Citizen Engagement Tech

Perspectives from a Founder-CEO

This is a brief backstory with relevance to financial services and the emerging field of IMT—Insurance Media Technology. It reflects on the past, present, and future of MyOneZone (M1Z), an Integrated Citizen Engagement Platform, built by Leapfrog Global—now LeapfrogXai—with cloud provider MS Azure.

M1Z was built at a time when I still trusted (most) leaders in government to act (mostly) in their citizens' best interests, and (most) leaders of corporations and NGOs to (mostly) act in the best interests of their stakeholders, including (most) citizens of the countries in which they operate.

At its core, M1Z was designed to address the growing need for holistic, citizen-centred engagement in a digital-first world. Here’s how our team described M1Z as we prepared to enter the market around 2020:

“MyOneZone is a blockchain-enabled super-app and ecosystem hosted as a cloud-based solution with state-of-the-art security and privacy. It is the only solution that covers the entire citizen lifecycle, from the time a person goes to school, to the time they retire, and everything in between.”

M1Z was built at a time when, despite being acutely aware of corruption in South Africa, I remained optimistic. In 2014, under the non-profit Collaborative Stakeholder Movement (CSM), others and I attempted to launch an anti-corruption pledge targeting the ICT sector. The aim was not to conduct a witch hunt but rather to create a platform where the industry could establish clear boundaries and begin cleaning up its act. The initiative was met with significant resistance, with a key board member receiving threats almost immediately after it was announced via CSM’s IT-media partner.

M1Z was built at a time when I thought corruption and corporate capture were not only endemic in South Africa in particular but that the country was arguably among the worst in the world. However, clear and obvious corruption and institutional capture throughout the world, including in North America and Europe was laid bare for all to see during 2020–2024.

M1Z was built at a time when my views on ‘trust but verify’ had been reinforced during my time (2011–2015) with international doyen of 'good governance' practices, Prof. & Judge Mervyn King SC. I collaborated with Mervyn on the Stakeholder Relations aspect of Integrated Reporting <IR> and wrote a paper about our thinking behind a ‘CSRO.’ You can read more about me, Mervyn, and our collaboration here.

M1Z was built—by my team at Leapfrog Global (now LeapfrogXai)—at a time when MS Azure was our cloud partner. M1Z and several of its ‘zones’ were beta-tested in South African communities and in the major app stores prior to the COVID-19 lockdowns. We also engaged with a major phone manufacturer and multiple connectivity providers, exploring ideas for collaboration in society’s best interests. While the landscape and players have changed, the fundamentals remain the same.

M1Z was built at a time when I designed monetisation strategies for each of M1Z’s ‘zones,’ explicitly excluding the selling of advertising or, at the very least, ensuring non-reliance on advertising revenue while maintaining non-intrusive user experiences. Consider that a hint for the media folks grappling with revenue and costs—with more on that elsewhere and coming later.

These images provide a sense of M1Z although, as always, the devil is in the detail—especially the sustainable monetisation model:

This short video was made internally around 2019 to assist the promotion of WorkZone to interested licensees—early adopters and some of South Africa’s smallest & largest employers at the time:

While M1Z did not survive the lockdowns, it provided invaluable insights into the challenges of scaling founder-funded tech ventures during major global disruptions. However, I have kept the basics in place and am ready to (re)build a better solution, faster, and more cost-effectively.

Whether M1Z continues as a standalone platform or its components are integrated with Facets Insure, the potential remains significant. With the right partnerships and support, I believe M1Z can evolve into a resilient and impactful solution in many of the 194 countries recognised by the UN.

If you’re interested in strategic partnerships to explore M1Z’s potential or collaborating on its next chapter, DM me or reach out. Let’s build solutions that empower citizens and organizations in meaningful and sustainable ways.

You’ll also find me here on X.

Martin H.