Another Black Innovator Almost Got Written Out, Eric Masaba’s 17 Year Fight for Credit

Ep 1, Eric Masaba, The 17 yr patent battle behind ride hailingEpisode summaryIn our opening episode, Michael Livingstone sits down with Eric Masaba, inventor behind the Taxi Dispatch System patent, to unpack a story that will hit home for black and underrepresented founders building with limited access. Eric shares what it took to keep going through a long patent journey, the personal cost of protecting IP, and what founders should know about innovation, resilience and power.Why you should listenIf you're building a startup in the UK, raising pre seed or seed, bootstrapping, or fighting to protect your ideas, this episode is a reminder that the system is not always designed for you, but your conviction still matters.In this episodeEric’s origin story, what problem he was trying to solveThe invention, and what his Taxi Dispatch System patent coversEric’s account of a 17 year patent process, and what that did to his life and momentumThe founder reality of IP, legal cost, mental load, and staying in the gameLessons for underrepresented founders on protecting your work, documenting everything, and building leverageWhat Eric wants innovators, investors, and policymakers to learn from his experienceGuestEric Masaba, inventor and founder, patent holder for Taxi dispatch system, US11586999.HostMichael Livingstone, founder of Dustid.com, building the addressing architecture for the digital economy and beyond.Keywords for discoverabilityBlack founders, underrepresented founders, venture capital, fundraising, bootstrapping, startup growth, intellectual property, patents, USPTO, innovation, resilience, UK startups, founder story, investor readiness, product strategy, go to market.Resources mentionedEric Masaba patents listing, includes Taxi dispatch system, Patent 11586999Patent publication page for the Taxi Dispatch SystemEric’s post describing his 17 year journey, in his own wordsCall to actionIf this episode resonates, share it with one founder who needs encouragement today, and follow Zero.24% on your podcast platform so you never miss an episode. New episodes every two weeks.