Opinion: “Outside-the-Box” or “A Better Mousetrap”

Steve Percy

President, Diolkos Commerce Solutions

Mar 2023

Leapfrog Progress ?

“Nothing happens unless first a dream…” - Carl Sandberg

“The most successful businesses have an idea of the future that’s very different from the present…” - Peter Thiel

Invention plus continuous honest effort.

Books, Periodicals, and Podcasts on entrepreneurial successes are varied in their “path to success”. However, when you look at businesses that have had the largest impact in their respective areas, they are consistent. Leapfrog successes have a story that rings true. They have a perspective that others have missed. They found a way to do things differently that make sense. There is a vision of the future that is different. Science fiction aside, these are absolutely true. If we want a better world then we need to work to make it better. Invest to make it better.

Focusing on payments, what is a “Better Mousetrap” ?

· Trust through Security and Privacy,

· Ease of execution. Simplicity. The same logical process for all payments to individuals and businesses of all sizes, for everyday domestic use and when travelling or purchasing something abroad,

· Immediate transfer of funds,

· Through my bank only. No need to sign up or provide information to yet another person or business,

· Lower costs for all,

The Diolkos solution is a combination of both monikers, Outside-the-Box and A Better Mousetrap. This new exchange process in combination with the strong capabilities provided by Financial Institutions today, create a payment solution that will move the needle on commerce.

Steve Jobs in his 2005 Stanford U. Commencement Address talked about “Connecting the Dots…” a story that points out how past experiences and knowledge somehow pay dividends in the future. He described a scenario of how work and interests of his past, that seemed unimportant at the time, become extremely important a decade later. Specifically, he described a course he audited on calligraphy and it’s critical impact so many years later on the launch of the original MacIntosh PC.

This rings true with myself and the Diolkos solution. The years of working with the many internal and external stakeholder groups in both systems and processes provided me a base of knowledge that assisted in crafting this new method of payment exchange. Retirement boredom led me to work out an electronic alternative to cheques that fit into the interests of all stakeholders for all payment types, particularly the needs of the GIG Economy. And to this day, it hasn’t been seen or discussed by any others.

The Diolkos Better Mousetrap provides an integrated exchange and risk management solution that opens doors to changes in commerce. The growing GIG Economy is looking for a solution that can meet it’s needs. Current RT initiatives barely answer the single attribute of instant liquidity let alone the many needs to vault that sector into the stratosphere.

The “DIOLKOS Cloud Transport Network” will get everyone to Nirvana.