SEATTLE & BELLEVUE, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Laplink® Software, Inc., the global leader in PC migration and creator of the only software of its kind recommended by Microsoft®, Intel® and all major PC manufacturers, and Maker Mask, a nonprofit, rapidly-growing grassroots ecosystem and digital platform response to the COVID-19 crisis organized by leaders of technology, industry and government, today announced that the organizations are working together to boost the production of respirator-style masks for the public and essential workers. Laplink has donated $10,000 to Maker Mask to support this critical initiative – and will focus its upcoming 37th anniversary sales promotions around additional support for the nonprofit.
Maker Mask launched in March 2020 to help fill the critical need for high-quality personal protective equipment (PPE) due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The organization designed an open source 3D printable protective mask, approved by the National Institutes for Health (NIH), which is available for free download at makermask.com. Within a month, makers from around the world downloaded more than 125,000 free open-source computer aided design (CAD) files for printing the Maker Mask. The Maker Mask network currently supports a global community of nearly 10,000 members, each operating small batch production sites making masks for their local communities. The masks can be manufactured using commonly available materials and hobbyist-grade 3D printers for a cost of about $2.00 to $3.00 per unit for materials.
Laplink’s 37th anniversary occurs in May, and while the company was planning its annual celebration, Thomas Koll, Laplink’s CEO, suggested a different sort of celebration. A former Microsoft executive, he read an interesting article about Maker Mask published by the Microsoft Alumni Network and immediately saw an opportunity for his company to help a worthy cause.
“The world is at a critical tipping point in its battle with COVID-19, and at Laplink we want to do everything we can to support communities who are fighting to defeat this virus,” said Koll. “Not only are we donating now, but instead of our traditional anniversary activities, we’ll change the focus to supporting Maker Mask. Our hope is that we can drive more awareness of their important mission in addition to our financial support.”
According to Jonathan Roberts, leader of the Maker Mask Initiative, the donation will be used to offset some of the costs of mask-making materials and other operational expenses as the nonprofit organization continues to support the Maker Mask network.
“I’ve known Thomas for more than 30 years from the time when we worked together at Microsoft. I appreciate his support not only as the CEO of Laplink Software, but also as a friend. The COVID-19 pandemic is an ‘all hands on deck’ crisis and Maker Mask is thankful for the help that his company is applying to this part of the COVID-19 response,” said Roberts, co-founder of nonprofit RPrime and founding partner at Ignition Partners. “This donation will be very helpful as we work to provide support to the Maker Mask network of makers around the world. We believe that it's more important than ever before for us to build a global supply chain powered by community-based small batch production sites to ensure resiliency during times of crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic.”
While the article about Maker Mask that the Microsoft Alumni Network sent out was intended to highlight how former Microsoft employees are having a positive impact on their world, not as a request for financial support, everyone involved is happy how it turned out.
“During times of crisis, to make a big impact quickly, you must rely on your connections. The Microsoft Alumni Network is proud to facilitate alumni supporting fellow alumni – that’s the power of the Network,” said Ali Spain, Executive Director of the Microsoft Alumni Network. “In the case of Microsoft alumni Jonathan Roberts of Maker Mask and Thomas Koll of Laplink Software, we were able to facilitate a quick connection after Thomas read the story about the Maker Mask Initiative in our alumni news.”
To join Laplink’s support for Maker Mask, please donate here - https://store.laplink.com/59/purl-20200507-PR-LL37-MakerMask-MMgfm.
About Maker Mask
Maker Mask is a rapidly-growing grassroots ecosystem and digital platform response to the COVID-19 crisis. The nonprofit organization is enabling communities to create necessary goods locally and quickly to reduce the spread of disease, protect more people, lighten the burdens on medical facilities, the Department of Defense, and government agencies. The Maker Mask initiative gives people around the world something they can do to be part of the solution to the COVID-19 pandemic while the organization works toward its long-term goal of building and training local production capability for the future. Maker Mask is an RPrime Initiative and currently funded by the RPrime Foundation. The RPrime Foundation, co-founded by Jonathan Roberts, is a nonprofit digital platform connecting individuals to communities of all types including faith-based, education, government, NGO and all service organizations, to meet societal and community needs. Roberts is also a board member and investor in NavigatorCRE which is driving the powerful ViralInsights/NavigatorCRE data analysis and visualization platform that is an important part of the Maker Mask Initiative.
About Laplink Software, Inc.
For over 37 years, Laplink has been a global leader in consumer, SMB and enterprise PC migration software, and has earned the loyalty and trust of millions of organizations and customers worldwide. The company’s PCmover software saves time and budget, reduces migration risks and increases efficiency. Only PCmover’s proprietary technology includes full selectivity that transfers data, applications and settings from an old PC to a new one, even if the versions of Windows are different. The privately-held company was founded in 1983 and is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington.
