Ep. 7 Ivoine Strachan: From no Electricity and Learning to Code on his Phone to Building a Haptic VR Suit in San Francisco

Merge is a club for microgrant recipients working on big ideas.

Today we welcome Ivoine Strachan to the podcast. He has an incredible story - growing up in the Bahamas with limited access to electricity and internet, he became a chess champion so he could get access to computers and wifi. He learned how to build and fix electronics, how to code using only his phone, and then managed to fundraise for a solo trip to San Francisco at just 16 years old where he interned at Roblox. Now, he’s developing a Ready Player One-inspired VR suit.

(01:29) From chess champion to coder

(13:50) Sleeping at airport for first trip to SF

(18:19) Shocking friends: Building a haptic VR suit

Follow Ivoine on Twitter: https://x.com/ivoinetech

Merge is a club for microgrant recipients working on big ideas. Meet new builder friends and make progress on your project: https://merge.club

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