LookOut: Visionary Entrepreneurship in a Digital World

John Johansson is the founder of LookOut (LO), a company developing and offering a mobile app (of the same name) helping the blind and visually impaired with their everyday chores. The app connects blind people with a global pool of volunteers. Using the built-in A/V functionalities of the smart phone, the volunteer can see the blind person's problem (such as reading the expiry date of canned food) and give assistance as needed. The idea goes back to 2012, when John won a start-up prize for his idea, which attracted funding organizations. The actual company was founded a year later, the first version of the app was internationally released in January 2015. The big challenge now is how to turn this fledgling enterprise into a mature and sustainable business without abandoning the social mission and character of the company. Key questions for LO are, for instance: How can the company create revenue without charging for the app? How can the service attract more blind people? How can the app be further developed, so it becomes more useful and stands out against increasing competition?