Jon Gaskell's dashboard

As we begin to examine International opportunities, we understand there will exist challenges in certain areas of the world with not only our brand, but our technology and model as well. So, to answer your question, yes we have, and we look forward to thoughtfully working through these to put out the best possible product. As for the pig itself in the Middle East, archeological evidence shows pigs were domesticated throughout the region as far back as 9,000 years ago - pet pigs - and in Israel in 2003, a program to have pigs used for protection for Israeli settlers in the West Bank - guard pigs - was formed. Of course, the eating of the flesh of pigs is forbidden by some religions, as pigs have been deemed "filthy." We will clearly keep all of this and much more in mind as we progress into all areas of the global market. After all, beyond our mascot and brand, what SmartyPig truly is all about is simply helping the world save. Thanks for your question. -Jon

We are getting ready to announce some very exciting news regarding SmartyPig, and the work needed to implement the changes to make this news possible is eating up all of our "blue sky" time. That said, we have not only been kicking around these types of goals, you're suggesting, but have taken the next steps to see how it might work within SmartyPig from a regulatory standpoint. The functionality would not be problematic, but as you pointed out we only want to do it when we can do it perfectly. Thanks!