into practice so that worthwhile ventures such as Chingpiao have the best chance of navigating the startup valley of death and achieve lasting success.
4) Moment Pet Wellness Lab
Back in 2019, several PEBBO team members internally shared stories about their struggles raising a pet. This inspired us to dig deeper into the lives of the modern pet parent, and through multiple rounds of interviews & concept prototyping with pet parents and veterinarians last year, we learned of the many areas in which pet healthcare could be improved.
With socioeconomic trends driving increased pet adoption, pets are playing an ever-important role in our lives and families. Yet because they can’t talk we can’t always know if they are unwell, often causing us to miss the optimal time for medical attention.
It also takes time to understand how and why pets are the way they are, and a lack of knowledge or experience in how to raise a pet can give rise to behavioral problems or even increase the risk of serious illness.
With the stress and cost of raising a pet often exceeding initial expectations, we discovered the hidden social impact of increased pet ownership, from mental health struggles of pet parents to animal abandonment and increased burden on animal shelters.
As our research uncovered more and more problems experienced by pets, their parents and vets, what started out as a side project gradually developed into a priority focus for us.
So as we begin 2021, we have decided to formally establish Moment Pet Wellness Lab, a new organization dedicated to:
1. Empowering pet parents with comprehensive understanding and knowledge of how to raise their pet, so they can do so in a way that is healthy for both their animals and themselves.
2. Cultivating a culture of preventative medicine to reduce the incidence of pet illness and help catch health issues before they turn serious.
3. Helping veterinary professionals to improve diagnosis accuracy and the efficacy of available treatments.
4. Strengthening the relationship and degree of trust between pet parents and their vets.
5. Streamlining veterinary clinic operations so that a superior medical experience can be enjoyed by the many, not just a few.
We hope to bring all sides together to provide the most complete pet care possible, giving each of us more opportunity to enjoy every moment with our pets.
Over the course of 2021, we intend to roll out various MVPs in different product and service directions, working with like-minded partners to make strides towards our big picture vision.
Welcoming anyone who believes in our mission to get in touch - we’d love to explore how we can work together!
After all, with much of the world still in lockdown, we have an awesome opportunity here in Taiwan to come together to create global solutions to global problems.
We are also looking to boost our team with one front-end and one back-end engineer. JD is here shorturl.at/nrLWX - get in touch if you’re interested 🙂
Finally, a big thank you to everyone who has been supporting PEBBO along the way - our partners, investors, clients and friends. Not just wishing everybody a happy 2021, but looking forward to co-creating a better 2021 together!
P.s. Friends who read this to the end, please come visit us at UnderStory and get your free cup of hand-brewed coffee on us 🙂
