Individuals who significantly contribute to innovation and technological progress leave a lasting impression on society. Imaginative thinking enables people to develop ideas that solve numerous technical, social, and economic issues. Many people aspire to innovate and invent new products or services. However, few have the resilience and determination to proceed with their ideas. Michael Saigh, an American inventor noted for his contributions to different sectors, is one such individual. Saigh’s ideas have helped millions globally, from his early patents for electronic books and movies on demand to his recent innovations like Liquid Rarity Exchange (LRE) and Equine Smartbit.
Michael Saigh, an American inventor, serial entrepreneur, and former business professor, is credited with inventing the first cellular mobile safety network, significantly influencing public safety. Saigh’s pioneering PushToAlert (PTA) technology has enabled everyone to become virtual security guards, allowing them to report crimes or crises in real time and coordinate with emergency authorities. His creative contributions have transformed the way people think about personal security.
Michael Saigh had a creative and inquisitive mind from an early age which also caused problems for him at school. His uncle, Fred Saigh, was a successful businessman, tax attorney, real estate developer, and the former owner of the St. Louis Cardinals baseball franchise. Saigh’s exposure to his uncle’s entrepreneurial and innovative accomplishments, such as the world’s first electronic cigarette vending machine, motivated him to follow a career in innovation and business.
Saigh’s scholastic path paved the way for his successful career as an inventor. The inventor graduated with a biology and political science bachelor’s degree from Cornell College. He then worked as a stockbroker (Series 7, Series 63) during the day while studying in the MBA and DBA Doctor of Business Administration evening program at Webster University. Saigh’s varied academic experience offered a unique mix of knowledge and talents, allowing him to approach creativity from a multidisciplinary standpoint.
Saigh, when working as a stockbroker and adjunct business lecturer at the University of Missouri, St. Louis, in the mid-1980s, “moonlighted” by creating an electronic microchip cleanroom laboratory for experiments in a basement close to his brokerage office to “skip out of the Dow Jones Average” as he puts it as much as possible. Saigh’s intellectual spirit flourished in this environment, and he started constructing prototypes and submitting patents for his groundbreaking ideas.
One of Saigh’s early creations was “Autoerasure” (video on demand), which allowed electronic rental rather than purchasing ebooks and movies. He invented electronic book prototypes such as the Video Pocket and Page Reader, laying the framework for the digital dissemination of material that people today take for granted. Saigh launched his Intellectual Property Distribution Network (IPDN) to publishers and video shops, laying the groundwork for the media industry’s digital transition.
Despite early opposition from publishers who questioned the sustainability of electronic distribution, Saigh’s ideas piqued the interest of Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. Allen purchased Saigh’s patents for electronic books and video-on-demand in 2002, recognizing the great value and potential of Saigh’s original concepts. These patents were later licensed to big corporations like Google and Apple, solidifying Saigh’s position as an expert.
Saigh set out to reinvent personal security after being inspired by a sad occurrence. After the Virginia Tech tragedy, involving the murders of 32 people, Saigh got a call from his friend Kevin Arndt, who ran one of the country’s prominent independent TV broadcasting organizations. Arndt emphasized the critical necessity for a mobile safety network that would enable citizens to take fast action in an emergency. Saigh and Arndt created the PushToAlert (PTA) system after recognizing the system’s necessity.
The PTA system, covered by Saigh’s patents, became an essential component of mobile cellular devices for all platforms. It enabled users to become “virtual security guards” by instantaneously alerting the local community to current crimes or crises. The PTA system simultaneously called 911 and sent secure emergency information to law enforcement and other emergency services. Saigh’s creative idea enabled everyone to ensure safety.
Saigh’s mobile safety network has had a significant influence on public safety. The PTA system has drastically shortened reaction times by providing real-time crime and emergency alerts, allowing law enforcement to intervene quickly and effectively. Individuals’ capacity to cooperate with emergency professionals has changed the dynamics of disaster response, allowing for improved coordination and assistance.
Saigh’s patents demonstrate his varied innovative pursuits. They cover numerous industries and technologies, such as vendor structural complexes, fintech technologies for fractional shares in rare and collectibles, secure medical information and RFID, apparatus for electronic communication and time-encoded information storage of information, and a method for the delivery and reproduction of selected electronic works.
Saigh’s tireless quest for innovation has led him to launch several organizations and initiatives. He has developed and operated firms, including Saigh & Sons, AutoCart Logistics, Equine Smartbit, and Liquid Rarity Exchange. These enterprises have enabled Saigh to expand on his imaginative ideas and deliver unique solutions to various sectors, ranging from logistics and transportation to healthcare and rare asset trading.
Saigh is the co-chairman of Liquid Rarity Exchange and the chairman of Equine, combining his knowledge and imaginative thinking to push innovation in both sectors. His most recent innovations include new medical information technology, bio-energy technologies, and a Rarity Trading Platform for Non-Fungible Assets.
Published by: Martin De Juan
