Faced with the challenges of a global pandemic, the word “pivot” was on every business owner’s mind when things started shutting down. Closed borders, labour crunch, video conference fatigue were all key headline titles with many businesses closing doors in 2020 and 2021. Governments enforced work from home orders, travel was out of the question, and events went fully virtual.

For bamboo U’s founder, Orin Hardy, the difficulties were especially pronounced. A design and build intensive course, bamboo U needed participants to be physically in Bali for an 11-day immersion into the bamboo world. When the pandemic hit, bamboo U could not conduct in-person classes and the financial responsibilities piled on. With a baby on the way, Orin looked inward for inspiration, and found an inner world of virtual possibilities. He gives us a peek into his world and how he harnessed technology to adapt and emerge stronger.