. >> reporter: jim fruchterman says he wanted to be an engineer because he wanted to build things and solve problems. well, jim says he doesn't build things anymore. but solving problems? well, some call him the god father of doing that with technology. the concept of using technology to solve the world's problems is a popular one these days. in fact, they hold whole conferences about it in san francisco and thousands attend. >> you know, we need capital to get it going. >> reporter: when jim fruchterman first had the idea, though, well, he could have held his convention in a phone booth, if you're old enough to know what that technology looks like. >> i'd say i was in the wilderness for ten years. all my friends were like, jim, you could make billions selling dog food over the internet. i'm like, i don't want to sell dog food over the internet. >> reporter: jim was an undergraduate at cal tech in the 1970s, see thie studying to be rocket scientist when he had what he called his one good idea. developing character recognition technology that would help make books more widely accessibl