LK: Who is Sandra Ordonez?
Sandy Ordonez: I’m a native New Yorker from the Bronx and Yonkers who fell in love with the web in the early 90s and has been geeking away ever since.
LK: What is your organization, Collaborative Nation about?
SO: We provide developers working on anti-surveillance and anti-censorship open source tools with diverse type of support.
LK: What are your favorite television shows and movies?
SO: Stand by Me is my top movie of all time. Favorite T.V. Shows are Community, Paranormal Witness, American Horror Story, True Blood, and United States of Tara — See a theme?
LK: Any favorite books?
SO: Anything by Pablo Coelho. However, his Veronica Decides to Die might be my favorite.
LK: iPhone or Android or what?
SO: I’m embarrassed to admit, an iPhone.
LK: What areas / opportunities are ripe for startups to tackle?
SO: I think digital is brand spanking new and the opportunities to reinvent different industries are endless. Focus on tools that help people and fill a need. The beauty of the new economy is that you can empower people and still make a good living.
LK: Have you done any previous startups?
SO: My current startup helps organizations change their culture and implement internal tools so they can be more successful online and in the new economy. I also created and ran a website catering to young entrepreneurs and MBAers throughout the world.
LK: Outside of your startup/work what are you passionate about?
SO: Women’s rights, hiking, creativity, and analytical skills
LK: Who has been or currently is an inspiration to you?
SO: Anyone past 30 who manages to maintain a positive disposition and keep their zest for life.
LK: With your startup/concept currently in prototype stage, what is one problem you are addressing?
SO: Most companies operate in an archaic method which hinders their ability to perform effectively in the new economy. I help organizations transform their culture and processes to be more collaborative, flexible, innovative and frugal in a “real way.” Using both technology and collaborative, crowd-sourcing exercises I help orgs change in a quick way that sticks and minimizes pain.
LK: What led you to this right now instead of anything else?
SO: I find that the best developers in the world are passionate but practical humanitarians who dedicate countless hours making the world a better place through open source projects. For me, working at OpenITP is an honor since I get to now only serve these kick-ass devs but also be at the edge of tech innovation that is literally transforming the world.
LK: What is your current biggest challenge?
SO: In regards to my startup, understanding how to sell a very innovative service as well as understanding which decision makers I should target. Professionally, getting better at coding. I would like to be able to throw down and build cool technology from scratch.
LK: How can our readers help you get to your next step?
SO: In regards to my startup, I love crowd-wisdom and collaboration, so any advice, tips, suggestions are always welcomed. In regards to OpenITP, if you are a techno-activist interested in getting more involved, join us every 3rd Monday: http://hacktivism.eventbrite.com/
LK: Let’s play a prediction game. Let’s say we are 12 months from now, and you are about to present to your board. How would you describe your progress?
SO: If I have a board in 12 months, then I’m in good shape! My brother-in-law who is getting an MBA from Cornell just volunteered to do my business plan, so I feel very fortunate.
LK: Now let’s reflect on who you were five years ago. What advice would you give the former you?
SO: Girl, keep on being curious, being led by passion, and volunteering your time to serve your communities. You can’t go wrong if you focus on what you love.
