Out of Office — Ep.20

Kartik Sathappan and Jack Dwyer sit down with Sarv, founder of Origami Computing — a playful “sidekick computer” aiming to make our relationship with tech healthier. We cover the journey from scrappy, screenless prototypes to a colorful device that feels human, why phones exhaust us, and what it really takes to learn hardware, raise a round, and build something people love.

🧭 Links:
𝕏 Follow Sarv: https://x.com/SarvasvKulpati
🔗 Learn more about Origami: https://origamicomputing.com/

🎧 Subscribe and follow:
X — https://x.com/outofofficepodx
Spotify — https://open.spotify.com/show/2oDg9z0aCNyS6L0YVbEIMD
Apple — https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/out-of-office/id1789052920
YouTube — https://www.youtube.com/@OutOfOfficePodcastX

👤 Hosts:
𝕏 Follow Kartik: https://x.com/sathaxe
𝕏 Follow Jack: https://x.com/jackndwyer

💡 Sponsor:
Sponsored by Families Fund — the first VC fund backing founders rebuilding education and health for American families.
https://www.families.fund

Chapters

1. 00:00 Meet Sarv and the birth of Origami Computing
2. 02:35 What makes a device “healthy”
3. 05:12 The digicam prototype and retro tech’s comeback
4. 07:46 A silent rebellion against social media
5. 10:50 From screenless experiments to sidekick computers
6. 12:57 Why cute eyes went viral
7. 15:00 AI as self-actualization, not autocomplete
8. 19:59 Moving to SF: from scarcity to abundance
9. 22:27 Teaching himself hardware and PCB design
10. 26:29 Mentors, suffering, and the hard truths of hardware
11. 28:18 Staying true in a hype-driven Silicon Valley
12. 30:56 GTM, social media virality, and the weight of followers
13. 33:38 Building a tiny but mighty team
14. 34:11 Berkeley lessons: liberal arts, CogSci, and POV
15. 39:11 Almost dropping out, Tech Twitter, and finding direction
16. 43:27 Early curiosity: clubs, skateboards, and coding hands
17. 44:53 Creativity beyond tech: music, writing, and art
18. 45:34 Social media, hermits, and healthier online spaces
19. 47:41 Origami’s vision: a phone that feels human
20. 49:09 The future of AI-native devices