John is a social entrepreneur, mathematician, lawyer, technologist and change agent.
John is dedicated to using digital technology to advance participatory democracy. He is the founder and CEO of Ethelo, which provides group decision technology to governments and organizations around the world. Ethelo is one of the world’s top digital democracy platforms, named “Best for the World” in governance by B-Corp. Ethelo is the technology being used for the new eDemocracy DAO, launched in the fall of 2022.
In 2021, John invented SeaBrick, a construction modality for carbon sequestration and marine infrastructure. Seabrick are floating, interlocking blocks made of compressed kelp fiber covered by an impermeable, bioplastic shell. The University of British Columbia and the Heiltsuk First Nation have partnered to develop and manufacture SeaBrick. SeaBrick will be used to build large offshore kelp farming operations – among many other things. SeaBrick is massively scalable and will open the deep ocean as humanity’s next frontier.
John was named an Ashoka Fellow for establishing Pivot Legal Society in 2001, one of Canada’s leading human rights organizations. Pivot does strategic litigation to advance the interests of marginalized persons on issues of police accountability, sex worker and drug user rights, homelessness, and mental health. While working at Pivot John led the establishment of Hope in Shadows, an annual photography contest and street calendar whose model has spread around the world.