Lost and Found With Coworking Member Nickerson Hill

Stop to talk with anyone in our ever-buzzing coworking space, and you'll surely find a fascinating story. You might encounter an awesome science writer, an e-book entrepreneur, an award-winning web designer/music maker, or, as you'll see right now, a licensed social worker who's found a second calling helping people find things they've lost. All while she's applying to public health PhD programs. Meet Nickerson Hill (and get to know her more after the jump).

3rd Ward's John Ruscher: So you work for Foundit! Tell us a little bit about that.

Nickerson Hill: Essentially, FoundIt! is an automated (fast, safe & easy) lost and found system. We believe that people generally want to do the right thing, including returning things they find. Lost and founds are full of good intentions. Stats say that 70% of items turned into lost and founds never make it back to their owner. Sometimes stuff isn't returned because it may seem difficult or time consuming.  FoundIt! eliminates these barriers by making it easy and quick for people to do the right thing and return things they find.

JR: How does it work exactly?

NH: Our members each have a unique FoundIt! ID, which is printed on super-durable stickers and tags and they affix these stickers/tags to things they might lose. When a member misplaces something they labeled with their FoundIt! ID, the Finder simply enters the info into FoundIt!'s secure system via text or on our website. Our member then receives an instant FoundIt! Alert via text and email sharing the Finder’s contact information and/or message. Many of our members have reported getting a FoundIt! Alert even before knowing anything was missing!

I'm also excited about our next generation of stickers, which include QR codes as yet another, even faster way to make a FoundIt! report. When scanned, a FoundIt! QR will automatically send the SMS message of the Member's FoundIt! ID to our system.

JR: So how did FoundIt! find you?

NH: FoundIt! was originally conceived of by a close childhood friend of mine and my father (the two of them are close, as well). I initially got involved with the business just talking with them and the (small) staff, as I had some thoughts on FoundIt!'s marketing and branding. As a licensed social worker and academic, I didn't necessarily plan on joining in an official capacity, but the more I worked with them, the more excited I got about the prospect of being involved. This past fall I decided to apply to PhD programs and so I found myself job searching for a 1-2 year position. At the same time, FoundIt! was looking to hire a second full-time person (the initial 2 founders/idea men are still involved, but have other projects). As I was already involved, I was a good fit & ended up joining the FoundIt! team. The timing was just right and I feel like I kind of got lucky. I have always had a personal interest in technology, marketing, design and small businesses, but I saw this as a rare opportunity to explore this kind of work before venturing farther (possibly crossing the Rubicon?) into the world of academia.

JR: Could you tell us about that side of your life?

NH: I have a masters in social work (MSW) & a masters in the history & ethics of public health (MPH), and I am hoping to begin a PhD program in the next year or two.  My work is interdisciplinary, involving histories of mental health/psychiatry, transgender health & rights, critical race & gender theory, eugenics & human classification, activist rhetoric, radical feminisms, nostalgia & technology, public health ethics, privacy, young philanthropy, and social justice movements (I know that is a lot, but it actually comes together...).  Recently, I have been revising a few papers for publication, focusing on the history of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the evolution and revision process of gender and sexuality diagnoses and activists concerned with these revisions.

JR: Sounds amazing! How do you like coworking at 3rd Ward?

NH: I certainly benefit from having access to this space. Most of my work is otherwise done from home (FoundIt! is based in Seattle), so it is extremely helpful to have an alternative, quiet workspace. The main things that stand out are the amount of light in the coworking space—those windows are amazing—and how focused everybody is. Of course, people do have conversations and speak on the phone in the shared space, but I always feel able to concentrate. The free coffee doesn't hurt, either.

JR: Absolutely. Anything else on the horizon?

NH: The big event I am looking forward to with FoundIt! is SXSW. We are participating in SXswag and will be running a few events during SXSWi, so it should be great exposure (in addition to being fun).

I also recently started playing around with Arduino, so who knows what will come of that.

Nickerson has also kindly offered a discount on Foundit! membership for her fellow 3rd Ward members! Use the code "3RDWARD" to get 25% off.

-- John Ruscher