Owl Conservation? There’s an App for That.

Scott WeidensaulUpdates9 Comments

We’re always pleased when someone recognizes what we’ve been able to accomplish, working on a shoestring budget, for snowy owl research and conservation — which is why we’re grateful to Connectify. This Philadelphia-based company created the first software-only wifi hotspot, and since then has launched a number of other apps to smooth or speed online use. They also have a policy of donating part of their profits to charity — until now, largely to causes related to internet freedom.

But their newest product, an app called Edgewise that moves your device from wifi to cellular and back when you reach a dead zone, features a snappy, stylized snowy owl as its logo. So the Connectify team knew they wanted Edgewise to support owl conservation — and their engineer Navin Sasikumar suggested us.

“One of the engineers is a passionate bird watcher, and generally quiet guy,” Connectify CEO Alex Gizis said. “When talking about mission and who we want to be, he launched into a passionate pitch for Project SNOWstorm, and the fate of the snowy owls. It was surprising and beautiful, and when he was done it was clear we’d found our cause. SNOWstorm is a great organization and we’re happy to be donating to them to support their work.”

Connectify expects to donate 3 percent of its profits from Edgewise to SNOWstorm. We appreciate both the direct support, and Navin’s original vote of confidence that made it possible.

*Really* Superb Owls Are White
Low on Luck on Amherst

9 Comments on “Owl Conservation? There’s an App for That.”

  1. Congrats to SNOWstorm, that’s fantastic news! It’s a very worthy research and conservation program for sure. Way to go Navin and Connectify, thanks!! The snowy owl logo is pretty cool :)

  2. What a terrific piece of news! It is great to know that technology is not always the villain and can be used to help owls and other wildlife.

  3. Nice to hear that good news! And nice how technology is being used to help owls and other wildlife!

    1. I checked with Connectify. While it’s currently only available for iOS, if the response is strong enough they’ll consider an Android version.

  4. Thank you CONNECTIFY! I would never have heard of you if it weren’t for this donation. I will definitely check you out now.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *