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Russ Willey

Founder & CEO
myGivmo

Lifelong New Hampshire resident and entrepreneur, Russ Willey is the Founder and CEO of myGivmo – a software company that helps nonprofits, organizations, and even individuals generate passive income from supporters, friends, and family through distributed computing.
Studying computer science and networking at the University of New Hampshire, Russ was inspired by the SETI@home project – a scientific experiment, based at UC Berkeley in the 1990s, that used Internet-connected computers in the search for extraterrestrial Intelligence. People participated by running a free screensaver on their PC that downloaded and analyzed radio telescopic data. Millions of volunteers around the world downloaded the screen saver over the years. Because the task required huge amounts of computing power, the program broke the data into chunks that ordinary PCs could handle and, since it was a screen saver, it ran when volunteers were not actively using their machines The result? For 21 years, millions of people helped a university search for alien life.
Similiarly, Russ started myGivmo in 2022 as another innovative use for distributed computing. His idea was to connect philanthropic individuals - helping them to collectively rase money for important causes by harnessing their computer’s unused processing power to mine for digital currency. The more supporters that run the app, the more passive income that is generated for the charity. Today, Russ works with more than 400 charities as well as socially conscious streamers, content creators, and communities making his secure, Microsoft-trusted program available for free. His favorite day of every month is when he sends checks to all the listed organizations and sponsored individuals. More than 80% of the income generated goes directly to the sponsored organizations or individuals - the rest is to maintain operations and grow the business.
In addition to running his own software company, Russ also works as a data management consultant. for companies in the Northeast. He is a devoted husband and father to one daughter who is currently studying graphic design at Chapman University in California. Russ enjoys gaming and travelling and spending time with family and friends.

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